reuven rosenfelder, THE JERUSALEM POST

The municipal area of Jerusalem, says Israel Kimhi, a veteran urban planner associated with the Jerusalem Institute of Israel Studies (JIIS), is similar to that of Paris. Yet the population of Paris is several times larger than that of Jerusalem.

Fifty percent of the Jerusalem area, Kimhi asserts, is not developed, or is underdeveloped. What the city needs is not more space and more sprawling construction, but a planned increase in residential density.

This is essential not only for the capital but the whole country. It's an inescapable consequence, he says, of the "Hadera-Gedera" syndrome – the concentration of so much of Israel's population in the stretch between the city of Hadera, in the center of the country, to the town of Gedera, a mere 70 kilometers aerial distance to the south.

Urban environmental quality is therefore a major concern for this densely settled mass. Kimhi, who heads the Center of Environmental Policy at JIIS, has recently published a book on this subject.

Urban Environmental Quality (published by JIIS in Hebrew, with an English introduction) comprises separate chapters written, some jointly, by 11 specialists on topics ranging from transportation and noise and air pollution to building density, open space and more.

"The team's goal was two-fold," Kimhi writes in his introduction to the volume. "First, to promote awareness of the centrality of the intra-urban quality of life, both among planners and the public at large; and second, to propose practical measures for improving urban environmental quality through a comprehensive and multi-systemic perspective."

One article urges the formulation of "environmental evaluation systems for built-up areas." Such tools exist in other countries, writes Valentina Nelin, but not in Israel. If the average citizen (as well as real-estate agents, planners and others involved) had this tool, he or she could make a more informed decision when buying an apartment, for example. Nelin points to parameters and maps out a matrix for objective assessment.

In "Esthetics and the Israeli City," Philip Brandeis and Lior Shalem discuss "Heritage" and "Indicators & Policy." While the second section is directed towards professionals (as is much of the material in this volume), the first is a compact, insightful and critical survey of the emergence of urban space in this country.

Understanding of urban space in Israel dates back to the garden-city concept of the 1920s, and on to the dense and hectic environment of today. Anyone interested in this theme may appreciate reading this chapter.

Although he deals with Israel in general, in an interview with In Jerusalem Kimhi is more than willing to focus specifically on Jerusalem. He is deeply concerned about the preservation of the past and the planning for the future of this city.

Kimhi is chairman of the Jerusalem chapter of the National Council for the Preservation of Historical Sites and he points to the municipal building preservation committee as an example of the reasons for his concern. Three out of four committee decisions, he says, permitted the demolition of structures that, he believes, should have been preserved. He reveals that a listing of buildings slated for preservation was compiled for Jerusalem back in 1968.

At that time, Jerusalem was considered a pioneer in this field, but the list was never made public. Other cities have put their heritage lists on record and Kimhi insists that the Jerusalem list must also be published. Hundreds of city buildings with heritage value have already disappeared.

Preservation is costly and often complex, he acknowledges. Entrepreneurs should be compensated for the loss of earning potential, perhaps by diversion of a percentage of the "improvement tax" paid by contractors, who obtain a permit to "add" to an old home on a parcel of land, multiplying its square footage five, six or seven times. In this way, the municipality would be able to develop a compensation fund.

But above all, Kimhi insists, Jerusalem needs leaders who will treat the quality of the urban environment as a top priority.

Real estate interests, Kimhi points out, have an "enormous apparatus" at their side, planners and public relations specialists, and they frequently win. Development is inevitable but it is crucial that it be dealt with in the right balance, with sensitivity and within measure.

"Why not think of the Katamonim area, which has lost population in recent years, in terms of housing restoration and increased density?" he challenges. Referring to plans to develop Jerusalem to the west, and specifically, to the Safdie plan, he continues, "Some 120,000 dwelling units could be added to Jerusalem's residential infrastructure without venturing into grand new schemes, such as construction in the region of Ora and Aminadav to the southwest, or Mount Heret [to the south of Maoz Zion]. Such ventures will bring the bulldozers to that precious natural asset we have, the magnificent Jerusalem Hills."

Ultimately, Kimhi insists, environmental awareness is a matter of education.

Do Israeli schools advance this objective through systematic programs? "No, they don't," Kimhi replies categorically.

Has he approached the authorities or appealed to the minister?

"Yes, but to little avail," he says.

The Jerusalem Post - http://www.jpost.com/

Last Updated: 09-07-2005