Sunday 3th of July 2011
The local masterplan was drawn, one later the next and submitted to Ministry of Interior. Both have been rejected. It's not that i trust that Jerusalem Municipality are a clever bunch of people but i do agree with their decision. The masterplans we are looking at are mere 2D splashes of colour caller ZONES! And those zones are only left over spaces between the makings of road engineer! He is the one who truly designed this plan he is the one who designed most new developments across Israel! Yes this masterplan carries similarities with Settlement typology. Mountain top development. Yet it also has an ambition which is a new one. Palestinian society is lacking a local cultural and economic centre and Al Addesseh development is to create a new, as they call it, 'CNTRE OF LIFE' in the valley of the river. Park is to connect all those civic spaces and buildings. All sounds well but feels un-designed.
Was this the reason for rejection of both plans. IPCC argues the reason was strictly political, e.i. The number of units proposed for the site. In May 2011 Municipality has responded with planning guidance for the site. And asked to no more than 2500 units, an estimated population of 12.000 with a 4..3 person family structure. The site can easily take double, quadruple the number of units.
Israelis envisage Palestinian society as a rural one, restrict its expansion. The Palestinians want a statement project, a new urban space a place for new urban lives of its people. They want to challenge the way Palestinian society is perceived. Contradictions multiply! If politicks is at hear of planning decisions than is there of political advantage for the design to look one way or another?
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