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8/7/2019 Patterns in the Utilization of Constructed Land in Israel 2007
1/20
TheJerusalemInstitute IsraelMinistryof
forIsraelStudies EnvironmentalProtection
TheCenterforEnvironmentalPolicy OpenSpacesDepartmentEstablishedbytheCharlesH.Revson
Foundation
PatternsintheUtilizationofConstructed
LandinIsrael
MotiKaplan
LioraDarom
RanHaklai
NiritVitman
ShiraBuckwald
HanitaDean
SaritCaspi-Oron
2007
8/7/2019 Patterns in the Utilization of Constructed Land in Israel 2007
2/20
TheCenterforEnvironmentalPolicyStudiesSeriesno.28
PatternsintheUtilizationofConstructedLandinIsrael
MotiKaplan
LioraDarom
RanHaklai
NiritVitman
ShiraBuckwald
HanitaDeanSaritCaspi-Oron
Thispublicationwasmadepossiblebyfundsgrantedby
theCharlesH.RevsonFoundation.
Thestatementsmadeandtheviewsexpressedaresolelytheresponsibility
oftheauthors.
2007,TheJerusalemInstituteforIsraelStudies
TheHayElyacharHouse
20RadakSt.,92186Jerusalem
http://www.jiis.org.il
E-mail:[email protected]
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Abstract
1.1 Background
Planningisnaturallymeanttoarrangefuturereality,withthepresentasitsstarting
point. So, too,istheplanning inIsrael:ittriestoputorderintocomplexand
complicated systems that are managed in the connes of a small piece of land, on
whichaconstantlygrowingpopulationlives.
Themajorissuewithwhichnationalplanninghasbeentryingtocopeforthelastdecadeisthedemandforbuildinganddevelopment,whichhascomeinresponse
totheincreaseinpopulationandtheriseinhousingstandards.Theresultsofthis
demandincludeurbansprawl,extendingoutwardfromthecitiesintoopenspaces,
thebuildingofsuburbs,andincreasingpopulationdispersal.Israel'splanning
authoritieshavebeentryingforyearstotemperandcurbthisphenomenonthat
threatensIsrael'sopenspaces,aswellasthequalityandstabilityofitscities.
ThisproblemisexacerbatedbythespecialcircumstancesinIsrael,whichinclude
highpopulationdensity,ahighrateofnaturalpopulationgrowth,increasesinthestandardofliving,andwiththemconstantdemandsfortheconversionofopen
landtolandforbuilding.
The starting point for planning for the future is the dimensions of area for
constructiontoday,andthesizeofthepopulationlivinginit.Thisinformation
raisesanumberofbasicquestions:
Whataretheproportionsofthebuiltareatoday?
What uses aremade of theareas forbuilding building of various sorts,
industry,employment,etc.,andwhatarethedimensionsofeachofthese?
Howisthebuilt-uplanddistributedgeographically?
Whatisthesizeofthepopulationinthebuilt-upareas,andintowhatcategories
canitbedividedup?
How are the built-up areas distributed in terms of municipalities and
nationally?
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DifferentdatabaseswereavailabletothenationalplanningauthoritiesofIsrael,
beginningwiththedatafromthe2020MasterPlanforIsraelfrom2000andupto
theNationalMasterPlan,no.35("TAMA35").Butthesedatabaseswerebuilt
upindifferentways,usingdifferentmethods,overdifferentperiodsoftime.
Thisprojecttriestosolvetheproblemofthelackofasinglesetofdata,organized
andopentocriticism,setinasinglepointoftimeandusedasastartingpointfor
thecomingyears.Thedatabasethatthisprojecthascreatedisintendedtobe
usedasanagreed-uponbaseonanationallevel.
Thesedatabasesincludelandelementsitsextent,uses,nationaldistribution,
and itsmunicipal status aswell as the element of population, its size and
characteristics. The inclusion of these statistics and theirprocessingmake it
possibletolearnabouthowthelandiscurrentlyusedandhowitcanbetaken
advantageofinthefuture.
Therealsuccessofthisresearchwillbefoundinitsimplementationanditsuse.
Wehopethatmasterplansatalllevelswilltakeadvantageofthisworkandthat
thedatabaseitselfwillbeupdatedperiodically.
1.2 Goals
Thisresearchhastwomaingoals:
the creation of a data base that reects the extent of built area in Israel, its
distribution, thepatternsof itsusage, and theways it is utilized. Such a
databaseisessentialforunderstandingprocessesnaturalanddirectedof
concentration in the built-upareas, theirsaturation andwidening, and for
useasastartingpointfornationalpolicyandforfutureplanningofrelations
betweenbuiltandopenareas.
thecomparisonofamappingofbuilt-upareasanda databaseupdated to
2003withamapandadatabasethatwascreatedandprocessedbythesame
methodology in 1998. This comparison reects the development in size and
thepatternsofbuildinginIsraeloverthatperiodoftime.
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1.3 Methodology
ThemappingworkwasexecutedwithaGeographicInformationSystem(GIS)
usingESRIArcViewsoftware.
Themappingand theconstructionofthepolygonsforthebuilt-upareaswere
done on the basis of rectied aerial photos (orthophotos) from the years 1998 and
2003.
Intherst stageprecisepolygonaldigitalizationwasperformedonbuilt-upareas
inorthophoto1998.Themappingofthebuilt-upareaswasdoneatascaleof
1:4,000.Thepolygonswerecategorizedintofourmaingroupsaccordingtoland
use:1)residentialareas, 2) industrialand employmentareas,3)quarries, and
4)other.
Inthesecondstagemappingwasdoneofadditionalareasthatwerebuiltupafter
1998(i.e.,overtheperiod1998-2003)onthebasisofcomparisonsbetweenthe
aerialphotosfromthosetwoyears.
Resultsoftheworkincludethefollowingmaps:
1. Amapofbuilt-upareasin1998;
2. Amapofareasbuiltupbetweentheyears1998and2003.
Thefollowingdatabasesareincluded:
1. Adatabaseoflanduseforeachpolygononthemap;
2.AdatabasefromtheCentralBureauofStatisticswithcalculateddensityfor
theresidentialareasineachsettlement(nameofsettlement,municipalstatus,
populationstatistics,populationgroups,characteristicsofthesettlement).
OntothisdatabasewasaddedtheareaofroadsinIsrael,basedontheroadmap
ofthe"Mapa"company.Theareawascalculatedaccordingtoasetwidthfor
eachtypeofroad.
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1.4 AnalysisoftheDataBases
Analysisofthedatabasewasperformedinthreeways:
1. Landcoveranditsuses(2003):includesanalysisoftheutilizationofthebuilt
upareas,theirproportions,andtheirassociationwiththeregion(inthiscase
wewillrefertoallbuilt-uponlandofeverykindas"landcovering");
2. Population,landcoveringfor residence,andpopulationdensity (2003): in
thiscaseweanalyzetheuseoflandforresidenceandthepopulationdensity
ofsettlementsaccordingtodifferentcriteria;
3. Comparisonbetween1998and2003:inthisanalysiswepresenttheadditions
tolandcoveranddensity,andanalyzethechangesthattookplacebetween
1998 and 2003. In addition we analyze the former land use of new land
cover.
Each of the analyses is presented according to three cross-sections: national,
regional,andmunicipal.
Inadditionthecorrespondencebetweenthedataonpopulationdensityandthe
socio-economic data was evaluated, as was the utilization of environmental
resourcesineachsettlement.
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Graph1.1
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1.5 PrimaryFindings
Thelandcoverinthecountry,forallusescombined,reached1,094square
kilometers in2003,which is approximately 5%of the country's territory.
NorthofBeersheva,landcoveris11%.
Roadscomprise130squarekilometersoftotallandcover.
Thepercentageoflandusedforresidences,asof2003,was70%ofallbuilt-
onland.
Israel's population in 2003 was 6.5million. Average population density
inbuiltareaswas7.7 inhabitantsperdunam(1dunam=k2/1000);median
densitywasclosetotheaverage,andstoodat9.5inhabitantsperdunam
Thedatafrom2003suggestsadichotomization inthedistributionofland
resources:
Halfofthepopulationuses70%ofthebuilt-uponlandforresidences,whereas
thesecondhalfusesonly30%;
Populationdensityvarieswidely,rangingfrom0.5to28.5inhabitantsper
builtdunam;Populationdensity in75% of the settled areas (768 settlements)was less
than4inhabitantsperdunam;only600,000peopleresideinsuchconditions,
comprisinglessthan10%ofthecountry'spopulation.Mostofthesearerural
settlementsbelongingtoregionalcouncils.
AveragedensityinIsrael'scitiesis10.5residentstodunam.Averagedensity
inlocalcouncilsis5.7andinregionalcouncils2.5perdunam.
TheaveragepopulationdensityinArabvillagesis6.1residentsperdunam.Building standards are relatively uniform in this sector, and no signicant
differenceswerefoundbetweendifferentregionsormunicipalcouncils.
Between 1998 and 2003 Israel's population grew by approximately 0.6
millionpeople(about2.2%ayear)andthebuilt-uponareasgrewby48square
kilometers (agrowth rateofapproximately1%per annum). The average
nationaldensitythereforegrewby0.5residentsperdunamoverthisperiod,a
rateof1.3%peryear.
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Thepolarizationinlanduseisgrowing,despitethefactthatoveralldensity
hasgrown.Thedatashowsamovementofpopulationandofbuildingtowards
thelocalcouncils,withacontinuingtrendofpopulationmigrationfromthe
densecitiestosettlementsoflowerdensity.
Nocorrelationwas foundbetweenpopulationdensityand socio-economic
statusorusageofenvironmentalresourcesaswereevaluatedinthisresearch
wasteproductionperperson,vehiclesperperson,waterusageperperson.
TheGISmapsonlayersofbuildingcanbeviewedonthesiteoftheMinistryof
Environmentalattheaddress:www.sviva.gov.il
DistributionofLandCoverAccordingtoUse:
Table1.1DistributionofNationalLandCoverAccordingtoUse
TotalRoadsSubTotal
notincluding
Roads
Other
Uses
QuarriesIndustry
andEmploy-
ment
Residence
1,224,051130,0001,094,05132,75828,109192,469840,714
Total
National
Land
Cover(in
(Dunams
100%10.6%2.7%2.3%15.7%68.7%
UsageofLandas
Percentage
ofTotal
Usage
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PopulationDensityandPolarizationofLandUse2003
Table1.2Population,LandCoverforResidence,andNationalDensity
MedianMaximum
Density
Minimum
Density
Average
Density
(Residence/
dunamof
residential
(landcover
Coverfor
Residence
(in
(Dunams
Population
2003
9.528.50.57.7840,7146,436,870
Total
National
Graph1.2PopulationDistributionAccordingtoDensity
(Residents/dunamofresidentiallandcover)
Density range (Residents/dunam of residential land cover)
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Graph1.3DistributionofSettlementsAccordingtoDensity
(Residents/dunamofresidentiallandcover)
Graph1.4DistributionofSettlementsAccordingtoDensity
(residents/dunamofresidentiallandcover)
0.0-0.5
2.5-3.0
5.0-5.5
7.5-8.0
10.0-10.5
12.5-13.0
15.0-15.5
17.5-18.0
20.0-22.0
Density range (Residents/dunam of residential land cover)
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1.5.2TheArabSector2003
Table1.3Population,LandCoverforResidence,andDensityAccording
toSectorinNationalPerspective
Average
Density
(Residence
per
dunamof
residential
cover)
Numberof
Settlements
as
Percentage
ofNational
Total
Numberof
Settlements
Residential
Land
Coveras
Percentage
ofNational
Total
Residential
LandCover
(indunams)
Population
2003as
Percentage
ofNational
Population
Population
2003
6.110%10418%150,22214%921,084
Arab
Settlements
8.090%88882%690,49286%5,515,786
Jewish
andMixed
Settlements
7.7100%992100%840,714100%6,436,870Total
1.5.3ComparisonofData1998-2003
NationalComparisonofPopulationandPopulationDensity1998-2003:
Table1.4Population,CoverforResidence,andDensity1998-2003
inNationalPerspective
DensityStatistics(Residentsperdunamofresidentialcover)
LandCoverforResidence(indunams)
Population
AverageMedianMaximumMinimum
7.22.427.50.5806,633.65,794,2561998
7.72.528.50.5840,714.16,436,8702003
0.50.11.00.0134,080.45642,614
Growth
Relative
to1998
6.6%4%3.5%2.9%4.2%11.1%
Rateof
Growth
Relative
to1998
(%)
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ComparisonofMunicipalPopulationandDensity1998-2003:
Table1.5Population,LandCoverforResidenceandDensity
1998-2003,MunicipalCross-section
AverageMunicipalDensity
(Residents/dunamofresidential
landcover)
ResidentialLandCover(indunams)Population
Rateof
Growth
inDensity
Compared
to1998
Growth
in
Average
Density
20031998Rateof
Growth
inLand
Cover
Compared
to1998
Growth
ofLand
Cover
20031998Rateof
Population
Growth
Compared
to1998
Population
Growth
20031998
5.2%0.510.510.03.7%16,582464,522447,9409.1%408,7944,896,2944,487,500Cities
13.1%0.75.75.06.1%10,886189,136178,24920.0%179,6931,079,192899,499
Local
Councils
9.3%0.22.52.33.7%6,612187,056180,44413.3%54,127461,384407,257
Regional
Councils
6.6%0.57.77.24.2%34,080840,714806,63411.1%642,6146,436,8705,794,256Total
1.5.4SocialandEnvironmentalMeasures
Table1.6CorrelationValuesBetweenSettlementDensityandSocio-
EconomicParametersandUseofEnvironmentalResources
Waste
Per
Capita
MunicipalWater
Consumption
PerCapita
Average
MonthlyWage
ofSalaried
Employees
Socio-economic
Level
0.1300.2980.0680.042CorrelationWith
Density-All
Settlements
0.0440.0840.0430.081CorrelationWith
DensityArab
Settlements
0.1300.2980.0680.042CorrelationWith
DensityJewish
Settlements
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Methodological Signicance
Thiswork presents the distribution of land cover and density in the country,
divided according to different types of settlement and according to national
geographicdistribution.Thestatisticalbasismaybeusedasastartingpointfor
futureestimationsoftheneedsforbuildinganddevelopment.
Thedatabasemayalsobeusedforestablishingmeasureswiththehelpofwhich
itwillbepossibletoevaluatetherateoflossofopenlandandtolocatesensitive
areas,inwhichthedevelopmentrateisswiftanddangerous.Thiskindoftool
integrateswellwithanattempttocreateindicatorsforquantitativemeasurement
andfollow-uponenvironmentalchangesinthecountry.
The Signicance for Planning
Thenationalmapofdensityshowsdensitydistributionandthegreatdifferences
inlevelsofdensity.Withtheassistanceofthismapitispossibletolocatesparsely
settled areas that may bemade denser or fuller.Of course, amore thorough
evaluationmustbemadeoftheparticularconditionsinthesettlementpriorto
development.
Cross-checking between density maps and sensitivity maps may help locate
groups of settlements in areas of low-sensitivity, in order to create a unied and
contiguousregionofdensersettlement.
Thepolarizationintheuseoflandisthebasisforwaste,wrongandunequal
divisionofthelandanditsresources,andforenvironmentalinjustice.
Currently, the frameworks for land settlement and land utilization are well-
ingrainedandunchanging.Newframeworksofdevelopmentareneededinorder
toalterthecourseandcreatemoreequaldivisionsoflandresources.
Practicallyspeaking,inthepresentsituation,high-densityurbansettlementsare
encouraged,whilenexttothemsettlementsofhighqualityandhighstandardsof
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livingaredeveloped(asonecanseefromtheinformationgatheredabouturban
settlements);theexpansionofexistingruralsettlementsandsuburbsshouldbe
avoided,andthebuildingofnewsettlementsofthesesortsshouldcertainlynotbe
initiated.Thedirectionoflargepopulationstoruralandsuburbansettlementswill
inessenceincreasepolarization,widengaps,anddistancethegoalsofequality
andenvironmentaljustice,exacerbatingproblemsthatarealreadyextremeand
deeplyembeddedinthesocialinfrastructureandenvironmentinIsraeltoday.
10. Implementation
10.1 Methodological Signicance
Thisworkprovidesaspreadofdensitybydifferentdivisionsofsettlement
types,bynationalgeographicdivision.Thissetofdatamayserveasastarting
pointforplanningpopulationdistribution,accordingtodifferentprograms
andintermsofdifferentassumptionsandscenarios.
Thedatabasesmakepossibletheanalysisaccording todifferentcriteriabeginningfromthelevelofthedistrict,theregion,thecity,theregionalcouncil,
thesettlementsoftheArabsector,andforpolicy-makinguptothelevelofa
wholecategoryofsettlementsortoasinglesettlement,urbanorrural.
Theworkpresentsadatabasefromtwoknownpointsintime.Thecontinuation
oftheworktoadditionalpointsintimewillallowforobservationsofchanges
in the proportions of built-up areas and in the density of settlements in
different,whichwillmakeitpossibletotrytointerveneandoffsetprocessesofchange.
Thedatabaseswillenableanalysestobemadeinthefutureoftherateofloss
ofopenareas(thatwillvaryaccordingtodifferentpossiblecircumstances).
Itwillbepossibletoidentifyareasoffastordangerousdevelopment,andto
mitigatethelossoflandinsensitiveareas.Thisisofgreatimportancefor
thedevelopmentofindicatorsandquantitativemeasurementsforsurveying
environmentalandotherchangesthataffectthequalityoflife.
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10.1 The Signicance for Planning
Thenationaldensitymapshowsthenationaldistributionofdensityandthe
greatdifferences inthe levels ofdensitynationwide.Usingthismap,onecansetpolicyforrespondingtotheriseorfallofsettlementdensity:onecan
encourageanincreaseindensitybyoffering incentives tothisend,where
higher density may make land use more efcient and entail better use of
existinginfrastructure;ontheotherhand,onecandiscouragethescattering
ofpopulationbyofferingdisincentives.Ofcourse,thoroughevaluationof
the specic conditions must be insured for each case.
Thecross-checkingofmapsofpopulationdensitywithmapsofenvironmental
sensitivity will help in the location of adjacent settlements in relatively
insensitive areas, so as to allow the creation of denser, more unied blocs of
settlementsbyjoiningtogetherexisting,smallerones.
The map of national population density may serve as an aid in dening the
bordersofsettlements,especiallyindenseandlimitedsettlementsforwhich
noadditionallandforexpansionisavailable.Thisdocumentincludesdetailed
tables ofcomparisonofsettlements, including theirdensities, fromwhich
onecanestimatetheirrateofgrowth,landreservesfordevelopment,and,in
essence,theirpotentialfordevelopment.Thesenationaltablescanbeused
asinstrumentsfordecision-makingintheprocessofsettingbordersbetween
settlements,accordingtotheirrealneeds.
Demandforqualitybuilding(low-density,land-attached)shouldbedirected
toperipheralareas,especiallytotheNegev.Inthisway,strongpopulations
canbeattracted.Ontheotherhand,ifland-attachedpropertyisofferedinthe
centerofthecountry,landwillbewastedandlost;inaddition,incentivestomovetotheNegevwillbemadeineffective.
The polarization in land use, according to which a small portion of the
population uses a large portion of the land, is the basis for waste and signies
theunequaldivisionoflandresources.
Currently, the frameworks for land settlement and utilization are inexible
andunchanging.Newframeworksofdevelopmentareneededinorderto
changecourseandestablishamoreequaldivisionoflandresources.
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Practicallyspeaking,inthepresentsituation,high-densityurbansettlementsare
encouraged,whilenexttothemsettlementsofhighqualityandhighstandardsof
livingaredeveloped(asonecanseefromtheinformationgatheredabouturban
settlements);theexpansionofexistingruralsettlementsandsuburbsshouldbe
avoided,andthebuildingofnewsettlementsofthesesortsshouldcertainlynotbe
initiated.Thedirectionoflargepopulationstoruralandsuburbansettlementswill
inessenceincreasepolarization,widengaps,anddistancethegoalsofequality
andenvironmentaljustice,exacerbatingproblemsthatarealreadyextremeand
deeplyembeddedinthesocialinfrastructureandenvironmentinIsraeltoday.
ThisoutlookfoundexpressionintherecommendationsoftheNationalMaster
Plan ("TAMA 35 "), in its preference for and fosteringof urban life: "in the
competition for strong populations, of employment requiring great human
resourcesandqualityservices,TAMA35emphasizestheneedtoguaranteethat
thecityhasclearpriorityoversuburbsorruralcommunities(TAMA35,volume
1:PrimaryFindingsandPolicyRecommendations).
11. AfterwordSustainableDevelopmentandBuilt-upSpace
Policy for sustainabledevelopmentforcitiesorbuilt-upspaceingeneral,is a
centralchapterintheoverallpolicyforsustainabledevelopmentonanational
level.
ForyearsIsraelhasbeengoingthroughaprocessoflossoflandresources,both
inqualityandinquantity,whichthreatensthefoundationsoftheenvironmentand
the society in almost every eld. The open spaces take upon themselves a rangeofrolesforthosearoundthemasnatural,ecologicalsystems,as"greenlungs",
andasamanifestationofthecountry'shistoricalandsocialvalues.
Itwillnotbepossibletotalkaboutthepreservationofbiologicaldiversityifthere
is not enough open land for the ora and fauna of which it is composed: as the
availableopenspacediminishes,thevarietyoflifewillaswell.Therewillbe
nopenetrationofprecipitationandrun-offwaterintothegroundwaterwithout
open land with the appropriate properties to enable this downward ow. Different
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species andbiologicalmaterialwillnot betransferredbetweenareas,without
ecologicalpathwaysopenacrossthelengthandwidthofthecountry.Society's
worriesandconcernswillgrowasthepopulationbecomesevermorecrowded,
and people will nd themselves without the green spaces they need for recreation
and relaxation; they will nd themselves, instead, overwhelmed by clogged
transportationroutes,caughtincentersofairpollution,andwithconcentrations
ofwastewithintheirmidst.Allthesearethedirectconsequencesofthelossof
landandtheoverloadofdevelopment.
ButIsraelcannotescapefromwhatisnecessarytheneedtoaccommodatea
largeandgrowingpopulation,ariseinstandardsoflivingandqualityofhousing,
andasteadyincreaseintheamountofbuilt-upland.
Theroleofasustainabledevelopmentpolicyistodirect,regulate,andestablish
rationalguidelinesthatcanprovidegoodandsuitableresponsestotheexisting
needs,onthebasisofprinciples:
To preserve the land and environmental resources for this and coming
generations,offeringthewidestrangeofchoiceintheirabilitytochoosea
wayoflife;
Toseetoitthatdevelopmenttakesintoconsiderationthelong-termcostsand
consequences,andincludesarealisticestimationofwhatthesewillbe;
To avoid making maximum use of the development of spaces, in order
to maintain room for opportunities and freedomof choice to the coming
generations;
To leave as many options open as possible, and to avoid steps that are
irreversible. It is important to remember that decisions to build are
fundamentallyirreversible;built-onlanddoesnotgobacktobeingopen;
Toavoiddevelopmentthatentailsuncertainties,whoseresultsorimplications
areunknown;
Toevaluateplanninginaholisticandbroadway,andnottomakedowith
assessingpartsofplansordetailsalone.
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Theseprinciples,expressingthebasisforsound,generalpoliciesforsustainable
development, are especially important for matters of land resources, which
must be protected and guarded for the benet of all the surrounding and related
systems,andwhoselosswillmeananendtoallchancesforpreservingthenature
dependentonit.
Accordingtotheseprinciples,bothbuilt-uplandandopenlandshouldbeseen
aspartofasingleframework,orastwopartsofoneframeworkthatcomplement
oneanother.Theopenspacescannotbepreservedwithoutprovidingsolutions
fortheconstantdemandsforbuildinganddevelopment.
The basic principle of sustainable development is to maintain a distinction
betweentheurbanfunctionsthatshouldbeconcentratedwithinthecityandthe
functionsreservedfortheopenspaces.Clearlinesmustbedrawnbetweenthe
typesoflanduse.Ifbuildingexpandsandinfringesupontheopenareas,the
centerandfocusofthecitieswillbelost,aswillbetheopenspaces.
The fearofsmudgingwhat should bea clearlinebetweenopenand built-up
spacewaswellarticulatedbyLordRogers:
"Overthelastseveraldecadeswehavewitnessedintheworldatendencyof
therichtoleavethecitiesforthesuburbsandnewareasinasearchforbetter
and cheaper schools, less trafc and less crime. The free market of the last
decades has brought with it a policy of laissez-faire, in the eld of planning
aswell. Looseningcontroloverplanningandbuildinghas quickened the
growthofsuburbs.InEnglandbuildinghasbeengoingoninruralandopen
areas,insuchawaythatcitycentershaveemptiedoutanddependenceon
private vehicleshas grown. This destructiveprocess ofsub-urbanization,workingunderneaththesurfaceinmanyareasoftheworld,isgoingtheway
oftheAmericanmodel.
Thewastefulandexaggerateduseoflandhasbroughtabouttheworstpossible
result.Allovertheworldwearelosingruralareasandtheirviews,andwe
arebuildinglowdensityurbanareas.Insuchawaytheworstformsofurban
living imaginable are beingdeveloped. On the otherhand,areasofhigh
density,highqualityofurban life inwhichbuildings are used for awide
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varietyofusesstores,schools,workplaces,andrecreationthesearethe
attractiveplacestolive."
Andthesolutionheproposes:
"Theaspirationsforaworld-classurbanrevivaldemandsanumberofdecisions:
the encouragementofhigher-density livingandawidevarietyofuses for
buildings;thediscouragementoflow-densitybuildingorthedevelopmentof
residential areas beyond city limits, if it is possible to nd spaces for building
withinthecity;buildingtobedoneinindustrialareaspollutedareasthat
mustbecleanedandcultivated;re-useofurbanareaswithinthecity,thatcan
berevitalizedandre-builtbeforetheuseofruraloragriculturalland."1
Createqualityurbanculture:thatisthemessageofthemodernnationalmaster
plan,andonlythuswillthecitybeabletoattractpopulation.Manypeoplewill
nd themselves drawn into a compact city, internalized and efcient, frequently
renewing itself with dynamism and activities of interest, and will nd in it a good
andqualitychoice,tobepreferredoverthesuburbandtheruralareas.Ithasbeen
foundthatthebeststrategyforpreservinggreenandopenspacesisactuallyto
dealwithandimprovetheotherpartoftheequationthecreationofgoodqualitycities.
Thiswork,whichdealswithdatabasesofthebuilt-upareasandtheiruses,may
assist in the planning strategies for compact, efcient, and internalized cities, and
inthiswaycontributetothesustainabledevelopmentofbothtypesofareasthe
built-upandtheopen.Balancedandcarefuldevelopmentofbuilt-upareaswill
helpinthepreservationoftheopenareasthatstillremaininIsrael.
1 LordRogersofRiverside,Towards an Urban Renaissance.London:TheDepartment
oftheEnvironment,Transport,andtheRegions,1999.