tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1311090578972322962024-03-20T22:08:44.661-07:00Walkable JerusalemThis blog discusses urbanism and related issues in Jerusalem.Julie@walkablejlmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17457867529399394774noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131109057897232296.post-80885403092191132682016-07-31T02:27:00.000-07:002020-06-19T00:53:18.588-07:00Walkable Jerusalem at MediumI've created <a href="https://medium.com/walkable-jerusalem">a publication</a> on Medium.com, which will be a continuation of this blog. A few posts are now up at the new site.<br />
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https://medium.com/walkable-jerusalem<br />
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<br />Julie@walkablejlmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17457867529399394774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131109057897232296.post-52221179190112855452013-10-14T17:07:00.001-07:002014-03-11T15:04:34.754-07:00Mall and sprawl at the Israel Museum<div class="MsoNormal">
This past summer vacation I happened to visit the Israel
Museum for the first time since, perhaps, 2008. Because my recreational
activities tend to be child-centered, and because my older boys would react with grimaces and groans in recent years whenever
I suggested a Museum visit, I never got a first-hand look at the Museum’s
highly-touted "renewal" until a few weeks ago, when I ventured there with my
youngest child. All I could think was: they closed large portions of the Israel
Museum for an extended period, and spent $100 million ... <b><i>and they couldn't plant a few trees</i></b>?<o:p></o:p><br />
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It's a daunting task to criticize the Israel Museum, whose collections I'm always a little ashamed of not knowing better, and whose temporary exhibitions I'm often sorry I don't to get see (the "not getting to" is one of the main problems, see below). I'm certainly not qualified to judge the professional-curatorial aspects of the recent renovation. I'm perfectly willing to accept the consensus view that the organization of the displays is now more logical and user-friendly than it was before. In point of fact I have little basis for comparison, since my visits to the Museum, from the early 1990s up until the time the renovations started, were sporadic and, from the late 1990s on, conducted in a young-family context. I never expected to see more than a little bit of the art and archaeology stuff at a time, and was often restricted to the Youth Wing sandbox and the dim tunnel of the Shrine of the Book, which my kids, like everybody else's, related to as a kind of amusement-park funhouse.<br />
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What I find hard to grasp is that so considerable a sum of money was spent on refurbishing the Museum without addressing its inner-sprawl problem in a more meaningful way. The issue of the Museum's location -- sprawl in "macrocosm" -- is <i>theoretically </i>going to be addressed by urbanization plans for the surrounding area, which I discuss briefly below. But what about the grounds of the Museum "campus" itself -- sprawl in "microcosm?"<br />
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<b>Kiryat HaLe'om</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJc5cg3JrIhxU6y0Z70XWC1IjzAkBaDCGAoa-_sg1niyADnRch84a_I6y7dTxkTsam6qJ1T-hH4qmP5BkzSrSFnbMT19m8igoGhe85HNinp7KIyZp2c-OyuYuX832fx9tzAK3eNa1Odws/s1600/D_Rosenzweig+014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJc5cg3JrIhxU6y0Z70XWC1IjzAkBaDCGAoa-_sg1niyADnRch84a_I6y7dTxkTsam6qJ1T-hH4qmP5BkzSrSFnbMT19m8igoGhe85HNinp7KIyZp2c-OyuYuX832fx9tzAK3eNa1Odws/s320/D_Rosenzweig+014.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a>The drawbacks of the Museum’s setting are no news to anyone. Its various structures are dispersed within a self-contained compound -- generally referred to as a "campus" -- in
the city’s Givat Ram-Kiryat HaLe’om (“National Precinct”) area; the campus itself is surrounded
by a sea of parking and separated from its nearest neighbors -- the Knesset,
the Bloomfield Science Museum and the Hebrew University -- by a forbidding
network of multi-lane roads. This setting has obvious implications for the Israel Museum’s ability to function as
a public/urban amenity. You can't catch an exciting new exhibition in the course of a downtown shopping trip; you can't stop at the Museum after a stressful day at the office to decompress while contemplating a
favorite painting.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>It's not situated at a comfortable walking
distance from anyone's place of employment. Were it more conveniently located,
even a harried parent might have a shot at the occasional lunchtime gallery talk. But
the Museum’s location precludes any chance at spontaneity: it's like a grand personage
whom one can see only by appointment. You have to <i style="font-weight: bold;">plan in advance </i>and <i style="font-weight: bold;">make an effort</i>
if you want to go to the Israel Museum.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Of course, the renovation was not
meant to address the Museum’s location. Nobody thought of moving it to a part of town where it might be part of an interesting
mix of uses, or be easily reached by people pursuing their everyday activities. No one wants to acknowledge that putting a major cultural institution on an isolated hilltop was a dumb idea. One could argue that moving the Museum would be impracticable at this point; yet one can’t help lamenting the
single-use mindset that keeps us from arranging things effectively. The prevailing view in these parts seems to be that major museums need to be segregated in a specific of town, as with the
planned removal of Jerusalem’s Natural History Museum from its longtime home in
the German Colony -- near the shopping and eatery hub of Emek Refaim -- to Kiryat HaLe’om. We also seem to think that a national museum
has to be located in a national “precinct,” in deference to the Washingtonian model
(and in contrast to, for instance, the Parisian model). There are
indeed hopes of transforming Kiryat HaLe’om into something more than it now is. Anything would be an improvement -- even the current plans for a local equivalent
of Washington D.C.'s National Mall will surely produce something friendlier and more attractive than what currently exists. But will this be enough to bring the Israel Museum into the "city" -- to turn it into a destination for short, spontaneous visits as well as extended, pre-planned ones? That seems unlikely.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The original,
American, National Mall is<a href="http://www.theatlanticcities.com/design/2012/04/hopes-people-friendly-national-mall/1794/"><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>not generally thought of as a successful urban space</a>. A lively debate is still going on about
<a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/14720/new-designs-will-improve-the-national-mall/">how to improve it</a>; at the same time,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/19096/is-the-national-mall-an-urban-room-or-a-sculpture-garden/">no one appears to think the area can be turned into an exemplar of Jane Jacobs-style mixed-used urbanism</a>. The best that seems to be hoped for is that specific portions of the Mall will be fixed up to make them more hospitable. So how optimistic can one be regarding Jerusalem's Kiryat HaLe'om? About a year ago I <a href="http://jlmsnouthouse.blogspot.co.il/2012/10/the-downtown-trophy-wife.html">shared my concerns</a> about how removing all government offices from Jerusalem's "historic downtown" would affect that part of the city -- turning it into a tourist-oriented Disneyland whose traditional, human-scale architecture houses pubs and cafes but little else of substance. The flip side of that is Kiryat HaLe'om -- a government-institution and national-monument enclave whose hypertrophic buildings are separated by lots of what Nathan Lewis would call <a href="http://www.newworldeconomics.com/archives/2009/101109.html">Green Space</a>. The public<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.isra-arch.org.il/hebrew/Article.aspx?Item=1020">request for proposals<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></a>that was issued in 2010 for the transformation of Jerusalem's
Kiryat HaLe'om into a "central place in the life of the city" appears, on the surface, to encompass and link
quite a few disparate elements ("culture, sports, leisure and recreation, tourist attractions, and events of a ceremonial, official, social and political character"). But does this really amount to a healthy mix of uses? Where's the (affordable) housing? Where's the (affordable, non-elitist) shopping?<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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I'm no urban fortune-teller; my crystal ball doesn't give me an entirely clear view of how the Municipality's visions of a lively
pedestrian-oriented urban boulevard on Derech Ruppin will play out with Kiryat HaLe'om's existing and future iconic, monumental structures. But the plan for a new Museum of Natural History
building, to be situated near the Bloomfield Science
Museum, gives us more than a hint. In a<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.haaretz.co.il/gallery/architecture/1.1773857">Haaretz article</a>, architect Gabi Schwartz, one of the
winners of the Museum's planning competition, essentially ridicules the
Jerusalem Municipality's hopes for urban vibrancy in Kiryat HaLe'om, remarking
that the area is altogether chaotic and that the buildings in the vicinity do
not "relate" to each other: "We felt that the battle here had
already pretty much been lost, and we decided it was more important to preserve
the site's green character." <i>Haaretz</i> reporter Noam Dvir goes on to
note that the proposed building "presents no meaningful frontage to the surrounding streets, but rather retreats inward and entrenches itself
underground. The main entrance from the Museum Boulevard is relatively obscure
and situated in the shadow of one of the galleries."<o:p></o:p></div>
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That so major a
project could have been awarded to an architect who publicly mocks the
Municipality's hopes for urbanizing the area, speaks volumes about the future
of Kiryat HaLe’om. The aforementioned <i>Haaretz </i>article notes that the planning competition's second- and third-place winners made more of an effort to relate to the urban fabric, meaning that the anti-urban choice must have been a deliberate one. One can't help but see parallels with the Israel Museum: a <a href="http://www.pcf-p.com/a/p/9515/s.html">renewal plan by James Ingo Freed</a> that (whatever its drawbacks) apparently encompassed a number of pro-urban and pro-human features was proposed in the late 1990s, only to be rejected following <a href="http://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=102134">an outcry by Israel's architecture community</a> -- which felt that it "dishonored" Alfred Mansfeld's original sprawling, user-hostile design. The renewal plan that was ultimately adopted -- the work of Efrat-Kowaski Architects and James Carpenter Design Associates -- both accommodates/reinforces the Museum's non-urban setting at the macro level and, at the micro level, perpetuates and sanctifies the campus' interior disunities and inhumanenesses.<br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<b>The Israel Museum renewal</b></div>
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The renovation does
seem to have pleased nearly all those charged with reviewing it in the media (with the exception of Esther Zandberg who <a href="http://www.mouse.co.il/CM.articles_item,610,209,53144,.aspx">fearlessly declares the emperor to be naked</a>). The<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/21/arts/design/21museum.html">New York Times</a> liked it, the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.jpost.com/Arts-and-Culture/Arts/The-Israel-Museum-lives-up-to-its-name">Jerusalem Post</a> liked it,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/week-s-end/same-old-same-old-but-oh-so-very-new-1.306392">Haaretz</a> liked it. It is noted with satisfaction in these and other venues that you can now get to the collection wings via
a climate-controlled passageway rather than facing the elements above ground.
But is this really a cause for celebration? What are we ultimately left with? I'll summarize (to some degree merely echoing Zandberg, though with some added observations):<br />
<ul>
<li>There is a new “entrance compound” at the “front” of the Museum which does not welcome the visitor or signal to him in an orderly, unambiguous way that he has arrived at a major cultural venue; what one sees on one's approach are a couple of banal, boxy structures (resembling oversized utility cabinets) of unclear identity. The slightly larger box is the Museum shop or "retail pavilion", while the smaller one is the actual entrance pavilion, marked by a sign so unobtrusive that many visitors who arrive by bus surely turn toward the store before noticing their error. Visitors who arrive by car (presumably the vast majority) reach the store before they reach the entrance. Given the outcry provoked by the supposedly "mall-like" character of the earlier renewal plan's entrance area, it's hard to understand how so prominent a placement could have been accorded to the retail pavilion in the later plan. The Freed plan was also excoriated for the <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/week-s-end/same-old-same-old-but-oh-so-very-new-1.306392">"grotesque," pseudo-Biblical character of its entrance pavilion,</a> which apparently featured gilded cupolas and was dubbed "the Altar." Are the current entrance structures, which aimed for "modesty," preferable? I guess one person's utility closet is another's "modesty." Or is it?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The same old sun-baked surface parking lot is there -- hardly a beloved feature of the Museum in its pre-renewal state. Museum Director James Snyder found that it would be <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/culture/arts-leisure/a-face-lift-for-the-israel-museum-1.183561">"not pleasant"</a> to enter the Museum from an underground garage. I suppose he finds the above-ground parking lot pleasant.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The Museum proper is still linked to the entrance area by
<b><i>passageways that more compact and human-friendly design would have rendered unnecessary.</i></b> Mansfeld's original tiered open-air path -- the Carter Promenade -- is as shadeless and unforgiving of human physical frailty as I remember it, while the below-grade "Route of Passage" is an over-long, under-activated, sterile space whose most engaging feature is the little green golf-cart that plies its way to and fro, awaiting people with certifiable mobility challenges to transport from one end of the passage to the next. Car dependency, anyone? There's not much on display in the passage, though it's hard to imagine this being due to a paucity of displayable items. I guess the stark greyness of the tunnel is meant to render the headache induced by Olafur Eliasson's psychadelic "rainbow" at the end of it all the more intense.</li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Weirder still is the claustrophobia-inducing corridor that runs parallel to the Route of Passage -- essentially, a partitioning of the available space. Much high-flown language has been devoted to<a href="http://www.archdaily.com/373684/israel-museum-james-carpenter-design-associates/"> James Carpenter's "reinterpretation"</a> of "<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.390625px;"><i>the sensuality of narrow alleys and sunken oases by creating a defined arrangement of spatial experiences animated by phenomenal light</i>." Apparently this rather traumatizing little alleyway was created so that the Route of Passage could be "</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><a href="http://fishbane.com/archives/137/elevated/"><i>fed natural light through prismatic glass and waterfalls</i></a>." <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL9JpUzhikLrnNK84kiJ31dl_FxosGtziNtzOLW1rZUjuPCFkUa4NEdQfwrFnac8TA_FbSOXaRsRV6bMvUIklRkGIOK3zCVc0Su7gWk6b1S8Fx0yWCf72UZpp5TSSXFS7tbHnhHQdktOY/s1600/museum+pics+oct+2013+010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL9JpUzhikLrnNK84kiJ31dl_FxosGtziNtzOLW1rZUjuPCFkUa4NEdQfwrFnac8TA_FbSOXaRsRV6bMvUIklRkGIOK3zCVc0Su7gWk6b1S8Fx0yWCf72UZpp5TSSXFS7tbHnhHQdktOY/s400/museum+pics+oct+2013+010.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
If this space is an example of good design, I can hardly imagine what might be considered to be bad design. Since when do architects go out of their way to create spaces that are unutilizable by humans and/or frightening to them? </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">Campus grounds that are exceptionally -- almost spitefully -- inhospitable . Here we reach the crux of the matter:</span></span></li>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><b>Grounds for outrage: </b></span><br />
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I don't expect instant perfection or magic bullets.
I'm willing to accept that the Israel Museum will remain an isolated,
car-oriented compound for some time to come. What really bothers me -- what
prompted this critical post -- is the failure of the Museum's $100 million
renewal project to turn the actual grounds of the Museum "campus" into a site that would serve
its users -- local residents, foreign tourists, regular and infrequent visitors, individuals and families -- in a humane and dignified way. If the
surrounding area has little potential for mixed-use urbanism in the foreseeable
future, <b><i>the Museum campus itself</i></b> could have been made to provide
a greater mix of uses to its visitors.<o:p></o:p></div>
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By "mix of uses" I don't mean that a full-fledged shopping
center ought to have been erected at the site or, for that matter, a housing complex. On the other hand, a small convenience store where tourists who, say, run out of diapers for their babies might pick up an overpriced package of Huggies, wouldn’t be a bad idea. The unthinkability of adding such a minor amenity – one that would acknowledge the facility's geographic isolation and the human needs of its visitors – to the venerable Israel Museum campus, is
itself a big problem. But what really bothers me is that the renovation did not try in any way to make a virtue of necessity -- to leverage the “campus” concept itself in the form of attractive, welcoming grounds where Museum visitors might relax, picnic, take breaks during their tour of the Museum, and generally enjoy a more leisurely experience of the place -- given the effort they have to make to get there and the lack of any other resources in the surrounding area. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The renovation's deficiency in this regard is most clearly
exemplified by a<i><b> near-total absence of shade</b></i> -- whether in the form of trees or
of man-made canopies -- on the campus' extensive grounds. The very word "campus" conjures up leafy images, but the term that might best describe the Israel Museum campus on a summer's day is "sun-scorched:"<o:p></o:p><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihioyjVFZUea73VeG8CCrqq_d4sS5nZmekE4OeJFut6GW247SAn8YmC2F09PUpcY7_qVjsXbeFCBH1BEPEj_lhJVaO9eyEulTaKrXwNVGZqXQmbIGAY9KUbWiNVJNvGTyM1o-h2dlHLiE/s1600/D_Rosenzweig+009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihioyjVFZUea73VeG8CCrqq_d4sS5nZmekE4OeJFut6GW247SAn8YmC2F09PUpcY7_qVjsXbeFCBH1BEPEj_lhJVaO9eyEulTaKrXwNVGZqXQmbIGAY9KUbWiNVJNvGTyM1o-h2dlHLiE/s400/D_Rosenzweig+009.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shadeless path at the Israel Museum -- note the<br />
"ornamental" stunted-bonzai olive trees that line the path</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcc5tlXmHMMdnzWRrKoX1-S9FzgbVx8h6UH7DOaF8oTS4Er2S9eHJOJBqOD8afnNCO_4Rmm27PVuikseA8oqDJ3TuYHX4IiqYgtfL7D2vFzCtsXTiHvs6WTRIFkQ86PKx2YoG9dcElnYw/s1600/D_Rosenzweig+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcc5tlXmHMMdnzWRrKoX1-S9FzgbVx8h6UH7DOaF8oTS4Er2S9eHJOJBqOD8afnNCO_4Rmm27PVuikseA8oqDJ3TuYHX4IiqYgtfL7D2vFzCtsXTiHvs6WTRIFkQ86PKx2YoG9dcElnYw/s400/D_Rosenzweig+011.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well-hydrated "shrine"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-EnKDWNhQfSj0WvVG_rkqx40N2izwKYzU7767tqKWH8ynsppo8I58cDMtgdZeIKvIhMYI8-Ru0oG3OBYX47HGauO_TBzE0k0q6AffXFziczx_7GYfbkv9Kt0fGrO-UYSyo21UpiWDv0k/s1600/D_Rosenzweig+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-EnKDWNhQfSj0WvVG_rkqx40N2izwKYzU7767tqKWH8ynsppo8I58cDMtgdZeIKvIhMYI8-Ru0oG3OBYX47HGauO_TBzE0k0q6AffXFziczx_7GYfbkv9Kt0fGrO-UYSyo21UpiWDv0k/s400/D_Rosenzweig+007.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seating without shade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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There is no excuse for this. The campus' various water features -- the dreary little pool at the entrance with the abstract sculpture inside it, looking like some kind of deconstructed Facebook symbol; the gurgling man-made stream that runs along the tiered open-air passageway between the Museum proper and the entrance area; the jets that continuously spray the Shrine of the Book and the "moat" surrounding the Shrine -- all of these things seem to mock the human visitor with their hints at coolness and refreshment. Perhaps the architectural statement made by the white dome of the Shrine and the contrasting black wall -- the Sons of Light against the Sons of Darkness imagery -- is thought to be enhanced by the glare; to this visitor, at least, the uncomfortable conditions in which one is meant to view the architecture are simply insulting. Children in particular are fascinated by the water jets and will stand gazing at them under the harsh sun for long periods until dragged away kicking and screaming.<br />
<br />
Why can't one view the truly impressive and fascinating scale model of Second-Temple era Jerusalem in comfort? Must the model be displayed in the open air? Surely some kind of transparent dome could be erected that would cover it in natural-light conditions? Even if the open-air display has some justification, I can't understand why those who come to see it must be exposed to the elements. There are a couple of small canopies, but they are at an awkward distance from the model (which is itself gated off with a kind of buffer area). In actuality, everyone comes right up to the barrier despite the lack of shade, because they want to see the details:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9KDuaeCugQdNWPhoVt4hPJY5IxTt4Ma468CSatPwYzxnbj_zJRG8nAPtebJDby8Vu1i2luEYi8WuqAjtzbJxKuLuNqEyDaiANZc6K2Amnl0yLTH9U2WUibPWHa2aJq3sG79VodnHoec/s1600/D_Rosenzweig+075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9KDuaeCugQdNWPhoVt4hPJY5IxTt4Ma468CSatPwYzxnbj_zJRG8nAPtebJDby8Vu1i2luEYi8WuqAjtzbJxKuLuNqEyDaiANZc6K2Amnl0yLTH9U2WUibPWHa2aJq3sG79VodnHoec/s400/D_Rosenzweig+075.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Then there's the Museum's famed Billy Rose Art Garden. Like "campus," the word "garden" tends to elicit an expectation of greenery. But what is this "garden" but a series of sun-baked gravel expanses, like an almost-empty parking lot. Apparently there was a lot of space to fill up on the sprawling "campus" and not a lot of money for landscaping, so they made a kind of sensory desert punctuated by the occasional nature band-aid that -- as usual -- offers no shade:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKs2oQ9YkNBzcGR_86LUMbQIOiTHSt3BT90igFFqhsNKE2zh8-kp5PTJ0yyae-UiREwyC20JmX1Z5RAlOcHK3Aa6vN09-x_um6AZ0dg_5w6cPrilycXqt6CXzQb1BFYil0VyVwEQjQfpM/s1600/D_Rosenzweig+065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKs2oQ9YkNBzcGR_86LUMbQIOiTHSt3BT90igFFqhsNKE2zh8-kp5PTJ0yyae-UiREwyC20JmX1Z5RAlOcHK3Aa6vN09-x_um6AZ0dg_5w6cPrilycXqt6CXzQb1BFYil0VyVwEQjQfpM/s400/D_Rosenzweig+065.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Basically, if there happens to be a shady spot you can't sit there because there's no bench and they've made sure to put some ground cover around the tree that would be uncomfortable for a person to rest upon:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-e9NpOnjS48Q3Ws726dzGMNCbEeONkSLLNVUzw-DUx2WU0QZ1I8XS5wyLYyEZjsRQrWA81sTjzsKQXRRKPpIExIiEP115thY-_zbvg8l2gZfLUHsOpWl45E7ArmQ0AvjdPLlh1tGdbek/s1600/D_Rosenzweig+060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-e9NpOnjS48Q3Ws726dzGMNCbEeONkSLLNVUzw-DUx2WU0QZ1I8XS5wyLYyEZjsRQrWA81sTjzsKQXRRKPpIExIiEP115thY-_zbvg8l2gZfLUHsOpWl45E7ArmQ0AvjdPLlh1tGdbek/s400/D_Rosenzweig+060.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Whereas if there happens to be a bench, you can be sure there is no shade:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTpvtIcfykk4UfDdTGeXl22u0SB2zTxHv7OOLl0pP51hseR7OlF3KHg9BkF1v_ObmzejihwamBCbVWDq5oQaKvQqMPTmosg8Z8NMDSgJjhPtg0bqjTSIniO2_lDVmT97wFLDaZLrGJDW0/s1600/D_Rosenzweig+064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTpvtIcfykk4UfDdTGeXl22u0SB2zTxHv7OOLl0pP51hseR7OlF3KHg9BkF1v_ObmzejihwamBCbVWDq5oQaKvQqMPTmosg8Z8NMDSgJjhPtg0bqjTSIniO2_lDVmT97wFLDaZLrGJDW0/s400/D_Rosenzweig+064.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course, one would hope that an "art" garden would have some actual art in it.</td></tr>
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Why, in short, could I not find, on my recent visit, a comfortable spot where my little daughter and I could eat the sandwiches we'd brought with us? It's hard not to feel offended by the sight of a museum restaurant's shaded outdoor dining area while one is engaged in a fruitless search for shelter. I personally witnessed a guard shooing away a visitor who, attempting to drink his mineral water in relative comfort, took refuge from the sun in a crevice of this apple core sculpture near one of the Museum's canopied eateries ...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnGdTBRWpVMex_FUVAEirrEgK9O4QhjnQ9GzN_H1brNmuyoB0xlVOzzpbQMMEhPzTRa_2_z7RnLMBvRsQfdjuQnHTebpxcJLD_ty727yABG846rMV0HBxfNly-Pj0ZI35w_ousBtrLMhU/s1600/D_Rosenzweig+006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnGdTBRWpVMex_FUVAEirrEgK9O4QhjnQ9GzN_H1brNmuyoB0xlVOzzpbQMMEhPzTRa_2_z7RnLMBvRsQfdjuQnHTebpxcJLD_ty727yABG846rMV0HBxfNly-Pj0ZI35w_ousBtrLMhU/s400/D_Rosenzweig+006.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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Not everyone can find what they need in a museum cafeteria; not everyone's kids will sit still at a restaurant table; it can be a great hardship to have to stand on a long line with young children in a cafeteria; people have health issues, money issues, kashrut issues, etc. -- you can't expect every museum visitor to patronize a museum restaurant. A compound as isolated and self-contained as the Israel Museum can and ought to provide shade and comfortable seating -- at no extra cost! -- to those who make the effort to get there.<br />
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I can understand wanting visitors to patronize the Museum restaurants and souvenir shops; I can't understand the use of mall psychology to <b><i>force </i></b>them to do so. The feeling one gets is that the Museum management wants to herd you through the collections, the restaurants and the stores without letting you linger on the grounds -- just as in a shopping mall where there is nowhere to sit except in the food court! </div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Perhaps the sprawl mentality of the Museum's original planners has evolved into mall mentality, where every space must be exploited to serve a commercial purpose. That would seem to be a logical progression. Is it unfair to slap a "suburban sprawl developer" label on Alfred Mansfeld? The claim is that he was inspired by the traditional Arab village -- that his white Modernist cubes were meant to hug the hill like village dwellings and to offer inspiring views of the surrounding landscape. It all sounds very high-minded -- a cultural institution planned, <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/culture/arts-leisure/a-face-lift-for-the-israel-museum-1.183561">in Zandberg's word</a>s, "<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">on the principle of organic growth in the spirit of structuralist and cybernetic linguistic theories, which penetrated the architectu</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">re of the 1950s and 1960s. It is considered internationally a unique architectural experiment." But all I see is sprawl -- what many think of today as a <i>failed </i>experiment. A cultural institution that in its original state required visitors -- including disabled and elderly visitors -- to "</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">climb a steep path under a strong summer sun or during chilly winter weather to get to the exhibition halls," and whose modular structures evolved into an unnavigable maze: did we really need it? Should we still be venerating it? Was all the effort and money spent on retaining the original idea worth it?</span></span></div>
Julie@walkablejlmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17457867529399394774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131109057897232296.post-65272451669264888732013-07-21T09:17:00.003-07:002013-07-21T09:17:38.209-07:00An urbanist response to the recent tragediesI respond to the recent cases of Forgotten Baby Syndrome in <a href="http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-automatons/">this piece for the Times of Israel</a>.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">It’s unfortunate that the recent, unbearably tragic, incidents of <a href="http://www.timesofisrael.com/for-second-time-in-two-days-child-left-in-hot-car/" style="border: 0px; color: #346f99; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">c</a></span><a href="http://www.timesofisrael.com/for-second-time-in-two-days-child-left-in-hot-car/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #346f99; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">hildren being forgotten in cars</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">and dying of heat stroke have not been linked to the social phenomenon of </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automobile_dependency" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #346f99; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">car dependence</a><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">. This linkage needs to become a regular feature of public discourse regarding the place of the automobile in our lives and in our environment [...]</span><br />
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<a href="http://jlmsnouthouse.blogspot.co.il/2013/07/blog-post.html"><span style="font-size: x-large;">גרסה בעברית</span></a></div>
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Julie@walkablejlmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17457867529399394774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131109057897232296.post-65719075813225471152013-07-07T02:52:00.000-07:002013-07-12T00:02:23.369-07:00Brooklyn nostalgia trip (not for hipsters) -- Part I <br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's take a Brooklyn break. </span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHNCAnY6pk0e8y4__TzO9IlFmEVK8cm1gjkJRZlEZ0k-Z7w1PyL0U2wlfoowo7lCVsX9amux2jEVjX8zXyqB9uQLGPB1EuXa18LVlq-BOTO5F2nrpSZNQGP5AVvp7FDtKJAJAFZE88K8o/s200/kp+ave+u+intersection+macy's+boxy+effect.JPG" width="200" yya="true" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brooklyn street box -- Kings Plaza mall</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's take a break in southeast Brooklyn, where I grew up. A place where hipsters are apparently still few in number. No subway to take you directly to Manhattan; no sidewalk cafes. Some pretty awful, gentry-repellant features -- along with a surprising degree of compact walkability and urban amenity. The image at left might lead you to think the area is a wasteland, but the urbanism is there. The contrasts might possibly make the place more interesting than a Disneyland paradise of narrow streets.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/09/nyregion/as-brooklyn-gentrifies-some-neighborhoods-are-being-left-behind.html?pagewanted=all">New York Times has characterized</a> the non-gentrified parts of Brooklyn as either "rough-edged" or anachronistically suburban. Residents of the more "suburban" areas are portrayed as reveling in an abundance of parking and as preferring "manicured lawns" to "reimagined 19th-century row houses." I'm by no means familiar with every part of Brooklyn -- gentrified or not -- but this suburban characterization of the borough's more outlying areas sounds inaccurate to me. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The neighborhoods that I want to focus on in this and a forthcoming companion post -- Old Mill Basin, Flatlands, Georgetown -- actually exhibit what I think is a rather unique mix of <a href="http://www.originalgreen.org/blog/walk-appeal.html">walk appeal</a> and trashy sprawl, with the sprawl elements perhaps protecting the area as a whole from an undesirable socioeconomic "upgrade."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The residential construction in these parts -- dense without being overcrowded, consisting mainly of brick single-family and multifamily rowhouses and small wood frame homes on very modest plots -- could hardly be improved upon, as we'll see below. The commercial areas, by contrast, encompass everything from traditional shopping streets to hideous strip malls, to the windowless hulk of Kings Plaza. But however gargantuan their parking facilities may be, they are still easily accessible by public transit and get plenty of foot traffic from the locals living just across the "<a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Stroad">stroad</a>."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What I want to convey in these posts are the contrasts and incongruities that make this part of Brooklyn liveable and loveable without being elitist. My "taking a break" idea reflects nostalgic promptings as well as an element of opportunism -- my brother happened to be in the area and took some nice photos, which I couldn't resist using (interspersed with a great many Google street views). I'm also partly inspired here by the "traditional-city breaks" that form a part of Nathan Lewis' enlightening and entertaining <a href="http://www.newworldeconomics.com/archives/tradcityarchive.html">Traditional City/Heroic Materialism archive</a>. Now I know Lewis doesn't care much for Brooklyn, which he dismisses as <a href="http://www.newworldeconomics.com/archives/2013/012013.html">a collection of 19th-century hypertrophic streets</a>. He's certainly right about the excessive road widths; but my feeling, as someone who grew up in <a href="http://www.sheepsheadbites.com/2010/01/taking-%E2%80%9Csouth-brooklyn%E2%80%9D-back-for-the-good-guys/"><strike>south</strike> </a>southern Brooklyn and whose taste for walkable urbanism was formed there, is that you can, somehow, compartmentalize -- look past the hypertrophy and see an excellent housing stock, great connectivity, pleasant street environments, and, on the whole, superior conditions for car-free or car-lite living.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maybe Kings Plaza and the strip malls lining Ralph Ave. should be filed under the rubric of "<a href="http://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2013/4/4/good-enough-urbanism.html">good enough urbanism</a>." And maybe their very ugliness plays a role in ensuring that the area retains its heterogeneity!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm going to look at the housing styles of southeast Brooklyn in the present post, and (Gd willing) follow up with a discussion of the area's commercial development in a companion post. My idea, again, is that the housing in this part of the world fits the bill for compact-walkable urbanism; the shopping centers are car-oriented and vulgar; and yet the two formats somehow manage to work together.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Housing in Old Mill Basin and Flatlands</strong></span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brick rowhouses:</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They may not date from the 19th century, they may not be brownstones, but they are rowhouses and they come in a variety of forms -- single-family, two- and three-family; equipped with rear alleys or front-loading garages (which, however, are relatively unobtrusive); presenting all sorts of variations on the front stoop/front porch/front patch of shrubbery theme (yet without over-large set-backs).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm going to display a few representative specmens, with comments to follow:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikMRAIZ8t5QwxdaOCN7XUr8ql5zVpfsGMAEEHBy_b45yi57eEyMf5czriUOXZ5IPPI1M5HCadX702W_xZIC9GZeKH14ZoWygCaYrTjhh1dIeYXd7eSyQpXlbu3bP-BEMTyC8eq_nWFZHo/s1280/e.+58+nr.+ave+j.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikMRAIZ8t5QwxdaOCN7XUr8ql5zVpfsGMAEEHBy_b45yi57eEyMf5czriUOXZ5IPPI1M5HCadX702W_xZIC9GZeKH14ZoWygCaYrTjhh1dIeYXd7eSyQpXlbu3bP-BEMTyC8eq_nWFZHo/s400/e.+58+nr.+ave+j.bmp" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">East 58th St. near Ave. J -- three-unit houses with front-loading garages</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Google street view)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTIfCLlFpRHKP3KJJqyykNZ8BJtjkTTeH5Vtsp0dJDbn68BKXcr3kBO9ATpTDYbX6p54kG7K1997jUsnJ3Qsq7KINT4hKU8adOlYU-A6xNR3fA9R69YVM86n8_OuGVxo8AwQ-j62lWmKI/s1280/East+55th+nr.+Ave.+O.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTIfCLlFpRHKP3KJJqyykNZ8BJtjkTTeH5Vtsp0dJDbn68BKXcr3kBO9ATpTDYbX6p54kG7K1997jUsnJ3Qsq7KINT4hKU8adOlYU-A6xNR3fA9R69YVM86n8_OuGVxo8AwQ-j62lWmKI/s400/East+55th+nr.+Ave.+O.bmp" width="400" xya="true" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">E. 55th near Ave. O (Google street view)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVre5Zpt33jeTUfYxmE0ZGxuPyP1dT8QeoA6meFayZPiJWa020JvCvkqg7ry7GOYsGq9hdegwS5FiSWSXCl9pEfqFji2wdNdug1C2cCpNhEtmEKf3ULfOwybPpbAAKh1VlkQWeLY2WYqI/s1600/ave+t+row+houses.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" cya="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVre5Zpt33jeTUfYxmE0ZGxuPyP1dT8QeoA6meFayZPiJWa020JvCvkqg7ry7GOYsGq9hdegwS5FiSWSXCl9pEfqFji2wdNdug1C2cCpNhEtmEKf3ULfOwybPpbAAKh1VlkQWeLY2WYqI/s400/ave+t+row+houses.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ave. T near E. 59th -- (attractive houses, over-wide road)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoYcJCPV8397uput-vjf1phmKj-1ocMMjTgN8299S6ytPE9vqKUfb9J5FyqY1Y22S9k_J0DzDTizaThyfai7ZektgjMBBqcTa8wKJBcvKE2u95P6UZ58t0mLUAbuiZfuiEnhKuw9x2E1A/s1280/e.+52+nr.+ave+j.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoYcJCPV8397uput-vjf1phmKj-1ocMMjTgN8299S6ytPE9vqKUfb9J5FyqY1Y22S9k_J0DzDTizaThyfai7ZektgjMBBqcTa8wKJBcvKE2u95P6UZ58t0mLUAbuiZfuiEnhKuw9x2E1A/s400/e.+52+nr.+ave+j.bmp" width="400" xya="true" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">E. 52 near Ave. J -- rowhouses coexisting with other housing types (Google street view)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9tCiMUDS8kFSdJinkm8KwU0LuYoJm4ldKvAxYYcukfzRND-VfSkEVs7u5ao6-FD82r9g4sHX7Yd2zgm3CmxiLfNlBri7yJ-GUoLe2O96lLAQvxTsRgZBW6zaNzcHk7u-G29GNSl7hcAo/s1600/e+59th+row+houses+pretty+porches.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" cya="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9tCiMUDS8kFSdJinkm8KwU0LuYoJm4ldKvAxYYcukfzRND-VfSkEVs7u5ao6-FD82r9g4sHX7Yd2zgm3CmxiLfNlBri7yJ-GUoLe2O96lLAQvxTsRgZBW6zaNzcHk7u-G29GNSl7hcAo/s400/e+59th+row+houses+pretty+porches.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">E. 59th between O and T -- single-family rowhouses, no garages, rear alley for parking </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhusuGMP7XAqI5mhyBEOlA3vrJvYlQkof1PrNA0u1T46TAlzqiE454nSYP2gJnN4gHjNaTy-aZDizG_NJZuMBw4EMgke-K9t737ZKclzRrJMWrm_kD7NJga5s6MYzzEcZpAWp0UxZyx5Fw/s1280/E.+55+betw+J+and+K.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhusuGMP7XAqI5mhyBEOlA3vrJvYlQkof1PrNA0u1T46TAlzqiE454nSYP2gJnN4gHjNaTy-aZDizG_NJZuMBw4EMgke-K9t737ZKclzRrJMWrm_kD7NJga5s6MYzzEcZpAWp0UxZyx5Fw/s400/E.+55+betw+J+and+K.bmp" width="400" xya="true" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">E. 55th between J and K (Google street view)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2kfr3kNLMCd-zhdKCkT0V2kui_jdFEOp8RVDTH4-bN1EeVlBMmrNAOZdAEN4ZdJCR9au6uQwWFRVmdupUdLhpcm1fjaBZzEjoUpCc0yeilG2vvmlpCSaDNgQLpbFm1As3ro64_azpS4E/s1280/Ave.+J+near+E.+51.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2kfr3kNLMCd-zhdKCkT0V2kui_jdFEOp8RVDTH4-bN1EeVlBMmrNAOZdAEN4ZdJCR9au6uQwWFRVmdupUdLhpcm1fjaBZzEjoUpCc0yeilG2vvmlpCSaDNgQLpbFm1As3ro64_azpS4E/s400/Ave.+J+near+E.+51.bmp" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Avenue J near E. 51 -- The houses look tiny, but include small ground-floor rental units</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Google street view)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's what I like about the brick rowhouses:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1) <strong><u>Good enough density</u></strong>: I'm not interested in comparing the density delivered by this housing format with that of some mythical -- or real -- skyscraper city. What's nice about this part of Brooklyn is the implicit understanding, embodied in the built environment, that you have to quit while you're ahead. You have block after block here defined by solid walls of housing, with very little wasted space. You can fit a lot of people into this kind of housing, without making them too uncomfortable.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2) <strong><u>Heterogeneity</u></strong>: The fact that there is a mix of single- and multifamily dwellings means that people of widely-varying economic circumstances, age levels and personal/familial statuses can all live in the same neighborhood, and enjoy the same street environment, as well as the same local services, amenities and shopping facilities. <strong><em>The</em></strong> <em><strong>brick rowhouse is an especially democratic form of housing</strong></em>, in that its multifamily and single-family incarnations don't look too different from each other. Basically, it's all just the same wall of houses, plus or minus a storey, with small stylistic variations. The rowhouse is a great leveler: it blurs socioeconomic distinctions and provides less affluent people with living conditions that are almost identical to those of their better-off neighbors. The owner/landlord of a multifamily rowhouse gets to enjoy a small backyard and the convenience of a garage for his vehicle. The tenant, who might be living just upstairs from the landlord in virtually the same apartment, lacks a backyard and a designated parking spot; but he does get to enjoy residing on the same attractive and people-friendly street, in the same pleasant and safe neighborhood as his landlord, despite his inability to afford a home of his own. He might not need a parking spot because he might not own a car; in any case, he would certainly be able to get by without one in this transit- and shopping-rich area.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll illustrate the democratization point further by referring to my own personal experience: while I was growing up, my family (in various configurations) occupied no fewer than 4 of the houses pictured above. We owned a single-family rowhouse while my parents were married, then rented a series of apartments in multi-family rowhouses after they divorced -- first a small ground-level apartment (with entrance next to the garage) during the financially tight immediate post-divorce period, then a larger, upstairs apartment when things had stabilized. While all these upheavals were going on, I was able to attend the same school, keep all my friends, and still feel part of the same general neighborhood. That was a great advantage. Later on, as a young man in his twenties, working full-time and going to college part-time, my brother actually returned to this area and rented one of the small ground-floor apartments on his own. He just liked the neighborhood so much that it seemed natural to to him to return to it, even after the rest of the family had moved away.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2) <b style="text-decoration: underline;">No <a href="http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/arts/civicarts/Areaplanning/urbandesign/snouthouse/snouthouse.htm">snouthouses</a>!</b> Note that many of these brick rowhouses come equipped with 1-car front-loading garages (as well as driveways that effectively provide additional private parking spaces). Note as well that these garages manage not to detract from the pleasantness of the building facades or kill the street atmosphere. The Old Urbanist blog has explored the question of whether townhouses and front-loading garages can work together -- <a href="http://oldurbanist.blogspot.co.il/2013/02/can-townhouses-and-front-loading.html">here</a> and <a href="http://oldurbanist.blogspot.co.il/2013/02/more-townhouse-parking-approaches-from.html">here</a>. I think these specimens hold their own alongside those featured in the Old Urbanist posts.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Small single-family wooden frame houses:</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong></strong><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These come as fully detached houses or as semi-detached pairs, with small front yards, small back yards, and narrow paths (often used as driveways) between them. They are older than the brick rowhouses and, while I was growing up, were thought to be an inferior, less prestigious form of housing. Archie Bunker's house (in Queens) is of this type, reinforcing the blue-collar image. Not having spent much time in the area since the early 1990s, I'm not sure this class distinction still exists -- though the Google street views do show quite a few American flags (perhaps denoting military service or political affiliation?) on the porches of these houses, a sight that is uncommon on the brick rowhouse streets. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I always had a regard for these dwellings and enjoyed walking along the streets lined with them, even when they were thought (by some) to be disreputable. They vary the scene by breaking up the blocks of brick rowhouses, and by displaying a certain diversity of color, facade, etc. I don't think this is the phony kind of diversity that you have in suburban tract housing. The idea is that the houses all work together to form a complete street environment (just as the brick rowhouses do). They are modest in size, the spaces between them are small, and they create the desired "outdoor room" or enclosure effect that is thought to be essential to the pedestrian experience.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Representative samples:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgShfcKwk_Il_InxO5KMjVvYnPxFGAwe6nuBLSrdWBQQ4vcahxqzUFFqfhnqYlS8V6_26VUYCNhZgXnfh4eC_ONz6qUR0HniB4S-n0QW1Oa955HLNedvrnK8lDFFJ7ybkfnzD0tpEvLe0/s1280/e.+53rd+nr.+Ave.+O.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgShfcKwk_Il_InxO5KMjVvYnPxFGAwe6nuBLSrdWBQQ4vcahxqzUFFqfhnqYlS8V6_26VUYCNhZgXnfh4eC_ONz6qUR0HniB4S-n0QW1Oa955HLNedvrnK8lDFFJ7ybkfnzD0tpEvLe0/s400/e.+53rd+nr.+Ave.+O.bmp" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">East 53rd near Ave. O (Google street view)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDbvzgZw_uKxkF-HD95cCkPF7DHYM7VmzNSqmYZ5L14ZiwPBLg_9G5-NQMrHIH_n_54jTp5yen0kO0o9unBgG-r87DodpbDBsEoYTi4EximGNS2tH88OlEXRGyHiFNt9rfhxaE7wEAFuw/s1280/E.+57th+near+ave.+O.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDbvzgZw_uKxkF-HD95cCkPF7DHYM7VmzNSqmYZ5L14ZiwPBLg_9G5-NQMrHIH_n_54jTp5yen0kO0o9unBgG-r87DodpbDBsEoYTi4EximGNS2tH88OlEXRGyHiFNt9rfhxaE7wEAFuw/s400/E.+57th+near+ave.+O.bmp" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">E. 57th near Ave. O -- jazzing things up with partial brick veneer ( Google street view)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78Fh09xuGlzMVei94bwQ3yMR-LCLueeAHvzzCQrh8P7zqs52yyvitxdQxMB6A1HEey8vxsMBDtcgUfCW6gpazxUREdLOoNHCnEVpuWNpD9CuGU25Zbm_jxWKu6rSzLU32Mj2cSCdyB3M/s1280/E.+53rd+near+Ave.+S.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78Fh09xuGlzMVei94bwQ3yMR-LCLueeAHvzzCQrh8P7zqs52yyvitxdQxMB6A1HEey8vxsMBDtcgUfCW6gpazxUREdLOoNHCnEVpuWNpD9CuGU25Zbm_jxWKu6rSzLU32Mj2cSCdyB3M/s400/E.+53rd+near+Ave.+S.bmp" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">E. 53rd near Ave. S -- co-existing with brick rowhouses ( Google street view)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY32PVtsvWkarGsQCVrhOYas8Fh1W059zj2G6_cmKRYFFE4f9Zz0XybZeSxUe9sDEoCSW0f62L9iAgbNOcG3_lrjv4sgHOWBZyt_1xgNMF3DCgc2Os9Ay49NAjVciZRdDsbGzWhakvk5w/s1600/E.+61st+nr.+Ave.+T.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY32PVtsvWkarGsQCVrhOYas8Fh1W059zj2G6_cmKRYFFE4f9Zz0XybZeSxUe9sDEoCSW0f62L9iAgbNOcG3_lrjv4sgHOWBZyt_1xgNMF3DCgc2Os9Ay49NAjVciZRdDsbGzWhakvk5w/s400/E.+61st+nr.+Ave.+T.bmp" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">E. 61st near Ave. T -- small stylistic variations (Google street view)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lz9bjb3BGfOGat5oMfn1g6vYehU-7JSgAbYNdSaWYgZU9khjO6m3NZicVw_NYuYr99vJHMjjbLiluFGazTuu9eAzUI35jjEKPVeuw5Da_Js9nUvVzKs3mIUSvBIgD3szaco5w5lLgwA/s1600/Mill+and+Ralph.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lz9bjb3BGfOGat5oMfn1g6vYehU-7JSgAbYNdSaWYgZU9khjO6m3NZicVw_NYuYr99vJHMjjbLiluFGazTuu9eAzUI35jjEKPVeuw5Da_Js9nUvVzKs3mIUSvBIgD3szaco5w5lLgwA/s400/Mill+and+Ralph.bmp" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mill Ave. and Ralph -- American flags</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's interesting to compare the street environment yielded by these single-family wooden frame houses of Old Mill Basin with the single-family homes that line the streets of "new" Mill Basin -- an enclave that, unlike Old Mill Basin, <i><b>does </b></i>fit the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/realestate/03living.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0">New York Times label of "suburbia</a>:" </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgamYOKd1daU71BAUGE18abJ4-_mk-p3q1xse4gj32gUg4sPZn7pKTXOSkAAEhJCr84iZz0IsF5a7QZ_zZ-3roq5qIoUQ1lhkeH-0m7tQqNP1v3Vblg_ZbdpHayWGQFDqtQY7yMAXQqojw/s1600/E.+64th+St.+near+Mayfair+Drive+South,+suburban+Mill+Basin.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgamYOKd1daU71BAUGE18abJ4-_mk-p3q1xse4gj32gUg4sPZn7pKTXOSkAAEhJCr84iZz0IsF5a7QZ_zZ-3roq5qIoUQ1lhkeH-0m7tQqNP1v3Vblg_ZbdpHayWGQFDqtQY7yMAXQqojw/s400/E.+64th+St.+near+Mayfair+Drive+South,+suburban+Mill+Basin.bmp" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">E. 64th St. near Mayfair Drive South, suburban Mill Basin<br />
(Google street view)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbix51NG_JJg7_0VOpxSie99jnTilJvkV5FIA_zci7qQ_1JCKoQDTLASm5tEXGDV7jOkS-9lqT0sxPnf2V8wKUZAnvIJKpXhjprvdkm420LpWk8znaIOFWT0peM96FDeuZ6m7tKh1EdjQ/s1600/E.+66th+St.+(Mill+Basin).bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbix51NG_JJg7_0VOpxSie99jnTilJvkV5FIA_zci7qQ_1JCKoQDTLASm5tEXGDV7jOkS-9lqT0sxPnf2V8wKUZAnvIJKpXhjprvdkm420LpWk8znaIOFWT0peM96FDeuZ6m7tKh1EdjQ/s400/E.+66th+St.+(Mill+Basin).bmp" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">E. 66th St., suburban Mill Basin (Google street view)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The NYT article linked to above doesn't distinguish between Old and "new" Mill Basin, but when it talks about a "<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">zone of lawn mowers" and a "</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">country club’s worth of swimming pools," it's referring to the newer area that juts into Jamaica Bay and was "whipped up from scratch" by engineers -- not to nearby Old Mill Basin with its more traditional street grid and architectural style.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why do these two latter photos from "new" Mill Basin scream Suburbia, while the preceding ones from Old Mill Basin don't (and I've deliberately steered clear of the McMansions that have recently replaced many of the original "new" Mill Basin houses)? These aren't huge houses, and the garages don't protrude for a snouthouse effect. The setbacks of the "new" Mill Basin houses aren't any larger than those of the classic Old Mill Basin houses, the spaces between them aren't much larger, and they display similar slight variations of color, window and porch style, etc. Why do these suburban-Mill Basin homes have such a solitary, every-man-for-himself feel? <i><b>Why, taken together, do they produce monotony rather than harmony</b></i>? Even as a teenager, visiting friends in "new" Mill Basin, I could tell the difference between this much more expensive/upscale area and the area where I lived, and preferred my own area.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Old Mill Basin/Flatlands housing styles -- subjective/emotional response:</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why do the unglamorous street scenes of Old Mill Basin and Flatlands tug at the heart? (And I believe they could tug at anyone's heart, not just the heart of someone who grew up there.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Modesty. Simplicity. Staying within bounds. Small parts making up a whole that is greater than the sum. Being separate -- together. Everybody having their own bit of privacy and comfort, that do not come at anybody else's expense. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These, in my subjective estimation, are the values embodied in the housing styles of Old Mill Basin and Flatlands, and are what give these neighborhoods their peculiar charm. Living within limits, when translated into architecture, apparently has aesthetic merit. Making the most of available space, "a place for everything, and everything in its place." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Walking these streets -- or even looking at them via Google street view -- is at once restful and stimulating. Simplicity is pretty, and fun.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Charles Siegel's <a href="http://www.preservenet.com/simpleliving/PoliticsOfSimpleLiving.html#Ch03">Politics of Simple Living</a> connects traditional neighborhood design with precisely these values of simple living. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll leave the reader with just one more Google street view that shows how these tranquil, walkable streets coexist with elements of autocentrism and sprawl, in anticipation of <i>Brooklyn nostalgia trip -- Part II</i>:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijqzOb7C-oFiY0UBMAFDlo8qfBsuj9nbVd7zBXtGjtmF_VMtA87bmJ1utUX3ztAVZsr65qJ6QL-o9nJjLInZjerX83pOQoX1ox04Ecsh7jNH2ISJ-e1Lyh2AN-AK7AHDSq5nKkAt0Oeqg/s1600/kp+lowe's+e.+55+intersection.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijqzOb7C-oFiY0UBMAFDlo8qfBsuj9nbVd7zBXtGjtmF_VMtA87bmJ1utUX3ztAVZsr65qJ6QL-o9nJjLInZjerX83pOQoX1ox04Ecsh7jNH2ISJ-e1Lyh2AN-AK7AHDSq5nKkAt0Oeqg/s400/kp+lowe's+e.+55+intersection.bmp" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Kings Plaza Lowe's shopping mall, E. 55th St. intersection<br />
(Google street view)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Julie@walkablejlmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17457867529399394774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131109057897232296.post-6046254174426997652013-05-17T00:48:00.000-07:002019-08-22T03:34:32.019-07:00Jerusalem’s Newest Tourist Attraction: Open-Air Escalators in Har Homa<div align="right">
<a href="http://jlmsnouthouse.blogspot.co.il/2013/05/blog-post_17.html">לגרסה העברית</a></div>
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For several years now, Jerusalem’s Har Homa neighborhood has been the test site for an innovative form of underground garbage dumpster. Recently, however, the Municipality announced that Har Homa will be the venue for a somewhat more glamorous initiative: a system of open-air escalators. If all goes according to plan, the escalators will function as a public transportation mode, help residents cope with the neighborhood’s difficult topography, and attract tourists.<br />
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Har Homa’s residents – like those of other hilly Jerusalem neighborhoods – are all too aware of the mobility problems occasioned by steep inclines. Although a healthy adult with time to spare might, with only a little huffing and puffing, be able to climb the hundreds of outdoor stairs by which streets are typically connected in these neighborhoods, such is not the case for senior citizens, people with disabilities, mothers with young children in tow, and those faced with time constraints (such as parents who need to get their children to school or kindergarten before proceeding to their workplaces). <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of Har Homa's many "extreme" staircases</td></tr>
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Up to now, Har Homa residents have dealt with this problem by using their private cars to get to and from most, or all, local destinations. In accordance with current planning rules, all neighborhood buildings were designed with hefty amounts of off-street parking. As a result, local households have found it convenient to own two cars, and sometimes more. The availability of these vehicles has made it possible for Har Homa residents to get to neighborhood supermarkets, groceries, health clinics, kindergartens, schools, synagogues, beauty parlors, pizza parlors, candy stores, the community center, and all other local destinations without having to climb endless stairs, or take heartbreakingly circuitous detours on foot in order to avoid the stairs. </div>
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Unfortunately, the minimum parking requirements, while ostensibly solving problems of local mobility and access, have created their own issues: horrendous traffic in the areas surrounding the neighborhood’s educational institutions and shopping centers, a Wild-West attitude toward parking, air pollution, excessively wide roads, unsafe and unpleasant conditions for pedestrians, and exceptionally unattractive architecture due to the need to house vast numbers of automobiles. All of things are inconsistent with current municipal policy, which seeks to promote walkability and public transit use, and to reduce car dependency to the extent possible.<br />
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Enter the Municipality's newest initiative, to be implemented in the coming months: the installation of a state-of-the-art open-air escalator system to supplement Har Homa’s network of outdoor staircases – and, in some instances, to replace those staircases.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Medellin escalator, courtesy of <span style="background-color: #fefefe; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; line-height: 1em; text-align: left;">DaniBlanchette, Flickr</span></td></tr>
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Outdoor escalators are operated in quite a few cities around the world, Barcelona and Hong Kong among them. Over the past few years, particular interest has been generated by the impressive system installed in Comuna 13, one of <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/8978929/Medellin-slum-gets-giant-outdoor-escalator.html">Medellín, Colombia</a>'s poorest neighborhoods, whose topography greatly resembles that of Jerusalem’s Har Homa. Unlike Har Homa residents, however, the denizens of Medellín’s most notorious slum have no private cars available to them, and until recently were forced to use stairs equal in number to those of a 28-story building in order to reach the city’s employment and commercial centers. The escalator system, like the cable car system that also serves as a mode of public transit in Medellín, is a social-justice project aimed at improving local residents’ living conditions, connecting them to the city and to jobs, and setting real social change in motion. The success of these initiatives earned Medellín <a href="http://online.wsj.com/ad/cityoftheyear">the title of Innovative City of the Year for 2013</a> (beating out Tel Aviv, which placed second).<br />
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One may ask: why is the status of a third-world city such as Medellín relevant to our discussion of a Jerusalem neighborhood, most of whose residents fall somewhere along the middle-class spectrum and own private automobiles that give them mobility both within the neighborhood and outside it?<br />
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We posed this question to <strong><em>Deputy Mayor Ruth Sela</em></strong>, holder of the Jerusalem Municipality’s planning and environment portfolios, during a joint interview with her fellow deputy mayor, Gabi Ganon.<br />
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<strong><em>Sela</em></strong>: “We need to stop viewing the private car as the default solution to every transport situation, and as a symbol of status and luxury. The private car is simply destroying our built environment, and our health along with it. The present municipal leadership is an enlightened one that wants to advance sustainability and promote public health, and the car dependency that currently prevails in Jerusalem’s peripheral neighborhoods is inconsistent with that approach. <br />
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“After all, we’ve turned Jaffa Road into the country’s longest and most attractive pedestrian mall. You can’t go anywhere near the center of town nowadays with a private car, and over the coming years this trend will only intensify. Pretty soon there will be almost nowhere in Jerusalem to take a car to, or park one in – except the peripheral ‘residential’ neighborhoods! So it makes sense to implement our policy in these neighborhoods as well. Rather than each family owning multiple vehicles just so they can get to destinations within the neighborhood, we’re going to enable them to get to those destinations on foot, and to give up at least one family car.”<br />
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<strong><em>But, despite what you’ve said about Jerusalem’s core areas becoming increasingly car-hostile, the residents of Har Homa still need to use their cars to get to jobs and shopping centers outside the neighborhood, in the absence of any viable alternative.</em></strong><br />
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<strong><em>Sela</em></strong>: “Of course we can’t hope to advance the escalator project and promote ‘car divestment’ without drastically improving public transit service to the neighborhood. The frequency of the bus lines that serve Har Homa will be increased to every 10 minutes rather than every 20 (or more) – constituting true ‘rapid bus service.’ We’ll also be annulling the parking minimums for residential construction, so it will be a lot harder to own more than one family car.”<br />
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<strong><em>Cancelling the parking minimums will surely be an unpopular move. People might start asking whether the Municipality isn’t intervening inappropriately in residents’ lives. If Jerusalemites have grown accustomed to using their cars for every out-of-home excursion, and if they enjoy the feeling of status and power that it gives them, why ruin it for them?</em></strong><br />
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<strong><em>Sela</em></strong>: “Look, as a public official I have to think, and also act, with my constituents’ long-term interests in view – even if that entails decisions that are unpopular in the short run. The prevailing lifestyle in Har Homa and in Jerusalem’s other peripheral neighborhoods is simply unsustainable and unhealthy. The impoverished residents of Medellín’s worst slum are now benefiting from a neighborhood infrastructure that facilitates walking; they will neither want nor need private cars even once their economic status improves. They’re going to stay trim and fit, while the relatively affluent residents of Har Homa will be quivering gelatinous masses. You know, rumors have got round to us in the Municipality that Har Homa residents like to tie their garbage bags to their car antennas and drive with them to the garbage dumpsters located just a few meters from each building. It’s this kind of behavior that I, as a public official, feel obligated to address.”<br />
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<strong><em>That does still have overtones of ‘Big Brother’.</em></strong><br />
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<strong><em>Sela</em></strong>: Hey, Mayor Bloomberg of New York City looks out for his public in just the same way – he takes things even farther. Go into a New York restaurant and open the menu – you’ll find that every item has a calorie estimate next to it. Bloomberg’s even trying to prohibit the sale of sweetened beverages in the city, as a public health measure.”<br />
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<strong><em>That particular effort hasn't succeeded. It was thought to be too intrusive – and that’s just what people are liable to think about your attempt to separate Jerusalemites from their cars.</em></strong><br />
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<strong><em>Sela</em></strong>: “The escalator project – and the sustainability considerations that lie behind it – are issues of urban and transport planning that fall within the purview of a municipal authority. Not only that, but the question of the automobile’s place in the urban environment is absolutely one that municipalities should be facing up to and answering.”<br />
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At this point in the interview signs of impatience could be discerned in the facial expressions and body language of <strong><em>Deputy Mayor Gabi Ganon</em></strong>, who up to now had maintained a polite silence. <br />
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<strong><em>Ganon</em></strong>: “With all due respect to my colleague and to her concern for sustainability and public health, I have to take issue with the idea that environmental and health concerns are what ultimately set the escalator project in motion.<br />
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“The current municipal leadership is a <a href="http://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2011/12/29/how_to_revive_jerusalem_israels_poorest_city_99438.html">proudly capitalist one</a>, and it’s not reasonable for the Municipality to undertake projects of this magnitude just to make residents happy and ensure their physical fitness. We’re not a welfare state anymore.<br />
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“An initiative has to be potentially profitable – otherwise, how can we fund it? How would we raise the funds for an infrastructural project as complex as the Har Homa escalators?”<br />
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<strong><em>Indeed, we were planning to ask just that question. How will the Municipality be paying for the construction and operation of the escalators?</em></strong><br />
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<strong><em>Ganon</em></strong>: “This is the good part. The Municipality won’t be spending a penny of its own money. And it won’t have to go <em>schnorring</em>, either. Two worthy and committed Jews, one Israeli and one from the Diaspora – with the means and the desire to benefit both the city and themselves – will be investing in the project and, in time, will receive an impressive return on their investment.”<br />
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<strong><em>How will they get a ‘return’ on a project whose main purpose is to advance the public good, not to generate income? Will users have to pay a toll?</em></strong><br />
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<b><i>Ganon </i></b>[chuckling]: “No, no, no toll. It’s an interesting idea, but probably not practicable. No, there are other ways to make money off a project.<br />
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“Look, the concept of ‘the public good’ has passed its expiration date – it belongs to the socialist era. <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/millionaires-in-pursuit-of-meaning-1.244121">Today’s philanthropists have learned this very well</a>. They’ve reached the conclusion – and this is very consistent with Jewish tradition, by the way – that the highest form of charity is enabling others to earn a living, not just to throw money at them. And this is where the escalators fit in. The environmental and health benefits will essentially be by-products. The escalators’ real function is to be a tourist attraction, like the ones in Hong Kong, which upgraded a topographically problematic area and turned it into a vibrant, sought-after commercial quarter! The same thing will happen in Har Homa. You’ve got wonderful views of Bethlehem there – Christian tourists will come in droves, once the proper investment has been made. We might even put in a cable car system to run between Har Homa and Bethlehem, like <a href="http://www.jpost.com/National-News/Ministry-Plans-for-Jlem-cable-car-unrealistic-311880">the one we’re planning to operate </a>between the Old City and the Khan Theater. <a href="http://www.timesofisrael.com/ambitious-30-year-jerusalem-master-plan-unveiled/">Kevin Bermeister</a>, the escalator’s main financer (along with Erel Margalit), will buy one of the neighborhood’s residential towers and turn it into a swanky hotel, Erel will open a few non-kosher restaurants, and everybody will profit. It’s a slam dunk!”<br />
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<strong><em>What -- drab, monotonous Har Homa, with its endless vistas of ground-level garages, is going to become a tourist destination?</em></strong><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO30R02RBmn1J8yzRSXxHni7dLDau0p-G9cnOluwKwOILKeOn1vU9RtTAJolc5S6Rk4l8FrnJLfGfx_DTKvvi0ON4JDJ_R9t6_ftbeNiWU8X_kuk7xqnU2RO_P-7pxPdhIgmf3k_dq0E8/s1600/Hong+Kong+escalators.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" pua="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO30R02RBmn1J8yzRSXxHni7dLDau0p-G9cnOluwKwOILKeOn1vU9RtTAJolc5S6Rk4l8FrnJLfGfx_DTKvvi0ON4JDJ_R9t6_ftbeNiWU8X_kuk7xqnU2RO_P-7pxPdhIgmf3k_dq0E8/s320/Hong+Kong+escalators.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hong Kong (covered) escalators --<br />
courtesy of Maucaine via Wikipedia</td></tr>
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<strong><em>Ganon</em></strong>: “Why not? They predicted at first that the Hong Kong escalators would be a total failure, but the novelty attracted people and led to the opening of innumerable businesses, shops and restaurants, situated mainly at the escalator system’s entry and exit points. A form of ‘transit-oriented development,’ if you will. Regarding Har Homa, we’ll soften the regulations so that the garages of the residential buildings can be converted into commercial spaces. There’ll be boutiques, cafés and pubs at the ground level of the buildings.” <br />
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<strong><em>Sounds like science fiction. But to what degree is this really agreeable to the residents themselves? Maybe they don’t want a pub at the ground level of every building? After all, it’s a neighborhood consisting mainly of young families, most of them</em></strong> <strong><em>religiously observant to some degree or other.</em></strong><br />
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<strong><em>Ganon</em></strong>: “Look, a pub on the ground floor is a negligible price to pay compared with all the money that’s going to be flowing into the neighborhood -- money that will make it possible to provide Har Homa with all of the municipal services that are currently lacking there – a library, a well-baby clinic equal to the patient load, shade structures in the playgrounds, kindergarten buildings and synagogues in accordance with demand, development and maintenance of green spaces. The Municipality will finally agree to take responsibility for all those areas that have been left in Construction Ministry limbo. All the problems that the folks in Har Homa are constantly whining about will finally be resolved!”<br />
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<strong><em>Wait a minute – shouldn’t the neighborhood be getting all these services anyway, in return for the arnona</em> [municipal property tax] <em>that the residents pay?</em></strong><br />
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<strong><em>Ganon</em></strong>: Don’t make me laugh. Did you really think residents are entitled to something in return for their arnona? Arnona barely covers garbage pick-up, after you take into account all the other <em><strong>really</strong></em> important things the Municipality has to finance with its limited resources. New <a href="http://www.jpost.com/National-News/Barkat-Basketball-arena-should-be-finished-by-2014">sports and entertainment arenas that overrun their original budgets</a> by a hundred million shekels, for instance. And let's not forget cool events like the <a href="http://www.jpost.com/National-News/Barkat-secures-funds-for-Jlem-Formula-1-event-311163">Formula 1 road show </a>planned for next month. With stuff like that going on, is it any wonder there's no money left for neighborhood libraries? The peripheral neighborhoods need to stop asking what the city can do for them, and start asking what they can do for the city -- then maybe they'll get somewhere."<br />
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<em><strong>But does Jerusalem really need yet another tourist destination? Aren’t the Old City and the revitalized downtown enough?</strong></em><br />
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<strong><em>Ganon</em></strong>: “Decentralization and breaking up monopolies -- that's the name of the game. Why shouldn’t other neighborhoods enter the tourism market? Healthy competition between neighborhoods will ensure optimal delivery of tourism experiences to all those who visit the city – that is, to all customers purchasing the Jerusalem ‘product.’ Basically, I want to do in the urban arena <a href="http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=345">what my brother did in the cellular one</a> – open things up to competition. Besides, we’ve come to realize that the Old City and downtown Jerusalem simply won’t be able to handle the load once we reach <a href="http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4369851,00.html">ten million and more tourists per year</a>. These areas have no <a href="http://www.haaretz.co.il/magazine/1.1743297">carrying capacity</a>. You throw two falafel wrappers on the ground and the city’s filthy.<br />
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“We need neighborhoods like Har Homa to take up the slack.” <br />
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<em><strong>*Note: The above is, of course, a satirical piece; the author hopes that no one will attribute the "interview" statements to any actual Jerusalem deputy mayors, past or present. The "interview" merely aims to take to their logical conclusion certain ideas that have gained currency in recent years, and to provoke thought.</strong></em></div>
Julie@walkablejlmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17457867529399394774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131109057897232296.post-91453717823620819102013-03-01T02:45:00.001-08:002013-12-06T01:52:03.819-08:00Some more unasked questions about the Begin Expressway Extension<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Begin South Extension (simulation: J'lm Municipality)</td></tr>
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In my <a href="http://jlmsnouthouse.blogspot.co.il/2013/02/bad-for-beit-safafa-good-for-gilo.html">last post</a> I looked at the Begin extension from the perspective of the south Jerusalem neighborhoods and suburbs that it is meant to serve. I asked whether the extension would ultimately enhance the livability of these neighborhoods (Gilo in particular). I took it upon myself to pose this question because I had noticed, with frustration, that the media were paying attention solely to <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/new-jerusalem-highway-to-cut-arab-neighborhood-in-half.premium-1.486018">the Beit Safafa side of the affair</a>, and were completely ignoring the extension's potential impact on all other parts of town. I'm still frustrated. Here are a few more questions that no one seems to be asking: <br />
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<strong>In what way will the extended (and widened) Begin Expressway be exempt from the phenomenon of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induced_demand#Effect_in_transportation_systems">induced demand</a>?</strong><br />
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"<a href="http://www.jerusalem.muni.il/jer_sys/publish/showPublish.asp?pub_id=40637">Say goodbye to traffic jams</a>!" rhapsodizes an unnamed author in the Jerusalem Municipality's online magazine, with regard to the Begin extension. The extension is meant to replace the route currently traveled by residents of Gilo, Har Homa and Gush Etzion on their way to the Begin entry point at Golomb St.; part of it will run as a tunnel under Dov Yosef Road, constituting, in effect, an expansion of current roadway capacity (beyond the recent lane addition to an already-existing segment of the expressway). One must ask (and the answer is pretty obvious): has the planning echelon taken into account the well-known phenomenon by which such capacity expansion "<a href="http://www.vtpi.org/gentraf.pdf">provides smaller net benefits than is often recognized, due to the effects of generated traffic</a>?" Has it tried to envision the potentially greater congestion that a lengthened and expanded Begin Expressway is likely to produce, precisely because it will encourage more driving around town? Has it, in short, paid any attention to the considerable body of research showing that highways "<a href="http://www.preservenet.com/freeways/FreewaysInducedReduced.html">that were supposed to handle projected demand for decades became congested in just a few years, because of the traffic that they themselves generated</a>?" In its eagerness to move as many south-Jerusalemites to the opposite end of town as possible, like so many pawns across a chessboard, has the Municipality considered any alternatives to highway extension and widening? Better public transit, say? or more efficient use of land resources so that south Jerusalemites might have jobs, services, amenities and shopping available closer to home, thereby obviating the need for cross-town travel?<br />
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<strong>Where are all the cars going to park once they get there?</strong><br />
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Anyone who has been driving in Jerusalem over the past decade has witnessed a tremendous reduction in the amount of parking space available (relative to the ever-greater number of cars on the road) in pretty much any part of town that is worth going to. Many parking spaces that were once free are now paid spaces -- a positive development in terms of discouraging private car use and fostering the use of other modes. Given this situation, one can hardly help wondering why the Municipality would be actively encouraging south Jerusalemites to come downtown every day in their cars. I doubt that the <a href="http://jlmsnouthouse.blogspot.co.il/2012/08/jerusalems-rova-mevo-hair-copying-wrong.html">1,300-space park-and-ride garage planned for the future highrise office complex at the city's western entrance</a> will be able to accommodate them all. Surely some of those spaces will be needed for the Tel Avivians who will be converging en masse to do business in Jerusalem's shiny new CBD. (Presumably not all of them will be enlightened enough to ride the future high-speed railway from TA to Jerusalem -- especially once Highway 1, the road connecting Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, <a href="http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000751677&fid=1724">has been widened</a>). In all seriousness, if the Municipality is touting the transit connectivity of its envisioned CBD, shouldn't it be prioritizing transit options, rather than private-vehicle access, to that CBD from all parts of town? Why are the residents of Gilo, Har Homa, the Gush Etzion suburbs, etc., being excluded, by implication, from the city's <a href="http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000595136&fid=1725">great transit revolution</a>? Why would they want to use the light rail line that is being planned for Derech Hevron if they are being provided with direct entry to Jerusalem's premier automobile artery? And if the lack of parking in town is ultimately going to deter them from using their cars, why do they need the Begin extension in the first place?<br />
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<br />
<strong>How will the Begin extension affect the Malha area?</strong><br />
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This question presupposes that the area around the Malha Mall, Teddy Stadium and Malha Technology Park is a public space like any other, with potential for fine-grained urban development encompassing a variety of uses, including residential, and a variety of building types. This premise, however, is by no means self-evident to the Jerusalem Municipality, which appears to regard the area as a dead space waiting to be fashioned into a network of roads (what little of it has not already been given over to roads), the better to service one of the many mega-projects it has going around town -- the <a href="http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=271939">Jerusalem Arena</a>. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd3t4109HxsdgVi0z-qL8dF-yht829vgjrdiZh-ZhKPfnTJD4Me30CbKcuVPoPAelgtxkxNIYWZvGLTLbuUgRtRsM-nvehRPNJNPJ_51Uvcp9h9ITXrZFpxnoxWvfwPqFkJDTa1BoSS9c/s1600/Jerusalem+Arena.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" gsa="true" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd3t4109HxsdgVi0z-qL8dF-yht829vgjrdiZh-ZhKPfnTJD4Me30CbKcuVPoPAelgtxkxNIYWZvGLTLbuUgRtRsM-nvehRPNJNPJ_51Uvcp9h9ITXrZFpxnoxWvfwPqFkJDTa1BoSS9c/s320/Jerusalem+Arena.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Self-contained complex with tons of parking: <br />
the planned Jerusalem Arena <br />
(simulation via J'lm Municipality)</td></tr>
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The question of whether the Jerusalem Arena is truly an economic-engine-in-the-making, or a boondoggle of cataclysmic proportions, deserves a post of its own, if not a public commission of inquiry. The fact that <a href="http://www.nrg.co.il/online/54/ART2/312/541.html">the project's cost was underestimated by NIS 120 million</a> and that funding for "other projects in the city, including youth centers, [elder] services, and neighborhood sports complexes" has, consequently, <a href="http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=271939">been diverted to it</a>, does not necessarily reflect on its potential value -- though the worth of such projects has indeed been <a href="http://www.thenation.com/article/162400/why-do-mayors-love-sports-stadiums#">called into question for decades by economists</a> (“<em>If you want to inject money into the local economy, it would be better to drop it from a helicopter than invest it in a new ballpark</em>”).<br />
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Of course it's hard to discuss transport-related decisions separately from decisions about land use, since the two topics are intimately connected. Suffice it to say that a municipality that insists on erecting self-contained, single-use complexes in Malha (a mall, an office park, a stadium, and now a sports-and-entertainment arena) could hardly be expected to treat the land surrounding these distinct compounds as the future site of bustling, human-scaled streets where Jerusalemites might live, work, play and socialize in a variety of settings.<br />
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Town planner Gerard Heumann <a href="http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-EdContributors/Article.aspx?id=117120">has noted</a> that "At Malha, a shopping center, sports stadium, technology park and residential neighborhood were designed as if each existed on separate planets. Not a single building in the technology park bounds adjacent roads, not even opposite the shopping center, where a golden opportunity existed for the design of valuable commercial space at ground level." It's not that the Municipality has something against valuable commercial space; it's that the Municipality is incapable of conceiving that, outside of its beloved "historic downtown," anyone would want to move around such spaces on foot.<br />
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Will the infrastructure for Begin Expressway South, which will cut across Malha with "service roads" for the mall and stadium, enhance the Malha area's urban values, or utterly destroy them?<br />
Haaretz reporter Nir Hasson <a href="http://www.ir-amim.org.il/sites/default/files/english%20for%20web.pdf">asserts that</a> "The Begin Highway does not cut through Beit Hakerem or any other neighborhood in Jerusalem. It delimits Jewish neighborhoods but cuts the Palestinian neighborhoods to pieces.” To cut through an existing neighborhood is a sad thing; but to keep existing neighborhoods from expanding because their boundaries have been artificially "delimited" by a highway is also sad. It is sad to think about the Malha that will never be -- the intensively-developed, lively mixed-use area that might have connected organically with the Katamonim, with the residential part of today's Malha and. indeed, with Beit Safafa; that might have enmeshed the mall, the office park and the stadium within a viable urban fabric. <br />
<br />
<strong>And now for a few final questions:</strong><br />
<br />
Where is Jerusalem's urbanist community on this issue? Why isn't it making itself heard? And why is Deputy Mayor Naomi Tsur -- who has recently and publicly <a href="http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=304632">criticized Israel's infatuation with the automobile</a> -- pretending that the Begin Extension is just a <a href="http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=304632">logical and necessary component of Jerusalem's municipal transportation master plan ?</a>Julie@walkablejlmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17457867529399394774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131109057897232296.post-86823985566756744142013-02-21T06:32:00.000-08:002013-09-08T00:36:41.646-07:00Bad for Beit Safafa, Good for Gilo? Extending Jerusalem's Menachem Begin Expressway Southward<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA6mkBmZuA0TYHQSWkNum_Lpo5bGD46CIrVnTgBQv2HtXT69MEBPQOfGpRodq15QhEyyPEzdA7Hxg9Xvccd72HQQmRUU0fJK2VarCyiU5nCreArx_pKLvgrGSsjKnVvuphcoCewDOrnSI/s1600/Begin+Expressway+extension.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" mea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA6mkBmZuA0TYHQSWkNum_Lpo5bGD46CIrVnTgBQv2HtXT69MEBPQOfGpRodq15QhEyyPEzdA7Hxg9Xvccd72HQQmRUU0fJK2VarCyiU5nCreArx_pKLvgrGSsjKnVvuphcoCewDOrnSI/s1600/Begin+Expressway+extension.jpg" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
The planned Menachem Begin Expressway South extension -- simulation (J'lm Municipality)</div>
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One of the most curious aspects of the Begin Expressway extension story is the absence of any comprehensive, city-wide angle on it.<br />
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When work started a few months back on the extension -- which is meant to provide the motorists of Jerusalem's southern neighborhoods and suburbs with direct access to the city's celebrated traffic artery -- a certain amount of media attention was generated; but that attention was entirely political in nature. Articles in <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/new-jerusalem-highway-to-cut-arab-neighborhood-in-half.premium-1.486018">Haaretz</a> and <a href="http://www.ir-amim.org.il/sites/default/files/english%20for%20web.pdf">elsewhere</a> described an outrageous plan to run a multi-lane highway through the tranquil and picturesque village of Beit Safafa -- an Arab enclave in an otherwise Jewish-populated part of Jerusalem -- thereby slicing it in half and irreparably damaging the fabric of life there.</div>
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The issue, to the limited extent that the media have addressed it, has been given an exclusively sectoral spin. It has been framed as an evil Israeli plot to enable “settlers from Gush Etzion […] to drive to Jerusalem’s center or Tel Aviv without stopping at a single traffic light” -- at the expense of Beit Safafa's residents, who have been depicted as easy targets for abuse by the Jerusalem Municipality due to their minority status. The residents, of course, mounted a protest <a href="http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=303076">which has been rejected by the Jerusalem District Court</a>; they will soon be <a href="http://www.timesofisrael.com/new-expressway-inflames-quiet-jerusalem-neighborhood/">taking their appeal to the Supreme Court</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highway_revolts">Highway revolts</a> are nothing new, either abroad or <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/the-trans-israel-highway-the-next-stage-of-the-struggle-1.73291">in Israel</a>, and in Israel it would be ridiculous to claim that they are restricted to the Arab population. I therefore find it astonishing that the Begin extension is being represented as an "Arab-Israeli" issue, rather than an urbanist one. While I sympathize with the Beit Safafa residents, I'm not at all sure that the matter at hand is one of ethnic discrimination. The <a href="http://www.timesofisrael.com/new-expressway-inflames-quiet-jerusalem-neighborhood/">Beit Safafa residents' claim</a> that the city "has proceeded with work without carrying out a detailed plan for the segment of the expressway through the neighborhood, as required by law, and without allowing residents to file objections," sounds suspiciously like the argument <a href="http://www.nrg.co.il/online/54/ART2/139/643.html">mounted in 2010 by Jewish residents of Elmaliach Street in Katamonim Tet</a>, when work preparatory to the Begin extension was launched without the residents having "received all of the material [and] documents necessary for them to properly formulate their objections."<br />
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In general, if one looks at things from a car-versus-human standpoint, one could easily argue that the Jerusalem Municipality treats Jewish neighborhoods no better than it does Arab ones. The Beit Safafa residents are justifiably upset that, due to the highway being build in their midst, their small children will now have to walk farther and <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/new-jerusalem-highway-to-cut-arab-neighborhood-in-half.premium-1.486018">cross a bridge in order to get to their nursery school</a>. However, this is no different from the situation that currently exists in the Jewish neighborhood of Gilo (the Begin extension's planned termination point). Gilo's community council has proposed that <a href="http://www.matnasgilo.org.il/BRPortal/br/P102.jsp?arc=153622">footbridges (or even underpasses!) be erected across the neighborhood's dangerous main roads</a> (see below), so that residents -- and especially children -- can get to schools and other public facilities without risking their lives.<br />
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It's not that the Jerusalem Municipality wants to torment and abuse its Jewish and Arab residents; it simply doesn't perceive that there is anything wrong with the car-oriented policies that shape development in the city's less central neighborhoods. Indeed it thinks of walkable urbanism as a city-center thing, as something to showcase in the Jaffa Road display window. The Municipality has jumped enthusiastically onto the <a href="http://www.brynmawr.edu/socialwork/GSSW/schram/peck.pdf">creative class</a> bandwagon and is actively <a href="http://praxisjerusalem.wordpress.com/author/boazpraxis/">striving to transform Jerusalem's "historic downtown</a>" into a paradise of placemaking and urban amenity (that this effort is being paradoxically expended on a part of town that was walkable and attractive to begin with <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/culture/arts-leisure/surroundings-no-tolerance-for-jerusalem-s-uniqueness-1.256638">has not gone unnoticed</a>). The idea is to attract tourists and hipsters who, it is assumed, will spend a lot of money and generate a <a href="http://www.urbanophile.com/2013/02/03/is-urbanism-the-new-trickle-down-economics/">trickle-down effect</a> on the city's economy. The city's working-class outer neighborhoods, by contrast, are being left in their original state of car-dependent sprawl. While Beit Safafa is paying one sort of price for the prevailing urban policy, in the form of a multi-lane expressway that will slash through an area that is still human-scaled and walkable, neighborhoods like Gilo and Ramot have long been paying a different kind of price. They came "<strong><em>pre-slashed</em></strong>."<br />
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<strong>Gilo's highways</strong><br />
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Since it's being claimed that the Jewish neighborhood of Gilo, at Jerusalem's southern edge, is going to benefit from the Begin extension at Beit Safafa's expense, it might be worth looking at Gilo's true current status. Is Gilo a pleasant, pedestrian-friendly place for which direct entry to Begin will be a harmless added perk?<br />
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Not exactly. In fact, it already suffers from the highway slash-through syndrome that Beit Safafa residents are seeking to avoid, and its symptoms will likely increase in severity once the Begin extension is added to the mix.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqKd1PV1VxDgSR-wNgkb91Dh2Zz87fk-gXKFE_D49Swylb7ODzDynL4t7YrX1qw5NHSyKaL4gH7cky8qLPUM3MMwOx9pijsONyyYXyrllj5cDBPJYk9sjspxUn9QXT8-3DzLWU0vANRTI/s1600/Gilo+main+rd..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqKd1PV1VxDgSR-wNgkb91Dh2Zz87fk-gXKFE_D49Swylb7ODzDynL4t7YrX1qw5NHSyKaL4gH7cky8qLPUM3MMwOx9pijsONyyYXyrllj5cDBPJYk9sjspxUn9QXT8-3DzLWU0vANRTI/s320/Gilo+main+rd..jpg" uea="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Gilo's unfriendly main street (HaGanenet segment)</td></tr>
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Gilo is already bisected to some degree from north to south by Dov Yosef Road, and from east to west by another long road whose various segments are named HaRosmarin, HaGanenet and Tsviya-VeYitzhak. These roads are, in essence, highways, not neighborhood main streets or boulevards. Dov Yosef Road does not pretend to be anything other than a traffic artery connecting Gilo with the Malha Mall and the current Begin entry point at Golomb Street. By contrast, there is both residential construction and commercial activity along HaRosmarin, HaGanenet and Tsviya-VeYitzhak; however, these east-west roads (which, depending on the topography, either border a wadi or slice through built-up areas) are exceedingly wide, and range from four to six lanes with formidable dividers extending along much of them. Their main purpose is not to concentrate commercial or social activity within the neighborhood, but to channel automobile traffic to and from Dov Yosef Road and the Derech Hevron traffic artery to Gilo's east.<br />
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Gilo's main shopping complex is situated at the intersection of Tsviya-VeYitzhak and Leshem, and consists of a tiered outdoor center that is an accessibility nightmare and an adjacent indoor mall that cannot be reached safely by pedestrians.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSm8LCPfonpnqqCUtwODd9IKkbb-jZz8vBd-ST7wgPnH4bq8m2lFuat9UnuNre_TIR918nT-FGf7Q9j4w4fW6-3zd7ITOV_8J8f8CTAain2bnjM2shZPrXsM3f2-p1IVzJuFFIE1uTeFw/s1600/Gilo+ctrl+shopping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSm8LCPfonpnqqCUtwODd9IKkbb-jZz8vBd-ST7wgPnH4bq8m2lFuat9UnuNre_TIR918nT-FGf7Q9j4w4fW6-3zd7ITOV_8J8f8CTAain2bnjM2shZPrXsM3f2-p1IVzJuFFIE1uTeFw/s400/Gilo+ctrl+shopping.jpg" uea="true" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Gilo central shopping complex</td></tr>
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The complex's unfriendly design, unwalkable location, and proximity to the much larger Malha Mall, which most Gilo residents are able to reach within minutes by car, have been deadly to business; most of the Gilo Mall storefronts have lain empty for years. Zeidenberg Park, whose entry point lies diagonally across the road from the shopping center, represents a major investment in terms of play equipment and landscaping; but its location deep in a wadi and consequent invisibility at street level, as well as the <em><strong>multi-lane road that divides it from the shopping area</strong></em>, preclude any meaningful interaction between the sites. Gilo's community center, pool and library are nowhere nearby, having been situated in a strictly-residential enclave at the eastern end of the neighborhood; most residents, one may assume, access these amenities via private car, just as they would travel by car to amenities outside the neighborhood.Where a more human-scaled main street might have concentrated local commercial and social activity in a lively and effective way, an internal highway and car-oriented planning have separated the existing resources and made synergy between them impossible.<br />
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Gilo is not the only Jewish Jerusalem neighborhood to be divided by a highway; Ramot, at the city's northern end, is similarly bisected by Golda Meir Boulevard, and similarly characterized by a pedestrian-hostile distribution of local amenities. That is how these neighborhoods were planned. The assumption was that everyone would have cars, and use them not only to get to their jobs in other parts of town, but for most local errands as well.<br />
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Having established that the practice of running highways through Jerusalem neighborhoods is rooted less in discriminatory tendencies than in an auto-centric planning orientation, we are now free to look at the Begin extension, and its potential impact, from a broader perspective, one that encompasses not only Beit Safafa but the extension's supposed "beneficiary" neighborhoods, as well. <br />
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<strong>Will the Begin extension enhance the livability of Gilo, and of the other south Jerusalem neighborhoods and suburbs that it is meant to serve?</strong><br />
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The Begin extension will terminate in Gilo, by the Tunnel Road interchange through which Gush Etzion motorists enter and exit the city. Gilo's community council <a href="http://www.matnasgilo.org.il/BRPortal/br/P102.jsp?arc=194577">is gushing</a> about the extension's potential benefit to the neighborhood, in the form of "quick access" to "Jerusalem." I'm not sure, though, that Gilo residents currently feel cut off from "Jerusalem." As noted above, they already have quick access to the Malha Mall via Dov Yosef Road, the expeditious, <a href="http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=53992">if perilous</a>, thoroughfare that actually brings them most of the way to their current Begin Expressway entry point at Golomb St. They are also quite close to the Talpiot Industrial Area, via Derech Hevron. When I recently stopped by the Gilo Mall in search of a new pencil case for my son and left empty-handed because the toy-and-school-supplies store (one of the few that I remembered as still being operational) had closed down, I was able to get to Talpiot by car in just a few minutes' time to continue my quest.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXxf5G4ZwKoIrDy0XH9_jlVD3y0GjIllgeccSEB548cT2Mwy59OKktfX9zhXlQ-ILQ32K1tnYhMf5u8H-SzTuS0XzmdTnO6TbbQbt9SZHvlUfItgS5o_FIuGYx2FpNk7bS84Ms9BvUCu8/s1600/Gilo+mall+--+empty+storefronts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" mea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXxf5G4ZwKoIrDy0XH9_jlVD3y0GjIllgeccSEB548cT2Mwy59OKktfX9zhXlQ-ILQ32K1tnYhMf5u8H-SzTuS0XzmdTnO6TbbQbt9SZHvlUfItgS5o_FIuGYx2FpNk7bS84Ms9BvUCu8/s320/Gilo+mall+--+empty+storefronts.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poor pedestrian access and too close to Malha: empty storefronts in the Gilo Mall</td></tr>
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Gilo has a negative image. It is not thought of as a potential destination for the younger, educated people who have been organizing in Jerusalem in recent years under the Hitorerut BiYerushalayim and Ruah Hadasha rubrics, despite the fact that housing there is relatively affordable and access to the commercial and recreational hubs of Malha, Talpiot and Emek Refaim is convenient (a comparative advantage over such farther-flung northern Jerusalem neighborhoods as Ramot and Pisgat Zeev). The problem appears to lie with Gilo's inferior urban qualities -- its walkability deficit, lack of local shopping, inaccessible public amenities, etc.</div>
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These problems are ostensibly being addressed by Gilo's <a href="https://uploaded8.jerusalem.muni.il/mp3site/tuchnun/gilo1.pdf">master plan</a> project; yet the material that has coalesced up to now seems curiously shallow and unconvincing. One gains insight into the Gilo plan when one looks at the <a href="http://www.matnasgilo.org.il/BRPortal/br/P102.jsp?arc=153622">position papers </a>that serve as background it, and which were drawn up with "resident involvement." These papers talk about remodeling and invigorating the main shopping area, densifying the neighborhood, improving walkability and public transit, improving linkage to the rest of the city, creating local jobs, and all sorts of things that are usually associated with good urbanism. </div>
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However, the most emotionally charged sections of the position papers are those that deal with roads and with parking. The sense of Gilo residents' preoccupation with where they are going to put their cars, with maintaining traffic flows and not being caught in traffic jams, is palpable, and is reflected on a practical level in the demand for added roads, road widenings, more extensive parking areas around the commercial centers and neighborhood amenities (including parks), and parking minimums of 2 spaces per unit in all new residential construction. The position papers note, matter-of-factly and neutrally, that Gilo is a "bedroom community," and that most residents get around by car, even within the neighborhood; these facts are presented as a status quo that is not up for negotiation. That the neighborhood's auto-oriented scale might be the root cause of its unattractiveness to the younger generation is an idea that appears not to have been entertained. </div>
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Under these circumstances one is tempted to ask, Shouldn't Gilo residents be given what they want? If they want more and wider roads and more places to store automobiles, shouldn't they get them? And if they want immediate entrance to the city's north-south automobile artery, why not provide it? They have been conditioned to depend on their cars, why try to change things?</div>
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But surely the counter-questions also need to be asked. Having already mentioned Gilo's stillborn shopping district and pedestrian-hostile main street, let's consider whether the extension is likely improve the status of either. Will encouraging Gilo residents (and the residents of nearby Har Homa and Gush Etzion) to use their private cars to travel, via Begin, to jobs, shopping and recreational facilities at the opposite end of town (in addition to relatively nearby Malha) have a beneficial effect on local businesses? A successful shopping area might conceivably be developed on HaRosmarin St., near the Trampiada/Tunnel Road entrance, to serve both the residents of that part of Gilo and those of Gush Etzion who pass through Gilo on their way to and from downtown Jerusalem (just as the Moshe Dayan Blvd. shopping complex successfully serves Mateh Binyamin and Neve Yaacov residents who pass through Pisgat Zeev). Will the direct link to Begin and consequent complete bypass of Gilo itself facilitate or hinder such commercial development in eastern Gilo? Will it do anything for Gilo's moribund existing shopping center? Will the perceived necessity of providing smooth access to Begin from within the neighborhood make a narrowing of Gilo's main east-west roads -- so desirable for walkability reasons -- at all a realistic prospect?</div>
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If efforts to improve public transit to and from Gilo are ever indeed undertaken (Mayor Nir Barkat's re-election platform claims that a "Blue Line" from Gilo to Ramot via the city center will be advanced during his next term), will they have any chance for success, given the Begin extension's implied encouragement of private car use?</div>
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All of these questions apply, in varying degrees, to Har Homa, the future Givat Hamatos neighborhood (wedged between Beit Safafa and Gilo), and the Gush Etzion suburbs. Will easier and closer access to Begin have a positive effect on commercial development in these areas? Will it encourage people to switch from private car to public transit? Will it foster good urbanism in these areas? Will it make them more desirable to a younger, less car-oriented generation?<br />
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In my next post, I hope to raise some additional questions regarding the Begin Expressway extension -- questions relating to the extension's impact on other parts of Jerusalem.</div>
Julie@walkablejlmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17457867529399394774noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131109057897232296.post-61748979469004909862012-10-02T06:54:00.000-07:002012-10-04T09:53:01.569-07:00The downtown trophy wifeIs it sensible to take a center-city area that up to now has been characterized by a mix of uses, and to designate it solely for "culture and tourism?"<br />
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Relatedly: should historic buildings be, on principle, emptied of workaday uses and dedicated exclusively to "culture and tourism" uses (e.g., boutique hotels)?<br />
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Such is the approach that the Jerusalem Municipality is currently taking toward Jaffa Road and environs -- the area that most locals simply think of as "downtown" but which is increasingly being referred to as the "historic city."<br />
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I think that this approach needs to be subjected to public scrutiny. I, for one, see two major problems with it: <br />
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1) The segregation of uses that it imposes will make downtown Jerusalem a much less attractive destination for regular Jerusalemites and Israelis, essentially rendering it a tourist trap whose artificiality will be perceived by the more discerning tourists;<br />
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2) By removing historic buildings from circulation as facilities where normal, everyday activities take place, and by devoting them to tourist-oriented uses, the planning echelon will be dividing Jerusalemites and Israelis from their own architectural heritage, thereby impoverishing them culturally.<br />
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As noted in my <a href="http://jlmsnouthouse.blogspot.co.il/2012/08/jerusalems-rova-mevo-hair-copying-wrong.html" target="_blank">last post</a>, which discussed the recently-approved plan for a high-rise office park at Jerusalem's western entrance, Deputy Mayor Kobi Kahlon <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/misc/article-print-page/jerusalem-skyline-to-undergo-massive-transformation-with-12-new-skyscrapers-1.458031?trailingPath=2.169%2C2.216%2C2.218%2C" target="_blank">has stated</a> that "<strong><em>anyone who doesn’t have to enter the city shouldn’t do so. Leave the historic city to culture and tourism</em>.” </strong>Downtown Jerusalem, according to Kahlon, is simply too fragile to "<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/week-s-end/the-rising-star-at-jerusalem-city-hall-1.449266" target="_blank">take the load</a>" of the governmental/clerical functions currently housed within it ("You toss out two pieces of paper there and the city is filthy"), and is altogether suited to the expression of "much greater meanings." The idea is that certain activities are just too mundane for the traditional architecture of downtown Jerusalem, and should be transferred to the envisioned skyscraper complex at the city's entrance -- "<strong>Rova Mevo Ha'Ir</strong>." <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh1fBTtw-MdryEf8n6FK1LNDGqxTASRM-jZ6ZrUAxOOHJcuoPkHz11RjnqFIOA6objJaOZOQGXG4ybYE3UpFiqbwG8m9wuaOpHWQDzEkH9Y-J-hTVKWqSmy9P_hkuEcAC061VAeoyG_Jw/s1600/Generali+Building.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" kea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh1fBTtw-MdryEf8n6FK1LNDGqxTASRM-jZ6ZrUAxOOHJcuoPkHz11RjnqFIOA6objJaOZOQGXG4ybYE3UpFiqbwG8m9wuaOpHWQDzEkH9Y-J-hTVKWqSmy9P_hkuEcAC061VAeoyG_Jw/s320/Generali+Building.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Generali Building, via Wikipedia (Magister)</td></tr>
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In keeping with this idea, government offices now located in Jerusalem's "historic city" are slated to be moved to Rova Mevo Ha'Ir. Furthermore, according to <em><a href="http://www.haaretz.com/misc/article-print-page/jerusalem-skyline-to-undergo-massive-transformation-with-12-new-skyscrapers-1.458031?trailingPath=2.169%2C2.216%2C2.218%2C" target="_blank">Haaretz</a></em>, "the Planning and Building Committee is also discussing a plan to turn the old ministries' offices, some of which are located in historic buildings, into boutique hotels." <br />
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One building <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/week-s-end/the-rising-star-at-jerusalem-city-hall-1.449266" target="_blank">that has been mentioned</a> as a prime candidate for such a re-purposing is the "Generali" Building at the corner of Jaffa Road and Shlomzion HaMalka St., built in the 1930s to house the offices of the Italian insurance agency <span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Assicurazioni Generali. The Generali Building is currently home to a number of Israeli government offices, including the Interior Ministry's Jerusalem District administration. </span><br />
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I haven't had anything to do in the Generali Building in years and don't know to what extent Israeli citizens are inconvenienced by having to conduct their business in that particular location. <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/misc/article-print-page/jerusalem-skyline-to-undergo-massive-transformation-with-12-new-skyscrapers-1.458031?trailingPath=2.169%2C2.216%2C2.218%2C" target="_blank">Deputy Mayor Kahlon claims</a> that the presence of government functions in buildings such as this one "cause[s] terrible traffic downtown, as well as parking shortages". I find this assertion rather curious, inasmuch as Jaffa Road has been closed for some time to vehicular traffic other than the light rail -- the idea being that people should get to that part of town via public transit and forego the use of their private automobiles. If you're riding the light rail, why do you need parking? How can there be traffic jams in a part of town where cars are no longer allowed?<br />
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I don't pretend to know whether public-sector efficiency is best served by concentrating government offices in one specially-designed compound -- i.e., Rova Mevo Ha'Ir. It does strike me, though, that when ordinary citizens come downtown to run errands at government facilities, downtown can only benefit-- since a citizen who enters the area for one purpose will likely remain there for others. Logically, it would seem that when downtown Jerusalem is emptied of its government offices, regular Jerusalemites and Israelis will have less occasion to go there. Are we quite certain that this is what we want?<br />
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I personally don't have much reason to go downtown, as most of my needs can be met in the Talpiot Industrial Area -- the badly-neglected "secondary" CBD that, <a href="http://jlmsnouthouse.blogspot.co.il/2011/12/centers.html" target="_blank">in my view</a>, actually functions as primary CBD for a sizeable chunk of Jerusalem's population.. However, this past summer I enjoyed a brief but instructive city-center idyll that brought home for me just what is wrong with the Kahlon plan for this part of town.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA_I6QcrTZa9bx7sg_WCqyh-QKFfcZwLC-5jjNCq9MY2K8P6iYuKa6j6zLirwGQkH1SE6GjLT_volcWbrn8yUdYMXtouSpWfgO-SA-Z5U2ZXot2a1FhdqN_oh7vlEBsYU7EnkasdHeBGk/s1600/800px-Mustashfa_jerusalem%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" kea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA_I6QcrTZa9bx7sg_WCqyh-QKFfcZwLC-5jjNCq9MY2K8P6iYuKa6j6zLirwGQkH1SE6GjLT_volcWbrn8yUdYMXtouSpWfgO-SA-Z5U2ZXot2a1FhdqN_oh7vlEBsYU7EnkasdHeBGk/s320/800px-Mustashfa_jerusalem%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mushtasfa Jerusalem (District Health Office building),<br />
via Wikipedia (Ranbar)</td></tr>
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Pictured at left is a historic building at 86 Jaffa Road -- one that, presumably, the Municipality would want emptied of its governmental functions and turned into a boutique hotel. This Ottoman-era edifice was constructed in 1882 as a residence and later turned into a hospital; since the British Mandate period it has housed the Jerusalem district health office.<br />
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I had to bring my 3 year old daughter to this building several times this past summer, for a series of anti-rabies innoculations (after she was scratched by a stray cat). Never having needed the services of the district health office before, and having no prior knowledge of the facility's whereabouts, I was very pleasantly surprised to find myself ushering my daughter into this distinguished old structure, <span style="text-align: center;">the formality of whose arched stone gate </span>is set off by a soothing little front yard and welcoming, geranium-filled porch:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZZVvkZMdbu8DQYuAFBI9zFbiqOOzbOjVQuuat5WpsIl4EthoWacTTWccTKOBLVUwA0oZrkJilVpztKpX8fAaDFJ3wpq6NSzoO1eQM4LomlonxpFgDQFEItOwxQAaf1boXMU9Gy2H2sU/s1600/DSCF2075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" kea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZZVvkZMdbu8DQYuAFBI9zFbiqOOzbOjVQuuat5WpsIl4EthoWacTTWccTKOBLVUwA0oZrkJilVpztKpX8fAaDFJ3wpq6NSzoO1eQM4LomlonxpFgDQFEItOwxQAaf1boXMU9Gy2H2sU/s400/DSCF2075.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Rather than having to sit in an institutional waiting room for the prescribed 20 minutes post-innoculation, my daughter and I (and the other kids I brought along on the various vaccine visits) were able to enjoy our<em> </em>mid-morning snack out here on the district health office porch, joined by the occasional employee on coffee break. When we were through, we stayed downtown, running different errands each time. On one occasion we picked up inexpensive crafts supplies at a discount store; on another -- paperbacks at a second-hand bookshop. I got to familiarize myself with some clothing stores I had never seen before. We bought slushes and iced coffees, burekasim and cookies. We discovered a <a href="http://jlmsnouthouse.blogspot.co.il/2012/07/brander-park-and-gardens-city-center.html" target="_blank">newly-renovated playground</a> in the downtown area that constitutes a worthwhile destination in and of itself. <br />
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Had we not needed the services of the local rabies prevention unit, we would not have patronized any of the aforementioned downtown businesses. We simply wouldn't have been downtown.<br />
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Our forays to the city center were both enjoyable and productive. We didn't go there for the specific purpose of experiencing "culture." We got a healthy dose of "culture" just by taking care of some decidely mundane business at the scenic venue of the Jerusalem district health office. And we were able, afterward, to run a variety of errands on foot, within a radius of just a few city-center blocks. Culture and commerce, pleasure and efficiency -- the blessings of mixed-use development.<br />
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Unfortunately, current urban thinking in the Jerusalem Municipality appears to have stalled at the "separation of uses" stage. Much lip-service is being paid to the idea of mixed-use development, but the plans being actively adanced call for a fairly rigid compartmentalization of uses. <br />
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Whether 86 Jaffa Road in particular has a boutique future in store for it is not the point. The point is that <a href="http://www.haaretz.co.il/magazine/1.1743297" target="_blank">Kobi Kahlon thinks</a> "<strong><em>we have to empty [Jerusalem's historic downtown] of all the officialdom [פקידות] and other uses. This city has far greater meanings</em></strong>."<br />
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I'm sure that when Kahlon talks about Jerusalem's "greater meanings" his intentions are reverential -- and that is the problem. It's one thing to appreciate the city's history and to want to preserve its unique character in those areas where "character" has a tangible presence in architectural form. However, putting specific parts of the city on a pedestal and dictating the kinds of uses that can take place in them, is quite another matter. It's almost like the objectification to which men sometimes subject women -- an idealization that ultimately devalues. Rather than having someone alive and dynamic to relate you, you end up with a porcelain doll, a trophy wife, a puppet.<br />
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In the case of downtown Jerusalem, what we could end up with, if we're not careful, is a sterile museum in which tourists lap up lattes and empty their pockets to purveyors of kitschy Judaica while street mimes and jugglers leap and frolick in a frenzied effort to conceal the emptiness at the core of downtown -- a place where no actual work goes on, where no real life is lived, where nothing productive happens. <br />
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We already have an "Old City" that is devoted to religion, tourism and religious tourism. Do we really want to start calling that part of town the "<strong><em>Old</em></strong> Old City?" Must Jaffa Road now become a "New Old City" -- a static Disneyland of handsome traditional architecture housing nothing but cafes and boutiques? <br />
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I don't want to be unfair to Kobi Kahlon. I have no problem with his desire to add office space in the city entrance area or even, necessarily, with the transfer of government agencies to that part of town -- provided that such transfers are clearly in the public interest. What bothers me is the assumption that governmental and commercial/corporate affairs are best managed out of dedicated skyscraper complexes, while historic downtowns and traditional architecture should play a merely ornamental role in the life of a city. In the present post I have looked at the latter half of this false dichotomy. In my next post I hope to discuss the former in greater depth.Julie@walkablejlmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17457867529399394774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131109057897232296.post-7974897924870105202012-08-29T13:38:00.002-07:002012-09-03T21:21:14.218-07:00Jerusalem's Rova Mevo Ha'Ir: copying the wrong Parisian model<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A couple of decades ago, give or take half a decade, I spent an academic year in Paris on an American study abroad program. After 10 months of thumbing my little red <i>Plan de Paris par arrondissement</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(= old-school GPS</span>) to a pulp, I found myself facing a summer short on cash -- but unwilling to retreat to the States before I could legitimately claim to have spent an entire calendar year in Europe.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Luckily Georges, the heroically non-judgmental and patient program director, was able to arrange temporary work permits </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">for such underfunded students who insisted on remaining abroad.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Which was how I found myself, over a period of several weeks, shuttling from picturesque central Paris to the futuristic </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">La Défense business district at the city's western outskirts, where I had landed a job heating up frozen croissants and serving "instant" espresso to those employed in the surrounding skyscrapers. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">La <span style="font-family: Arial;">Défense -- Stairway to Heaven by </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;">Dmitri A. Mottle, via Wikimedia Commons</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">By "shuttling" I of course mean a Métro ride, but a space-shuttle association would not be far off the mark. Going to La Défense was like rocketing or beaming up to the moon or some kind of space station carved into a forbidding alien landscape that, by dint of hard labor, had been made marginally habitable for humans, but not attractive to them. Considering that I had spent most of a year tirelessly criss-crossing the streets of traditional Paris, it says something that I never spent a moment in La Défense beyond what the timeclock dictated. The fact that I was working -- though technically in Paris! -- in a fast-food joint <em>à l'américaine</em>, serving up bad imitation French cuisine to Frenchmen and Frenchwomen who, in any other setting, would surely have turned up their noses at such travesties, said it all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">So my question is, why would Jerusalem want to do this to itself?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The Israeli (and international) media have lately been abuzz (in English: <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/jerusalem-skyline-to-undergo-massive-transformation-with-12-new-skyscrapers.premium-1.458031" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://www.timesofisrael.com/new-business-district-to-scrape-the-skies-of-jerusalem/" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2012/08/jerusalem-bets-skyscraper-forest/2951/" target="_blank">here</a>) over an "ambitious" plan to transform Jerusalem's western entrance area -- referred to in Hebrew as <em>Rova Mevo Ha'Ir</em> -- into a sleek and ultramodern business district, complete with the skyscrapers that are thought necessary to project a municipal image of exuberant money-making. "The city as economic engine."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The plans for Rova Mevo Ha'Ir have actually been in the works for several years (Mayor Nir Barkat, who assumed office in 2009, was the project's primary initiator). When the plans were first publicized, a similarity to Paris' La Défense district was <a href="http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3818117,00.html" target="_blank">proudly proclaimed</a>. Apparently, the mere hint of a resemblance to something European was thought sufficient to place the project in a positive light.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">La Défense is not normally considered a success from the perspective of urban vitality. One author and lecturer in the urban planning sphere, Alex Marshall, calls the complex "<a href="http://www.alexmarshall.org/index.php?pageId=167" target="_blank">stunningly dead</a>." Charles Siegel , <a href="http://www.planetizen.com/node/57600" target="_blank">writing recently at Planetizen</a>, points out that there are better models for smart growth than the "stale modernist model of La Défense." In fact, when the Rova Mevo Ha'Ir plans were first publicized in 2009, and hailed as Jerusalem's answer to La Défense, Siegel commented, <a href="http://www.planetizen.com/node/42027#comment-11177" target="_blank">again at Planetizen</a>, "Virtually everyone agrees that La </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Défense</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;">blighted Paris' skyline and is an anti-urban design. Just what Jerusalem needs to destroy its historical character."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, those charged with planning Rova Mevo Ha'Ir seem unable to differentiate between design elements likely to foster vibrancy and ones liable to create deadness. Much </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">lipservice is paid to designing with the pedestrian in mind, but the plans themselves paint a different picture.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">The <a href="http://lcud.tau.ac.il/lexicon/sites/default/files/jerusalem%20entry%20short.pdf" target="_blank">slideshow</a> prepared by Farhi Zafrir, the architectural firm that won the Rova Mevo Ha'Ir competition, is a frustrating mish-mash of declared aspirations to walkable urbanism and simulation images that give such aspirations the lie. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Not the least annoying feature of the slideshow is its dubious referencing of traditional city design -- its deployment of photos of bustling European streets featuring human-scaled low- and mid-rise architecture -- in order to "prove" the value of the <strong><em>monolithic skyscraper project that it is actually trying to sell</em></strong>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Farhi Zafrir first make a ploy for audience sympathy by describing, in Slide 2, the current sorry state of the Jerusalem entrance area. That part of town is certainly a mess -- as the architects put it, "sparse and dispersed construction," "separate and isolated compounds," "a roadway rather than a street." The pictures speak for themselves. Yes, almost anything would be better.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">In Slide 3 the architects treat the viewer to a warm and fuzzy photo selection featuring <a href="http://www.newworldeconomics.com/archives/2011/020611.html" target="_blank">narrow, Nathan Lewis-type streets</a>, European version, full of fine-grained architectural detail and hip young city dwellers doing their thing <em>en masse</em>. "Priority to pedestrians" is the slogan here.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Having been thus buttered up, the viewer is then meant to be duly impressed by slides 4-11, which show us how Farhi Zafrir are going to rescue us from the dreaded <a href="http://nakedcityblog.blogspot.co.il/2012/03/why-did-chicken-cross-stroad.html" target="_blank">stroad</a> situation that currently exists, by building an <strong><em>architecturally monotonous</em></strong>, dedicated business, government-office and hotel district (the Israeli planning echelon's idea of "mixed-use development")</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpqSodEtR826IYIZH7BnMKPSDJFBuCxwMKXNlPZCmzyWqAkGwZunayIgtD6Y0VdlGHc_yAhuZWPs9AqWwGSMrJXnZjkecNvLb1MSSadQeFlAMUyQ1IxrjGh639Fqa1REtshLy81zUFPvA/s1600/Rova+Mevo+Ha'Ir.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" fea="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpqSodEtR826IYIZH7BnMKPSDJFBuCxwMKXNlPZCmzyWqAkGwZunayIgtD6Y0VdlGHc_yAhuZWPs9AqWwGSMrJXnZjkecNvLb1MSSadQeFlAMUyQ1IxrjGh639Fqa1REtshLy81zUFPvA/s400/Rova+Mevo+Ha'Ir.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via Jerusalem Municipality</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Yes, there is an emphasis on transit-oriented development here -- the project's much-touted connectivity to the Jerusalem light rail and the (future) high-speed Tel Aviv -Jerusalem train. Yet it is disturbing that all this accessibility is meant, ultimately, <strong><em>to keep people out of Jerusalem's historic downtown</em></strong> -- to artificially, and in a sense even dictatorially, concentrate certain activities -- and the people engaged in them -- in this one particular area.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">For instance, the idea of transferring government ministry offices from their current locations in historic downtown buildings to the sterile office park of Rova Mevo Ha'Ir, and of <em><strong>turning the historic buildings into boutique hotels</strong></em>, may seem, at first glance, to have a certain poetic justice -- relegate the dry government paper-shufflers to dull modernist edifices! Save the pretty buildings for hunky and babalicious vacationers who can appreciate them! -- but it flies in the face of everything the New Urbanists have been telling us about real mixed-use development and the vibrancy it produces.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Deputy Mayor Kobi Kahlon <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/jerusalem-skyline-to-undergo-massive-transformation-with-12-new-skyscrapers.premium-1.458031" target="_blank">has been quoted as saying</a>, "<strong><em>Anyone who doesn't have to enter the city shouldn't do so. Leave the historic city to culture and tourism</em></strong>." That is one of the most disturbing statements I've heard/read in a long time. Kahlon feels that by diverting jobs and government offices to the Jerusalem entrance, the "historic city" will be spared traffic congestion and "parking shortages." Unfortunately, it may also become depleted of anything resembling real life, and turn into a giant museum. I'm reminded of Alan Davies' (<i>The Urbanist</i>) <a href="http://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/2012/08/26/whatre-the-worlds-most-walkable-cities/" target="_blank">recent description of Venice</a>: </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">In a physical sense Venice is pedestrian nirvana, but in my opinion it’s also a one dimensional city. The throngs of people along the canals are almost all tourists. The businesses only provide lodgings, food and fodder for tourists.</span></blockquote>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is that what we want Jerusalem's historic downtown to become?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> <span style="font-family: Arial;">My special bugbear: the Farhi Zafrir slideshow references La Défense (slide 12), in a manner that can only reflect ignorance or disingenuousness on the part of the designers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I can't seem to copy the slides into the blog, but here is a La Défense plaza photo very similar to that used by Farhi Zafrir in slide 12 of their presentation:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Zhp4v_K6B-m8RU6PMMoxa-WLzd7L4oProqHNybT6FRppqz81CRG61WhWSJP9bcGcrnPXL4pcQCb8lLHo8IMUiT9_fP4OLvFmWfRdyxTZ80Vcun5BrNNLIfqs3vJfHra3LoP5IDDI1R4/s1600/800px-La_Defense_dsc07142%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Zhp4v_K6B-m8RU6PMMoxa-WLzd7L4oProqHNybT6FRppqz81CRG61WhWSJP9bcGcrnPXL4pcQCb8lLHo8IMUiT9_fP4OLvFmWfRdyxTZ80Vcun5BrNNLIfqs3vJfHra3LoP5IDDI1R4/s400/800px-La_Defense_dsc07142%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David Monniaux via Wikipedia</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The above photo (that is, its counterpart in slide 12 of the architects' presentation) is grouped together with a couple of photos of traditional European public squares, including an open-air market scene that looks something like this:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsnTZPXrXZ4MEmxZxhBQ9v_HrfzmODibJL-sGmFta9mwA9b7qN-IiaPMK96hXRV4E7ZAPm5X_P_KJtp33dhGxj5uKloNPqd2anzT6LwtTz8HVScoG-N-mA-WoqPKnsU8glAb4kFF40OE0/s1600/800px-Street_market_rue_Mouffetard_St_Medard_dsc00727%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsnTZPXrXZ4MEmxZxhBQ9v_HrfzmODibJL-sGmFta9mwA9b7qN-IiaPMK96hXRV4E7ZAPm5X_P_KJtp33dhGxj5uKloNPqd2anzT6LwtTz8HVScoG-N-mA-WoqPKnsU8glAb4kFF40OE0/s400/800px-Street_market_rue_Mouffetard_St_Medard_dsc00727%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Street market at the bottom of rue Mouffetard -- David Monniaux, via Wikimedia Commons</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Farhi Zafrir's aim is to entice the viewer with street scenes that most people would be happy to see in their own city, and which the viewer is meant to understand that the architects are going deliver via their proposed Jerusalem entrance project. Yet </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">one can see at a glance that the La Défense scene (the one that most closely resembles Farhi Zafrir's Rova Mevo Ha'Ir simulation) has little in common with a traditional street market scene.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the La Défense photo, people scuttle like insects across an exceptionally uninviting, oversized plaza, dwarfed by brutal-looking buildings that do not work together as any sort of defined streetscape or provide the sense of enclosure that human beings generally require if they are to feel comfortable in a given built environment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">In the traditional-Paris street market photo, you've got it all: lovely and varied architecture on a human scale, enclosure, "<a href="http://www.archiseek.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=1162" target="_blank">intimate anonymity</a>." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I humbly submit that this grouping of a photo of the La Défense plaza together with photos of traditional European public squares is a cheap ploy intended to persuade the public that a relatively isolated, limited-use high-rise complex can offer the pleasing urban ambience of a more traditionally-designed quarter. In my view, this reflects questionable ethics on the part of Farhi Zafrir.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">It is too bad that the local planning echelon, and the architectural firm that it chose to design Rova Mevo Ha'Ir, couldn't have mustered up a bit more ambition, and devised a plan that would have increased Jerusalem's office-space supply <strong><em>in a style that respected the city's architectural traditions</em></strong> -- as in the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.planetizen.com/node/57600" target="_blank">Le Plessis-Robinson model</a> described so compellingly by Charles Siegel. As Siegel points out, neo-traditional development can be "dense enough for smart growth" and can deliver its density "in a more attractive and livable environment than the typical modernist development." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But very likely there are no templates for neo-traditional design in the <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/the-havoc-that-computer-aided-design-has-wreaked-on-architecture.premium-1.440338" target="_blank">software</a> used by Farhi Zafrir -- so they settled for a stark modernist office park, hoping to pass it off as successful urbanism.</span>Julie@walkablejlmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17457867529399394774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131109057897232296.post-81905994133033945942012-07-16T23:19:00.000-07:002012-07-19T19:45:21.186-07:00Brander Park and Gardens, City Center -- a Jerusalem Playground Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I recently had the pleasure of visiting a renovated playground in the city center -- the "revitalized downtown Jerusalem" that I sometimes <a href="http://jlmsnouthouse.blogspot.co.il/2011/12/centers.html">mock in a spirit of contrarianism.</a> This wonderful new playground definitely creates an incentive (which I previously found lacking) to go downtown with the kids ...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzmjF7SsEWmIVhBwcsQ7RUm4EE66yt1wbwTRYQo4kjujQjC3FCLDBwFH9FhqbbrTRY0CvyMaEzafrc2xgEh3AjdQTV77CcDyr_oRetWl-lWt0GxezbSCxx4JHUKt8itIBx2r6n_V0pvY/s1600/Brander+Park+acrobatic+play+structures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img $ca="true" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzmjF7SsEWmIVhBwcsQ7RUm4EE66yt1wbwTRYQo4kjujQjC3FCLDBwFH9FhqbbrTRY0CvyMaEzafrc2xgEh3AjdQTV77CcDyr_oRetWl-lWt0GxezbSCxx4JHUKt8itIBx2r6n_V0pvY/s400/Brander+Park+acrobatic+play+structures.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Name</strong>: Brander Park and Gardens </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">There is a plaque identifying the park's donors as Dr. Jerome and Mrs. Frances Brander of Atlantic City. On maps, however, the area seems to be called Meir Sherman Garden. When the conundrum has been resolved, Gd willing, I will update.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Location</span></strong>: King George Street, downtown Jerusalem (adjacent to Independence Park).<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Transit:</strong> </span><span style="font-size: small;">Egged lines 4, 4A, 7, 7A, 8, 8A, 9, 9A, 17, 17A, 19, 19A, 21, 21A, 31, 031, 32, 032, 38, 74, 75. </span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Shade</span></strong>: There's plenty of shade in this park, making it quite usable at all hours of the day, even when the sun is at its harshest. In addition to the many trees scattered throughout, some of them quite old and venerable ... </div>
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... there is the welcome addition of a large artificial shade structure covering a selection of attractive, new-style "dynamic" play equipment.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoYJj-o5qhL9gckm14aNgPN-Dpe91xY7toWyyPwj-sQFuy6CmMtwN8lIba1XLCaQ6pi-O9CeLEVqluAlSBxDd4vNxzcsOGb0mt6Xp0TLNZgYc4CCn-GcvaV7X715j_ry_AGLUTWcb4OKs/s1600/cool+play+equipment+with+shade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img $ca="true" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoYJj-o5qhL9gckm14aNgPN-Dpe91xY7toWyyPwj-sQFuy6CmMtwN8lIba1XLCaQ6pi-O9CeLEVqluAlSBxDd4vNxzcsOGb0mt6Xp0TLNZgYc4CCn-GcvaV7X715j_ry_AGLUTWcb4OKs/s400/cool+play+equipment+with+shade.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Obviously these shade structures cost money and one can't expect that every corner of a playground will be encompassed by them. Still, it's kind of a shame that this line of cool and varied swings is so entirely exposed to the sun -- I doubt one can use them comfortably after about 9:00 a.m.:</div>
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All in all, though, this is a well-shaded playground/park, where at least half of the play equipment is sufficiently shaded for mid-day use, and where comfortable picnic spots can always be found:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfEExjr8DH7e_y740ZXUGNSQxF_cVvDGFi8GHVkbqZCVVS6aNTIFmtGq_7LGZJCtX2CDyGcNG5PECRN0z0e0c2p-o25snB1xE_XyTQA7h_YTU_5koqzsUdObgLck1yiyoBvny-zhtbc8U/s1600/open+grassy+area+with+shade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img $ca="true" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfEExjr8DH7e_y740ZXUGNSQxF_cVvDGFi8GHVkbqZCVVS6aNTIFmtGq_7LGZJCtX2CDyGcNG5PECRN0z0e0c2p-o25snB1xE_XyTQA7h_YTU_5koqzsUdObgLck1yiyoBvny-zhtbc8U/s400/open+grassy+area+with+shade.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Play equipment and features</strong></span>: <br />
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Play equipment seems to have its own fashion trends, which wax and wane. A few years ago every new playground in these parts featured a climbing/slide structure with tunnels and turrets, a kind of all-in-one facility around which the entire play area revolved -- like the department store on which a mall is "anchored." <br />
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Over the last couple of years, however, things seem to have evolved. My first inkling of the changing times came on a family trip to Zichron Yaacov two summers ago, where we were enchanted by what seemed to us a wonderfully original playground full of strange kinetic-dynamic-futuristic play structures of a kind we had never seen before.<br />
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Now these structures are popping up here in Jerusalem as well. The novelty hasn't worn off yet -- maybe it never will:</div>
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As noted above, an entire section of the playground is devoted to the swing concept in a variety of ultramodern incarnations. The swings are attractive and fun -- for older children; none is suited to a toddler, unless she's in someone's lap ... </div>
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There's a separate toddler play area with some nice features, including this sleek bouncy snake:</div>
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The train structure is very attractive, but was in full sun and hot to the touch at around 10:30-11:00 a.m. when we were there:</div>
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<strong>Other notable features and amenities: </strong><br />
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<strong>-- </strong>Bicycle racks<br />
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-- There's a regular water fountain near the toddler play area, and a more "advanced" one off the older-child area -- the water is chilled, and the fountain has a bottle-filling installation:<br />
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-- Rarity of all rarities in Jerusalem playgrounds: a restroom. My son tried to get in but couldn't figure out how. I have no idea whether it works, is cleaned/maintained, etc. Nor do I want to be the one who checks this out. Perhaps an intrepid reader will care to update me on this, for the benefit of the wider public ...<br />
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-- Brander Park leads directly into the larger, open green space of Jerusalem's well-known Independence Park, an area suitable for picnics, ball-related activities, gatherings, etc. Independence Park has no play facilities per se and I never thought of it as a full-service attraction in and of itself for kids, but nowadays it makes a nice, relaxing side-trip when everyone has tired themselves out on Brander Park's exciting play equipment. Of particular interest is the man-made water feature -- small pools and streams, mainly in shade, that attract kids like flies and offer adults a cool and refreshing interlude amid the downtown bustle:<br />
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But don't bring your bathing suit, or drink the water. It might embalm you:<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Age range</span></strong>: Toddler through adult:</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Snack factor:</strong></span><span style="font-size: small;"> Many restaurants, cafes, bakeries and convenience stores a short walk away on Jaffa Rd. and along the Ben Yehuda pedestrian mall; a kiosk selling ice creams/ices, snacks and cold drinks (as well as less child-oriented items such as lottery tickets and cigarettes) is located at the park's Meir Shaham St. entrance.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Schmooze factor</span></strong>: This is not the kind of playground you go to in order to meet up with a regular crowd of neighborhood moms and childminders -- a valuable feature of certain other playgrounds that I have reviewed.. Brander Park is downtown, so it gets a more transient and varied clientele, and that is its strong point and brand differentiation. One sees locals of all stripes, tourists, plenty of dog-walkers, etc.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Seating: </strong></span><span style="font-size: small;">Seating has been handled thoughtfully and generously throughout the park, whether in the form of wooden benches (a fair number in shady spots), a circular stone bench surrounding the main play area, or stone tree and shrubbery platforms that do double duty as seating:</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Multiple uses within the park</span></strong>: Brander Park certainly has much to offer within its borders, especially if those borders are extended to include Independence Park. It has several play areas (suited to different age groups) that are distinct and intimate yet flow gracefully into each other; lawns for kicking a ball around, picnicking, etc.; steps and platforms that beckon young children to climb on them; the babbling brook of Independence Park; areas of noisy togetherness and spots of repose. You won't be bored here.</div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Beyond the park</span></strong>: Self-evident, considering the downtown location. In the immediate vicinity, on King George Street, are certain tourist-itenerary items such as <a href="http://yeshurun-jerusalem.org/">Yeshurun Central Synagogue</a>, the <a href="http://www.jerusalemgreatsynagogue.com/EN_HomePage.aspx">Great Synagogue </a>and <a href="http://eng.hechalshlomo.org.il/">Heichal Shlomo</a>.</div>
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Prior to the renovation, I never considered this playground to be anything that I would travel out of my south Jerusalem comfort zone for. In general, I always regarded downtown as rather child-unfriendly and resented the lack of a worthwhile play area there. I never could bring myself to run errands in the city center with kids in tow. I've hardly been downtown at all these last few years, as most of my needs can be met closer to home (i.e., in Talpiot); in fact my unexpected recent forays there were occasioned by nothing less than the necessity of getting my three year old vaccinated against rabies at the Health Ministry facility at 86 Jaffa Rd. I dreaded the trip downtown with her, thinking that Brander Park, as I remembered it (a rickety old merry-go-round?), would not compensate her adequately for the innoculation experience. In the end I was pleasantly surprised on all counts: the rabies prevention unit is run efficiently and located in a beautiful old building that is worth visiting on its own merits; the little one was enthralled by the shop windows of Jaffa Rd. and the passing trains; and I discovered the Brander Park renovation.<br />
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I'm not naive. I know the Jerusalem Municipality didn't have lowly residents like me in mind when it decided to renovate this playground, but rather the tourist population. Yet this is one instance where the locals truly enjoy a collateral benefit. "Mixed-use" has become a catchword of the downtown Jerusalem revitalization scene, but it appears to refer mainly to a mix of commercial, office and hotel/residential space in new high-rises slated for construction. Yet by creating a truly fun place for children in the city center, the planning echelon has done much to enhance downtown Jerusalem's mixed-use status -- without having to reach skyward.</div>Julie@walkablejlmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17457867529399394774noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131109057897232296.post-58892701694025015672012-05-25T00:41:00.000-07:002012-05-25T00:49:16.736-07:00A Memorial to Bad Urbanism on Derech Beit LechemDerech Beit Lechem, or Bethlehem Road, is a long street that runs through Jerusalem's Baka and Talpiot neighborhoods, parallel to the thunderous traffic artery of Derech Hevron. Derech Beit Lechem, though itself a busy thoroughfare in parts, would not normally be called "thunderous" (a car word) but rather "bustling" (a people word). When one talks about Derech Beit Lechem one tends to draw on a lexicon of chicness and boutiques, cafes and gentrification. <br />
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This vocabulary mainly describes the section of Derech Beit Lechem that extends between Rivka Street (near "Tsomet HaBankim") and Yiftah Street. There is considerable urbanist consciousness in that part of town; Baka activists have garnered media attention by protesting planned changes in traffic patterns that would, in the words of architect and Baka resident David Guggenheim, "<a href="http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=42338">have destroyed the delicate urban fabric</a>" of Derech Beit Lechem.<br />
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There is, however, another Derech Beit Lechem -- one whose urban fabric is not so delicate: the Talpiot Industrial Area end of the street, between HaTenufa and Derech Baram. On this stretch of Derech Beit Lechem, one side of the street features old industrial buildings ...<br />
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... flanking a forlorn, vacant lot where the infamous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Versailles_wedding_hall_disaster">Versailles wedding hall disaster</a> occurred eleven years ago yesterday, on May 24, 2001. No one, apparently, wants to build something new here:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Site where the Versailles wedding hall once stood, now offering a direct view of the ubiquitous Holyland project.</td></tr>
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The opposite side of the street, on this stretch of Derech Beit Lechem, houses some of Jerusalem's poorer residents, in a compound of decrepit <em>shikun</em> buildings (1950s-era mass housing for immigrants) currently <a href="http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000601617&fid=1124">slated for urban renewal</a>:</div>
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And it is on this side of the street, directly across from the now-desolate space where the Versailles disaster occurred, that a "memorial garden" has been created in honor of the disaster's victims:</div>
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Is it just me, or does this "garden" seem wholly inappropriate, whether as a memorial to the casualties of a collapsed dance floor, or as a feature of a street where, after all, human beings continue to live and go about their business? Well, I guess if I thought it was just me, I wouldn't be writing this post, would I?</div>
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Here's what I think is wrong with the Versailles memorial site:</div>
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1) It has a distinctly military-cemetery feel, as though <a href="http://guggenheim-arch.com/index.php?page_name=4662&type=large_pic_by_cat&pic_id=59806&limitcount=0&cat=2552&cookie_lang=en&the_session_id=8901a395bd05dc3378ca9c60919f4b43">the designer</a> (architect David Guggenheim -- the Baka activist mentioned above) thought the site was meant to commemorate a battle where heroic warriors fell, rather than a civil disaster. Those tall, straight-arrow cypress trees standing at attention under the brutal midday Mediterranean sun, surrounded by a stark grey concrete wall bearing the names of the fallen ... This military ambience is all wrong, given the <strong><em>civil</em></strong> nature of the incident.</div>
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2) The site is unsuited to an area where, as I noted above, people live, play, work, and pursue everyday activities. Basically, a large chunk of public space was hijacked and turned into something that no one can use. This isn't a cemetery, it's a <strong><em>street</em></strong>. Would David Guggenheim want something like this on <strong><em>his</em></strong> end of Derech Beit Lechem?</div>
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To be more specific about why the memorial is unsuited to an area where people live and "do stuff" (as opposed to a military cemetery or some kind of national battlefield park):</div>
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-- The "garden" is <strong><em>shadeless</em></strong>, meaning that <strong><em>no one can spend time there</em></strong> during normal daytime hours. Wouldn't it have been more meaningful, a more fitting remembrance of the departed, to have planted some shade trees, and arranged them in an inviting way, with some benches under them, creating what we refer to in Hebrew as a <em>pinat hemed</em> -- a "cosy corner" that would have elicited gratitude from local residents and passersby, and, perhaps, have stimulated actual contemplation of the names of the disaster victims -- rather than concealing them?</div>
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-- The overall layout is such that one can't <strong><em>be in</em></strong> the site; one is forced to <br />
<strong><em>walk around</em></strong> it. As I said: a <strong><em>hijacking</em></strong> of public space. One can speculate that Guggenheim intended something deep by this: perhaps the set-up of trees-mounted-on-a-platform, upon which we <em><strong>gaze as outside observers</strong></em>, was meant to evoke the moment just before the dance floor collapsed beneath the wedding revellers -- a moment that was captured for posterity <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJQlSu-8iOU">on video</a>, and viewed by many thousands of people. <br />
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Whatever visual metaphor Guggenheim had in mind, it does not, in my view, justify the removal of a public space from public use. The local residents didn't cause the disaster. Why should they not have the use of their street in its entirety, and in aesthetically pleasing form? <br />
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And if the site of the catastrophe itself -- directly across the street from where the memorial "garden" was installed -- has lain desolate for the past decade, wouldn't <strong><em>that</em></strong> have been the logical venue for a monument of some kind?</div>
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-- Also, what's with the grey, blank wall on the outside of the memorial? </div>
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Not that it was necessary or desirable to have this grey starkness on the <em>interior </em>walls, either -- but how can one justify putting a blank wall directly across from what is, essentially, a nice, modest, pleasantly dense and human-scaled stretch of multifamily dwellings:<br />
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The Versailles disaster, in which 23 people perished and 350 or more were injured due to "quick and dirty" construction methods and owner negligence, demonstrated one kind of price that society pays when the needs of actual human beings are treated with cavalier disregard by those responsible for our built environment.<br />
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The Versailles disaster "memorial garden" demonstrates another cost that we incur, as a society, when those responsible for our built environment disregard the needs of actual human beings. No, no deaths are likely to be directly caused by an ugly and unusable memorial garden. But I would argue that negative urban features such as these have a cumulative effect. They make it seem okay to do inappropriate things with the street; to design and build inappropriately. They alienate us from the street, with devastating effects on our quality of life and long-term health. Twenty-three fatalities in one shot is indeed a terrible tragedy. But when, as a society, we adhere to a lifestyle in which the street is a place to be avoided, we suffer health consequences that, though more insidious, reach much farther.</div>Julie@walkablejlmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17457867529399394774noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131109057897232296.post-91147290281191286872012-02-24T00:00:00.000-08:002012-08-19T21:39:36.693-07:00Gan HaAgvaniya (Tomato Park), Old Katamon -- a Jerusalem Playground Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9_m4kEPQ7tQDZf5VYOqGMyVNOEMPUthEkNJrxXL6x5z35HcP9j4pLLCmsbslW5dvTx38SjHLfzzZJLY5e_MhRlYmreuMx7EQJvK23_ZkapucVnRCfaaK__M28hTWfGTFTVin67AtMUgQ/s1600/S5005051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9_m4kEPQ7tQDZf5VYOqGMyVNOEMPUthEkNJrxXL6x5z35HcP9j4pLLCmsbslW5dvTx38SjHLfzzZJLY5e_MhRlYmreuMx7EQJvK23_ZkapucVnRCfaaK__M28hTWfGTFTVin67AtMUgQ/s400/S5005051.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Name</strong>:</span> This much-loved park has an irresistible name. Who wouldn't want to go to a park named after a tomato? Although the place had been known to me for many years, I learned its name only when my oldest son started attending Chorev Elementary School, which stands across the street from the park and supplies a large proportion of its clientele. Apparently the name refers to the park's shape, which is thought to be tomato-like, with a slightly indented shrubbery area at its "crown":<br />
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On maps of Old Katamon that I have looked at, the tomato comparison seems a bit far-fetched. </div>
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Actually the park has another, official name, inscribed on two separate plaques:</div>
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John V. Lindsay, Mayor of New York City from 1966-1973 -- a.k.a. <em>Mayor Linseed of Gotham City</em> ... </div>
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I did a little digging online about Harvey Rothenberg, the park donor identified on the plaque in the above photo. A successful New York City businessman and active Zionist who helped found the Jerusalem Fund, he was also a good friend of John V. Lindsay and served on Lindsay's mayoral staff for a salary of $1 per year -- somewhat reminiscent of our current shekel-a-year Jerusalem mayor. Rothenberg reminisces about his interactions with such luminaries as Golda Meir, the Shah of Iran, and Teddy Kollek, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhpAcbt3bRw">here</a>. For a fascinating article about John V. Lindsay and his conception of New York City as an "adventure playground," click <a href="http://places.designobserver.com/feature/adventure-playground--john-v-lindsay-and-the-transformation-of-modern-new-york/13338/">here</a>.<br />
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It may seem unfair that a "popular" playground name should trump the name intended for it by its donor; there may be something instructive in this, something to do with the primacy of physical features in the minds of children. I don't feel capable of bucking the trend and talking about "John V. Lindsay Park" in everyday conversation, but I do think it's worthwhile to trace the donor history of parks and to honor the philanthropists who help make Jerusalem a better place. So, I hope, where relevant, to keep including donor information as a feature of my Jerusalem Playground Reviews.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Location</strong></span>: Kovshei Katamon Street, at the Kaf-Tet BeNovember Street intersection (across from Chorev Elementary School), Old Katamon. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Transit/Parking:</strong></span> Bus line 24 (Kovshei Katamon St.); plentiful on-street parking on Kovshei Katamon during most daytime hours, except for school drop-off and pick-up times. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Shade</strong></span>: Gan HaAgvaniya has abundant shade. I can't vouch for the central play area during all daytime hours, but a large sandbox near the park entrance (which includes a couple of spring toys and tic-tac-toe installation) is shady throughout the day: <br />
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The park's large open area is bounded by a margin of shrubbery and lovely mature trees: <br />
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Benches are scattered along the park perimeter to take advantage of the shade. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Playground equipment and features</strong></span>: <br />
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<b>Large climbing/slide structure</b>, suitable for toddlers and young children, up to about ages 6-8: <br />
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<b>Merry-go-round</b><br />
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<b>Running barrel</b><br />
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<b>Small see-saw</b><br />
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<strong>Spring toys</strong><br />
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<b>"Standing" see-saw</b><br />
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Large, <em>relatively clean</em> and shady <b>sand box </b>with tic-tac-toe installation and spring toys: <br />
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<b>Cat statue</b> (good for climbing, throwing sand at): </div>
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(Plenty of real felines, too ...) </div>
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<b>Shrubbery areas </b>that are accessible to children for mucking around and exploring: </div>
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Lots of <strong>climbable</strong> <b>rocks and stepping-stones</b>:</div>
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A <strong>circular path</strong>, part asphalt and part cobblestone, suitable for scootering, tricycling, etc.:</div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Age range</span></strong>: Play equipment suitable for toddlers and younger children up to ages 6-8; for older children the park offers sufficient space to kick a ball around, dig for scorpions (if they're into that sort of thing), ride a scooter, or just hang out.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Snack factor:</strong></span><span style="font-size: small;"> Unfortunately, there is no kiosk or grocery in the immediate vicinity (i.e., accessible without having to cross a street, or at least visible just across a street). However, there is a grocery around the corner on HaLamed-Heh Street, a fairly short walk away, as well as a bakery/cafe. A few blocks away, on HaPalmach St., there is a larger selection of stores and eateries (see the <em><a href="http://http//jlmsnouthouse.blogspot.com/2012/02/gan-haagvaniya-john-v-lindsay-park-old.html#beyond-the-park">Beyond the park</a></em> section below).</span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Schmooze factor</span></strong>: I use this park mainly in the afternoons, when I pick my kids up from the school across the street. The after-school hours are quite busy and fun here, with older Chorev kids stopping to play or cutting through the park on their way home ...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(somebody brought their hamster to school today)</td></tr>
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.. mothers picking up their younger schoolchildren and bringing preschool siblings and babies along for an outing ... </div>
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... or perhaps a picnic:</div>
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On school days you sometimes see classes of 30+ children from Chorev Elementary School charging into the park -- time off for good behavior ... On Friday mornings (a school morning, but also the start of the Israeli Friday-Shabbat weekend) the park is a popular spot for fathers with toddlers, giving their wives a break. On regular weekday mornings (Sunday through Thursday) the park usually gets some traffic -- the occasional mother-child or babysitter-child dyad, dog walkers, etc. However, Gan HaAgvaniya doesn't seem to especially attract <em>metaplot</em> (family-based childcare providers) with larger numbers of children in tow, perhaps because there is another, bigger park a couple of blocks down that also has swings, or possibly due to <em>a problem with seating in the park's main play area</em>, which I discuss below.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Seating:</strong> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><em>My one criticism of the park</em>. Yes, there are plenty of benches along the tree-lined perimeter, and they provide delightfully shady seating on a hot summer's day. There is also a bench near the sandbox, and a funky seating area at the park's entrance:</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In memory of Eliezer Karsani</td></tr>
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The problem is that there are <strong><em><u>no benches near the park's central play area</u></em></strong>, where most of the equipment is located. </div>
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The play area was renovated a couple of years ago. Formerly, it consisted of a small but sturdy and attractive wooden climbing/slide structure, a metal "car" installation with benches and steering wheels, and a spring toy or two. The equipment was situated within a sandbox, which itself was surrounded by a <em>circular stone bench</em> where mothers and other adults could sit and keep a close eye on the children playing there. When the play area was renovated (and I never could figure out why, as the previous set of equipment was perfectly adequate), the stone bench was removed and replaced with ... nothing that anyone, adult or child, could comfortably sit on.</div>
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Instead, the renovated play area was partly demarcated by a <strong><em>"decorative" <u>but useless stone</u></em></strong> <strong><em><u>wall</u></em></strong> that is <u><strong><em>too high</em></strong></u> for a normal-sized adult woman to sit on in a dignified way:</div>
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You have to jump pretty high to get up on this thing, and then your legs dangle ... </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjihqzGQ4xRF6b4SC62Mi3k3DLZY5yjHBomNsqXK1iuQieE30zRJxbryNBCUXZvMQnm7d5BeMvUgTQ6ExmsSJzeyx4TVPbLKwBY9RZbK78nm2GwSz1f8Es6OA_clHFvVmZgq5eapZv2g0c/s1600/S5005057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjihqzGQ4xRF6b4SC62Mi3k3DLZY5yjHBomNsqXK1iuQieE30zRJxbryNBCUXZvMQnm7d5BeMvUgTQ6ExmsSJzeyx4TVPbLKwBY9RZbK78nm2GwSz1f8Es6OA_clHFvVmZgq5eapZv2g0c/s400/S5005057.JPG" width="400" yda="true" /></a></div>
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If you look carefully, you can see that the wall is actually <strong><em><u>slanted in the wrong direction</u></em></strong> for anyone who might actually want to sit on it while facing the play area ... There <em>are</em> some benches not too far away, but <strong><em><u>the wall serves as a barrier</u></em></strong> between them and the play area, meaning that a mother/caregiver who wants to keep a close eye on children using the play equipment (and step in quickly to intervene where necessary) would <strong><em><u>not</u></em></strong> feel comfortable using the benches.</div>
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There is a problem in Jerusalem these days with excessive wall-building. I don't mean in a political sense (that's far beyond my purview), but in an urbanist sense. I point this out regarding another, brand-new playground that is <a href="http://jlmsnouthouse.blogspot.com/2011/05/tomb-with-view.html">effectively ruined by its surrounding wall</a>, and regarding the city's <a href="http://jlmsnouthouse.blogspot.com/2011/05/walls-and-values.html">newer residential construction</a>. Just because it's made of Jerusalem stone doesn't mean it belongs there! There's more to urban design than putting up walls! </div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Multiple uses within the park</span></strong>: Gan HaAgvaniya is definitely a mixed-use kind of place. It boasts:</div>
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<strong><em>Several different play area</em>s</strong> that are <strong><u>distinct yet visible and easily accessible to each</u> o</strong>ther (a plus for caregivers watching several children of varying ages);</div>
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Well-developed, multiple <em><strong>shrubbery areas</strong></em> where kids can interact with the natural world;</div>
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A <em><strong>circular path</strong></em> for scootering, etc.;</div>
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Some <em><strong>open lawn space</strong></em>:</div>
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<em><strong>Rocks and stones for climbing</strong></em>;</div>
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There is an adjacent <em><strong>empty lot</strong></em> (in Old Katamon! -- surely constituting some of the most valuable real estate on the planet) where more adventurous children can explore:</div>
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The park's immediate proximity to a school and a bus stop, and its relative proximity to some shopping areas, make it a <em><strong>pass-through place</strong></em>. Although it is bounded along much of the "tomato" perimeter by residential buildings, with a buffer of shrubbery and mature trees, this boundary is actually quite permeable. All the locals seem to know where the park border's unofficial "transit points" are, and utilize them as shortcuts.<br />
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Gan HaAgvaniya fits my mantra: <em>a good park should be different things to different people, and different things to the same people on different occasions</em>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="HaLamed-Heh" st.="st."><a href="http://www.blogger.com/" name="beyond-the-park"></a><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Beyond the park</span></strong>: <em><strong>Kovshei Katamon and HaLamed-Heh streets</strong></em></a><br />
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Although I have reviewed three other playgrounds so far in the enchanted Old Katamon-German-Colony-Baka triangle, it is Gan HaAgvaniya and its surrounding streets that conjure up memories of my <em><a href="http://blogmidrash.wordpress.com/2009/09/26/the-katamon-bitza-or-the-singles-scene-an-introduction/">bitza</a></em> past with a Proustian palpability. This is subjective, I know. I'm sure other Katamon refugees have their own involuntary-memory triggers. <br />
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As you leave Gan HaAgvaniya and head up Kovshei Katamon in the direction of HaLamed-Heh, you see some pretty typical Katamon architecture: <br />
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The above building is not an especially fancy one, just a normal stone-faced residential structure that exemplifies what life was like in Jerusalem before the current nightmare of minimum parking requirements. Note that there is indeed some parking space at ground level, under the building proper and directly in front of it. Note also, however, that the area in front of the building is left open, meaning that the structure's overall human scale remains intact. Yes, there's a car parked there, but there's also a bit of shrubbery; you can see the balconies and windows of the lower floors; if you pass by at night you have a reassuring sense of human activity in the area. This is in contrast to the <a href="http://jlmsnouthouse.blogspot.com/2010/12/jerusalem-snout-houses.html">snout houses</a> that have become all the rage in Jerusalem over the last two decades -- buildings with large, enclosed garages that protrude from the building facades and create a sense of desolation at street level. A few of these devils appear a little farther up, when we turn the corner onto HaLamed-Heh Street. I will point them out to you, don't worry.<br />
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Another undistinguished, but human-scaled and therefore attractive apartment building:<br />
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The Kovshei-Katamon--HaLamed-Heh intersection:<br />
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The corner building is Yakar, the well-known synagogue and epicenter of my <em>bitza</em> memories. To point up the connection with Gan HaAgvaniya, I used to duck out from Yakar to the park on Yom Kippur for a catnap between mussaf and mincha -- the ten minutes or so that were left after the endlessly drawn-out (but beautifully harmonized!) davening. Now, I do like trees and shrubbery but I think they've gone a bit overboard. I'd like to see more <em>building</em> here.<br />
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Turning left onto HaLamed-Heh, one finds an interesting mixed-use street marked by attractive older architecture and, unfortunately, some terrible recent construction.<br />
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One lovely old building serves as a residence ...</div>
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... while its next-door neighbor houses a bank:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGfhi1kitNhItnP6bG0LgW1PAPMnPUUf-x0YbDZbYFupKvjtv9ZSrSQq42NtXSXqA_2AhIWK_10whAnQUXPVyzp126InK3TyJKNAVH5voWzo5ioTZ-t24stOccHx4zjFhsmqf_nWaGvzM/s1600/DSCF1170.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" lda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGfhi1kitNhItnP6bG0LgW1PAPMnPUUf-x0YbDZbYFupKvjtv9ZSrSQq42NtXSXqA_2AhIWK_10whAnQUXPVyzp126InK3TyJKNAVH5voWzo5ioTZ-t24stOccHx4zjFhsmqf_nWaGvzM/s400/DSCF1170.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Kos Shel Bracha wine shop (I'll try to get another picture of the place sometime when it's open). <br />
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Below: the only store selling religious Jewish books on this side of town. Since they have a local monopoly, why do the proprietors of <strong>Havruta </strong>feel it's necessary to advertise themselves all over Jerusalem on those ugly municipal ad installations?</div>
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But it <em>is</em> a great store (though not very stroller-accessible), with a good children's section (including English books) and attractive Judaica:</div>
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Ah, here we come to it. The original Jerusalem snout houses, circa mid-1990s -- the start of a plague. The cavernous garage entrances, like giant yawns in the middle of an otherwise pleasant and human-scaled street:</div>
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The interesting and rather hopeful thing that characterizes this snout-house setup on HaLamed-Heh St. is that the garages alternate with commercial spaces: a minimarket and a branch of the Lechem Shel Tomer bakery/restaurant chain:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the menu: "orange" soup, kumquat confiture (marmalade?), "outstanding" hamantaschen ...</td></tr>
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Whether the minimarket and bakery/cafe occupy spaces that were originally planned for commercial use, or converted from garage spaces, I don't know. The minimarket guy hadn't been there long enough to tell me ... But the sight of this garage/commercial mix does give one hope that many of Jerusalem's snouthouses will someday be retrofitted for shops and restaurants, offices, small groundfloor apartments ... thereby creating viable streetscapes, rather than depressing garage-scapes. </div>
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Farther down the street there's another cafe and a greengrocer ... but the little one was getting impatient in her stroller. Also, she was filthy, having removed her shoes and socks (this in mid-February) for a more "feet-on" sandbox experience at Gan HaAgvaniya:</div>
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Bath time!</div>
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Julie@walkablejlmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17457867529399394774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131109057897232296.post-3526183439198368912012-01-17T22:53:00.000-08:002012-08-29T13:53:03.352-07:00Density without walkability in Jerusalem -- a problem of the past, or an ongoing one? <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <i>Unholyland</i>, via Wikipedia (Adiel Lo)</td></tr>
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Michael Lewyn, an American law professor who writes extensively about urban issues, <a href="http://www.planetizen.com/node/53467">blogged recently</a> at Planetizen about -- of all places -- the <a href="http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/jerusalem-real-estate-scandal-topples-giants-buildings-remain-standing.html">scandalous</a> Holyland project, where he happened to stay during a vacation week in Jerusalem.<br />
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Refreshingly, Lewyn bypasses the issue of how those giant-towers-perched-on-a-cliff look to the rest of the city -- the visual affront that most Jerusalemites are all too aware of. Instead, he directly addresses a more pervasive and insidious issue, one that is not on most local residents' radar screen: <em><strong>the striking lack of walkability in newer Jerusalem neighborhoods planned for maximum density</strong></em>.<br />
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Lewyn is clearly surprised to find that a "pretty dense neighborhood in a pretty dense city [...] may be more confusing to navigate, and separate uses more aggressively, than some sprawling suburbs." He notes the Holyland area's problematic topography, which would have made a grid layout hard to implement; but he also points out that San Francisco, among other places, manages to be walkable despite its hills.<br />
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It is bracing to see a visitor to the city hone in on so glaring a problem, precisely in a part of town that most Jerusalemites think of as exclusive. Although a failure to address topography or to strive for walkability has always been pretty much par for the course in the city's more middle-class "ring" neighborhoods, it's sad to be reminded that the <em><strong>elite </strong></em>Holyland project -- a neighborhood that, while not exactly in the city center, hardly qualifies as "peripheral" by Jerusalem standards -- did not elicit a higher degree of planning competence.<br />
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It's tempting to regard Holyland as a dinosaur, the last relic of an era when Jerusalem's planning cadre could conceive of no greater neighborhood amenity than a <strong><em>quasi-private exit ramp directly onto the Menachem Begin Boulevard (highway)</em> </strong>that connects north and south Jerusalem. It's also tempting to regard Holyland as merely the product of a corrupt political system. It's tempting, but one should resist the temptation and recognize that such a project could never have been erected had there been anything like a local public norm for either aesthetics or walkability. There were no such norms during the 1990s, when Holyland was planned, and I submit that even today, with a more "enlightened" and "transparent" municipal administration in place, there is no level of urbanist awareness that would ensure the walkability of new developments in Jerusalem -- except, perhaps, in certain choice areas.<br />
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"Density" has become a big catchword in Israel, and "high-rise construction" is being touted as the way to achieve it. Just last week a major Israeli newspaper's finance supplement devoted a lengthy article to the issue of high-rise construction <span style="font-size: 85%;">("פחד גבהים", "Fear of Heights," <em>Makor Rishon -- Kalkala</em>, issue 753, 13 January 2012 -- apparently unavailable online</span>). Though pointing out that high-rise residential construction has yet to become popular in Israel, the author, Gavriel Wolfson, presents it as unequivocably desirable. One "expert" whom he quotes, Dr. Rina Degani, asserts that if it were up to her, she would "cease issuing authorizations for low-rise construction;" another "expert," Yisrael David (Israel's representative to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat) dishes up the quasi-green argument that "there is more room around tall buildings for public spaces such as gardens, parks and children's playgrounds." Both of these statements reflect a discouraging lack of sophistication in the embrace of urbanist concepts.<br />
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The idea that residential towers are the sole key to efficient land use in land-poor Israel has been challenged from multiple angles by Ami Ran in an article in <em>Architecture of Israel Quarterly </em>(<span style="font-size: 85%;"><a href="http://www.aiq.co.il/su_article.php?id=81&num=95&lang=eng">click here</a> for a rather primitive English translation; the original Hebrew is </span><a href="http://www.aiq.co.il/su_article.php?id=81&num=95&lang=heb"><span style="font-size: 85%;">here</span></a>). Ran points out, among other things, that the old low-rise Kerem HaTeimanim neighborhood is three times denser than Tel Aviv's "modernist White City" area, and that Tel Aviv's overall density (7000 per square km) is less than half that of "satellite towns" Bat Yam and Givatayim. While he feels that high-rise is the right way to go for commercial uses, he is skeptical about residential towers: "Although it is numerically possible to place a greater amount of residential units on a certain plot, it will ultimately be at the expense of the environment. The larger spaces needed between the high buildings break up the continuum of the city with its variety of urban activities." This latter point essentially refutes Yisrael David's specious "tower in the park" argument in the <em>Makor Rishon</em> article. "More room around tall buildings for public spaces" -- many would counter that this translates into isolated towers that do not integrate into any viable urban fabric, and that the "public spaces" surrounding them tend to be sterile and/or not family-friendly (you can't very well keep an eye on your kids from the 27th floor).<br />
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The election, in 2008, of a young and dynamic Nir Barkat as Jerusalem's mayor is generally though to have heralded a new era in local urbanism. Sustainability activist Naomi Tsur, an outspoken critic of Israeli suburban sprawl, holds the municipal planning and environment portfolios and serves as deputy mayor. There is much talk about <em><strong>densifying </strong></em>the city, but any actual concern for <strong><em>walkability </em></strong>seems to begin and end with the transformation of downtown Jerusalem into a large, rather sanitized and elitist, pedestrian mall. The existing mainly-residential neighborhoods are <a href="http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4131088,00.html">slated for "densification,"</a> but little attention is being paid (again, excepting a few select neighborhoods) to what the new projects expected to produce this densification actually look like and how they will be contributing to the urban fabric.<br />
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The tower-in-the-park idea doesn't seem to be as popular around here as that of the <strong><em>quasi-gated community</em></strong>. I say quasi-gated because the projects to which I'm referring are not actually gated, but they turn their backs to the street and detach themselves from their host neighborhoods in a manner reminiscent of gated communities.<br />
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An early example of the quasi-gated community in Jerusalem is the Ganei Katamon project from the early-mid 1990s, in which a cluster of 4-storey apartment buildings surrounds a large inner courtyard. The courtyard is really open to anyone -- there is no "security" to keep people out -- and could thus arguably be considered a neighborhood asset; but most passersby, intimidated by the project's surrounding walls, would probably never think to enter it. From outside the project, greenery spilling over the formidable stone walls softens the visual impact, but doesn't counteract an overall effect of removing human life and vitality from the street. Note the cavernous garage entrance:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7zxu-jGTfHB1ObcYiUgt2A6hceV6hLUw8reIZ_japdv_heRN6Z0vS-8xMrVbkw8sK4hwhBrjoj63GlANSYNuJdO7_9UBV8N1Fetc1En-lVS7C0JFYWxkeYNAySSZXKRVRJ30br2mOw2Y/s1600/DSCF1028.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698611108967085698" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7zxu-jGTfHB1ObcYiUgt2A6hceV6hLUw8reIZ_japdv_heRN6Z0vS-8xMrVbkw8sK4hwhBrjoj63GlANSYNuJdO7_9UBV8N1Fetc1En-lVS7C0JFYWxkeYNAySSZXKRVRJ30br2mOw2Y/s400/DSCF1028.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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A more recent project, one still partly under construction, is <a href="http://www.ganei-zion.co.il/Eng/Index.asp">Ganei Zion </a>in the gentrifying Katamonim neighborhood (bordering the more upscale San Simon area). This project consists of four 6-8 storey buildings and a residential tower surrounding a "private park." The outside of the project presents a fortress-like view to the surrounding neighborhood of modest low-rise buildings:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHPD2_aL8-fdS5wlylBfGusy2D9-wDDKV5XSHrtPsjQMilJtp9fDVVsiWPDuOnJenzL6MVADwCkFan8vwcFJhO02McJXegUABSYrJ4CFkv1r9Dv4wjbQrbVlJfxB6zhAqZ6QMmsMLG6Y/s1600/DSCF1034.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698613326097538338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHPD2_aL8-fdS5wlylBfGusy2D9-wDDKV5XSHrtPsjQMilJtp9fDVVsiWPDuOnJenzL6MVADwCkFan8vwcFJhO02McJXegUABSYrJ4CFkv1r9Dv4wjbQrbVlJfxB6zhAqZ6QMmsMLG6Y/s400/DSCF1034.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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It's possible that a project this unattractive at street-level could no longer fly in the Katamonim, due to <a href="http://www.saf.co.il/noa/new_4117">opposition by vocal residents</a> and to the existence of a <a href="http://212.143.213.27/tuchnun/gilo.pdf">master plan</a> for the neighborhood that, while indeed recommending densification (primarily by adding floors to existing buildings), also stipulates certain design features relating to building facades and wall heights, apparently aimed at preventing any more Ganei Zions. Whether this master plan is actually being implemented, and street-hostile projects thereby prevented, I couldn't say. It's worth noting, though, that the local activism and the master plan reflect the Katamonim neighborhood's privileged status: it is relatively central, it is close to more upscale neighborhoods, and it already houses a critical mass of "gentrifyers."<br />
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Residents of Ganei Katamon and Ganei Zion can enjoy a walkable lifestyle thanks to the overall human-scaled character of the neighborhoods in which they are situated, and their proximity to commercial hubs. However, should a critical mass of street-hostile projects eventually be reached in places like Katamon and the German Colony, the street environment and, at least to some degree, the <em><strong>walkability </strong></em>of these areas might well be compromised.<br />
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The situation worsens considerably when we look at projects currently in the planning/construction stages in more <em><strong>peripheral areas that are less walkable overall</strong></em> -- i.e., that are characterized internally by a separation of uses and/or are distant from the city center or any secondary commercial hub:<br />
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<a href="http://www.h-zaken.co.il/projects_yaniv_overview.shtml">Ahuzat Yaniv </a>or Yaniv Estate, a new project under construction by the Haim Zaken firm on an isolated parcel near the eastern entrance to Gilo, is yet another quasi-gated complex that has nothing to do with anything currently in its vicinity (there isn't much), and has little potential to be integrated into any kind of human-scaled urban fabric in the future. A cluster of 8-story apartment buildings surrounding an internal park, it is acually open on one side; but it's not at all clear that that open side will eventually be part of a built-up streetscape featuring additional residential and/or commercial buildings. In any case, the project, to judge from the <a href="http://www.h-zaken.co.il/projects_yaniv_gallery.shtml">simulation gallery</a> provided by the developer, will have, on its three other sides, that same walled-in look that characterizes Ganei Katamon and Ganei Zion.<br />
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(It's worth noting that Gilo's <a href="http://212.143.213.27/tuchnun/gilo.pdf">master plan</a> is by no means as detailed as that of the Katamonim, and gives little impression of being informed by a walkability ethos. A class issue?)<br />
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Another project that is in the early stages of construction, this one on the outskirts of the Arnona neighborhood: <a href="http://www.shbn.co.il/Projects/%D7%97%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%AA_%D7%A8%D7%9E%D7%AA_%D7%A8%D7%97%D7%9C.aspx">Chalomot Ramat Rachel</a>, by the Shikun Ubinui company. Planned to border a <em>wadi </em>(a dry riverbed or valley), the project features ... (surprise!) a <strong><em>private</em></strong> open green area on the wadi side, complete with benches, play equipment, and unobstructed "breathtaking view". The other side of the project -- what one might expect to become the street-fronting side, if the surrounding area ever develops enough to create an actual street -- is completely taken up by a garage that juts far, far out in front of the building proper, as well as an open parking area on top of said garage. The project's promotional video focuses, naturally, on the "back-side" of the project, the part facing the wadi; the hideous garage-as-building-facade is barely shown; you can glimpse it between 1:45-1:48 of the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SkrDUBzG_Y&feature=player_embedded&noredirect=1">video</a>.<br />
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So, what we currently have in the way of urban infill/densification here in Jerusalem may well be increasing the city's number of human inhabitants per square kilometer, but it is doubtful whether any other worthwhile urban goal is being advanced.<br />
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Before I conclude, a few more words about walkability in the <strong><em>topographic </em></strong>context alluded to by Lewyn in his blog post:<br />
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It's worth noting that Holyland Park residents, cushioned by their direct access to Begin Boulevard and representing, as a group, a certain kind of lifestyle choice, probably don't notice that their neighborhood suffers from a "walkability deficit." The hilly terrain very likely doesn't bother them; they have their much-vaunted view of the city (Holyland Park is one of the few places in Jerusalem where a view of the city doesn't include ... Holyland Park), and, one presumes, are perfectly happy to get around by car.<br />
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The topography issue that Lewyn brings up in a somewhat offhand way is actually much more meaningful for Jerusalem's <em><strong>peripheral </strong></em>neighborhoods, which house a large proportion of the city's young working families. While the average resident of Holyland Park probably doesn't have to worry about getting a toddler to kindergarten in the morning, and therefore faces no logistical problems involving strollers and inclines, the average resident of Pisgat Ze'ev or Har Homa has to take relative altitude into account when deciding on a daycare framework for his/her child -- or be prepared to transport the child by car over heartbreakingly short distances.<br />
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Consider the following photo from Har Homa (planned during the late 1990s, around the same time as Holyland Park):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaqUAoZDdicSeTx_EuPaIviEMSlet0yOCifiz095HMMZxyXpne3tfr9UOryyMkUUNl5WQNF9mvw6ShzdzNtIj8UkMLQnoWegpx-eOg8aPZlXASEXNe8Y0TCulfKNL4lfVJZbyjYKchcXY/s1600/S5003326.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695181770892105010" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaqUAoZDdicSeTx_EuPaIviEMSlet0yOCifiz095HMMZxyXpne3tfr9UOryyMkUUNl5WQNF9mvw6ShzdzNtIj8UkMLQnoWegpx-eOg8aPZlXASEXNe8Y0TCulfKNL4lfVJZbyjYKchcXY/s400/S5003326.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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The view in the above photo is from from Sol Liptzin Street down to Rav Yitzhak Nissim, the street that runs directly parallel to it -- i.e., <strong><em>just one street over</em></strong>. Both of these streets are extremely long and circular, that is, they loop around the steep hill on which the neighborhood is built, and <strong><em>connect only via long, long staircases</em></strong> such as this one. Clearly, you can't pull a stroller up such a staircase (well, I have done it, but don't recommend it). Anyone whose mobility is suboptimal -- i.e., not just people who use wheelchairs, but relatively healthy elderly citizens who get around other parts of the city with little trouble -- would be out of luck here.<br />
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Clearly, no attempt was made by planners to solve any of the problems posed by the new neighborhood's hilly terrain; rather, it was assumed that residents would get around by car. After all, the developers who built the place were required to allocate 1.5 covered parking spaces per residential unit, making the neighborhood into something like a gigantic automobile storage facility:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibSDMJbMvBdUfrgJkRujUFlr1Axw-C6PpxPDChGRhJySq_fW1_VnF6OxQP3JQiiS4ILy4odoMXhB0W7EwyFVNXLRutuihSjZg1_5Xtw5IjcLv4fbBi5pQIg76cfHIRr5nB4Kt_fRtY5nA/s1600/S5003329.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695912454232108674" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibSDMJbMvBdUfrgJkRujUFlr1Axw-C6PpxPDChGRhJySq_fW1_VnF6OxQP3JQiiS4ILy4odoMXhB0W7EwyFVNXLRutuihSjZg1_5Xtw5IjcLv4fbBi5pQIg76cfHIRr5nB4Kt_fRtY5nA/s400/S5003329.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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Har Homa was indeed planned for maximum human density: there are no single-family homes there, just apartment buildings with little or no space between them. Unfortunately, the neighborhood was also planned for maximum <em><strong>car </strong></em>density, as reflected in a fully-autocentric streetscape of front-facing garages. I wrote about the Jerusalem snout house phenomenon <a href="http://jlmsnouthouse.blogspot.com/2010/12/jerusalem-snout-houses.html">here</a> and <a href="http://jlmsnouthouse.blogspot.com/2010/12/jerusalem-snout-houses-part-2.html">here</a>; I will not belabor the issue at present, except to point out that when you expect everyone to get around by car, you don't make an effort in the direction of walkability, but simply <em><strong>build with the car in mind</strong></em>. And when the neighborhood is planned around the car, making for an unpleasant visual environment (in addition to a difficult natural topography), you don't want to walk around too much anyway.<br />
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Jerusalem doesn't need more talk about densification, or any more construction projects that deliver densification in the absence of more meaningful urban values, first and foremost walkability. What Jerusalem does need is widespread public awareness of what makes a street environment pleasant, and a neighborhood walkable -- and architectural/planning norms that reflect such an awareness. Difficult issues need to be confronted, such as the desirability of minimum parking requirements, how best to address problems posed by topography, and whether enclosed, "quasi-gated" projects are good for city neighborhoods. Public norms need to emerge that make designing for walkability a no-brain proposition. Then it won't be necessary to chase down corrupt politicians after problematic developments have already been constructed.Julie@walkablejlmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17457867529399394774noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131109057897232296.post-24726118900380316362012-01-04T01:40:00.000-08:002012-01-25T02:35:06.840-08:00Pini's Room<div align="left">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphHrN69nlh3xDf0pvvZDp8urteIIlcAnEJvJimxApKM3kjsWgWNPBBYL2ke8PsTrbBWJDf9o0EuSYYd6cwuNZeRtp5iE5XvfW5-AYn5ZqJxE2n8p4eQM3Lglahh_rdoGa6z6oItuWcxI/s1600/DSC00242.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694116169378047026" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphHrN69nlh3xDf0pvvZDp8urteIIlcAnEJvJimxApKM3kjsWgWNPBBYL2ke8PsTrbBWJDf9o0EuSYYd6cwuNZeRtp5iE5XvfW5-AYn5ZqJxE2n8p4eQM3Lglahh_rdoGa6z6oItuWcxI/s320/DSC00242.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 240px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a>The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo is an obvious destination for Israeli families during school vacations, even for those who live outside Jerusalem; for Jerusalemites, all the more so. We're lucky to live just a few minutes' drive from the Zoo, and we spend a lot of time there throughout the year; our family subscription, pricey though it is, is one of our more worthwhile annual expenditures. When we enter the Zoo gates it's like walking into an extension of our backyard -- albeit a better-tended extension.<br />
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Yet however often we go there, we seem to discover the Zoo afresh every single time -- sort of like finding something new each year in the same Torah portions we read last year ... This Hanukkah we got to see a little corner of the Zoo that we had never had an opportunity to visit before -- one that isn't on most people's Zoo itinerary. In fact it doesn't have regular opening hours; getting into it is kind of hit or miss, unless you happen to speak in advance with the individual who's in charge of it, and for whom it was named.<br />
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The place I'm referring to is Pini's Room -- <em>Cheder Pini </em>-- "Pini" being Pinchas Amitai, the well-known zoologist, expert on all things that crawl, swarm or buzz, and prolific author of books with titles like <em>Scorpions!</em> and <em>Life Beneath the Rocks</em>.<br />
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Prof. Amitai (I guess I'm too American to feel comfortable with Pini or Pinye, as he is widely known) has produced numerous works on Israeli wildlife, including a youth-oriented guide to the local insect world that makes a great Hanukkah or birthday present for the child so inclined. But in Jerusalem he is more than just a famous author; he is a colorful figure on the city scene, legendary for his hospitality toward the many children who come knocking on the door of his Bayit VeGan home in quest of "walking sticks." (For a cute <em>Haaretz </em>profile of the Professor and his walking sticks, <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/culture/arts-leisure/but-can-it-play-fetch-1.7476">click here</a>). Prof. Amitai not only supplies his young callers with the spindly creatures, but also provides detailed explanations about how to care for these and other animals. Endlessly patient and eager to transmit his love of the natural world to children, he treats his visitors to tours of his home and garden, introducing them to the exotic creatures that populate the myriad jars, boxes and aquariums scattered throughout.<br />
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My boys have visited Prof. Amitai once at his home -- a memorable occasion and one which they are clamoring to repeat. (DS#1 blogged about it <a href="http://tevadavid.blogspot.com/2011/09/blog-post.html">here</a> -- in Hebrew.) But somehow it never seems to work out on those hectic weekday afternoons. A visit to Cheder Pini at the Zoo during Hanukkah seemed like a good interim compromise -- we were going to the Zoo anyway and I could occupy the toddler in the adjacent play area. A phone call to the Professor confirmed that he would be there sometime during the course of Friday morning ... so off we went.<br />
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Cheder Pini, located near the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo's petting zoo and playground, is really a microcosm of Prof. Amitai's home collection. It was donated by him and he maintains it himself, often picking leaves of various kinds to feed the room's many little occupants as he walks from his home to the Zoo -- a very long walk.<br />
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As I noted above, Cheder Pini is open only intermittently, that is, when Prof. Amitai happens to be there. However, while he is there he is a most attentive host. On this particular occasion my boys spotted him, unassumingly attired in his "Zoo Volunteer" shirt, as he entered the playground area on his way to the Room (we had been waiting for him for a while). We followed him in after he unlocked the door, and he made sure that we left the door open so that others could come in as well, which they did.<br />
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As my two year old wasn't too keen on hanging out in a not-large room full of cages and aquariums that were too high for her to comfortably peer into, I only stayed in the room long enough to snap a few photos (the boys remained for quite a while afterward). Unfortunately our "real" camera recently died, leaving me with only a phone camera for the time being. The limitations of that latter device, coupled with the difficulty of managing the little one, made for some pretty awful pictures. I'm posting below a few of the more presentable ones:<br />
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The Professor and his avid students:</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJv1cg5a53-ORfdPOJ_lrzFizlukqjY9FdcEBqYTK6FVeqZG0ofjIMnKsh8CRmjv-Yj2HwnbGIu1SiX_ljuUpI-fdA18f2RIuaU6-B8fV3w1pe3NNVCrNLQM-3eOtJLifIgkpKMBAFqzY/s1600/DSC00284.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694120246960015650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJv1cg5a53-ORfdPOJ_lrzFizlukqjY9FdcEBqYTK6FVeqZG0ofjIMnKsh8CRmjv-Yj2HwnbGIu1SiX_ljuUpI-fdA18f2RIuaU6-B8fV3w1pe3NNVCrNLQM-3eOtJLifIgkpKMBAFqzY/s400/DSC00284.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /> </a><br /><br />Well-camouflaged grasshoppers: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj46-3zc8lw26IbJahNkoDaUJmeRTsTAwE4amNihIVy77dqxDyLPAPgVt_HKxLpbQFgUZ3SiLq0yeejj6OzBLxTt4mrNgkS_KUun-JsQJQmCYCIQ-j70f7eyW2c_lkHg5JXJ1O_3Q4ItNE/s1600/DSC00283.JPG"></a><br />
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DS#1 with some choice walking-stick specimens (which he got to take home):<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNMTBEK50Pag5Ey02OTUo9Fq0fnF5dRG5GpNHoEv7z4KlYmE-L8HVP0zDRF3d6xMwSVK5BSFk0RHYYFt7ZLF49YvQNUCDtjELV0hylPBS1SW6OJiqGdoH6zXXMBgBHKQuD8AVgdajs6hs/s1600/DSC00288.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694121028077890482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNMTBEK50Pag5Ey02OTUo9Fq0fnF5dRG5GpNHoEv7z4KlYmE-L8HVP0zDRF3d6xMwSVK5BSFk0RHYYFt7ZLF49YvQNUCDtjELV0hylPBS1SW6OJiqGdoH6zXXMBgBHKQuD8AVgdajs6hs/s400/DSC00288.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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A poisonous centipede:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvAagipgR2zxgyj1Xh2mfWJXdlZ3hDpi11WzuhLufeZhsxsZHsEsso9M5ee-Mf8H5g23ZMVHk9WsY6TYdIJQtGTn4Dl53QjpNBf-89bte1u1ULoE31_FINSQNIfwNfwXTPIa7JBzNPiNM/s1600/DSC00291.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694121462400686850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvAagipgR2zxgyj1Xh2mfWJXdlZ3hDpi11WzuhLufeZhsxsZHsEsso9M5ee-Mf8H5g23ZMVHk9WsY6TYdIJQtGTn4Dl53QjpNBf-89bte1u1ULoE31_FINSQNIfwNfwXTPIa7JBzNPiNM/s400/DSC00291.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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The fearless Professor picking up the poisonous centipede:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSa-awJGz2DhMOq04cW9N-4Vsb-8Y-evJuPnie9H57nJOQWeYopTFyr-7fki8stVmKmc-4SsXH2BAKCCiKvVImnc14F-gIlcoAn4HTTaR0ercJTc3BMHpcXBtmXXvXbEdYr97hFPu8NHY/s1600/DSC00294.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694121863554532626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSa-awJGz2DhMOq04cW9N-4Vsb-8Y-evJuPnie9H57nJOQWeYopTFyr-7fki8stVmKmc-4SsXH2BAKCCiKvVImnc14F-gIlcoAn4HTTaR0ercJTc3BMHpcXBtmXXvXbEdYr97hFPu8NHY/s400/DSC00294.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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Every mother's dream:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWmW1HXecPQH45-TFup8R0LIzOpslb4GES0IIDFowc1VWf9B1_3ZJkmAij6Wy1Bbx0a1ngNfPL8Kezt_VB5sbR23ASFctgGAXYZSjqzoOL_QkiPyiQvc5sEXmUVgdCi4Jv2yeNqqOoHY/s1600/DSC00292.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694121634559411042" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWmW1HXecPQH45-TFup8R0LIzOpslb4GES0IIDFowc1VWf9B1_3ZJkmAij6Wy1Bbx0a1ngNfPL8Kezt_VB5sbR23ASFctgGAXYZSjqzoOL_QkiPyiQvc5sEXmUVgdCi4Jv2yeNqqOoHY/s400/DSC00292.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a> <br />
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A sampling of Prof. Amitai's books on display:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_Yn_1R296MAwC2bMr1npAJBMrU1HETCTRvwmESW5bQRa6lQ2PZceStwuHzekorj0alyo9rQAbDX4nzh-tiMntKAoyL7OTkHUhVVo1RAgD7saIjchvRNbDeXGuTbfZc9Q0PPOZeu_afk/s1600/DSC00279.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694123915226402418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_Yn_1R296MAwC2bMr1npAJBMrU1HETCTRvwmESW5bQRa6lQ2PZceStwuHzekorj0alyo9rQAbDX4nzh-tiMntKAoyL7OTkHUhVVo1RAgD7saIjchvRNbDeXGuTbfZc9Q0PPOZeu_afk/s400/DSC00279.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694120623501453682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj46-3zc8lw26IbJahNkoDaUJmeRTsTAwE4amNihIVy77dqxDyLPAPgVt_HKxLpbQFgUZ3SiLq0yeejj6OzBLxTt4mrNgkS_KUun-JsQJQmCYCIQ-j70f7eyW2c_lkHg5JXJ1O_3Q4ItNE/s400/DSC00283.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" />Julie@walkablejlmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17457867529399394774noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131109057897232296.post-22317783345789147362011-11-06T12:25:00.000-08:002012-08-16T07:32:53.607-07:00Gan Gidon (Gideon Park), Baka -- Jerusalem Playground Review #3<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bsdWBkrJ9vZVYPbvmlrbfr816Uj9OU8yJ5qobst4bqx71U_FDq8krAQ_knDL9OlCCzX3amNOrWODu6F8R3D8Z5dqFcjTPKsnuLROIBKDDbNRDW2ZmyP6M_BA4aLyw1bqi4-OZxT195g/s1600/S5004672.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669990124466939314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bsdWBkrJ9vZVYPbvmlrbfr816Uj9OU8yJ5qobst4bqx71U_FDq8krAQ_knDL9OlCCzX3amNOrWODu6F8R3D8Z5dqFcjTPKsnuLROIBKDDbNRDW2ZmyP6M_BA4aLyw1bqi4-OZxT195g/s400/S5004672.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 300px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 400px;" /></a><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">Location</span></strong>: Efraim and Gidon (Gideon) Streets, Baka.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">Parking</span></strong>: It is still reasonably easy to find on-street parking along Efraim, Gidon and other nearby streets. The shady spots lining the park itself, which until a year or two ago were snaggable at all hours, now tend to be taken up by 8-8:15 am.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">Shade</span></strong>: This park is pretty shady, which is one of the reasons I use it regularly. Although not all of the play equipment is in shade at all times, much of it is shaded at any given time. Notably, <strong>the swings are in shade </strong>during the early afternoon hours -- a problematic time slot for Jerusalem playground-goers who don't want the sun beating down on their heads.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRVfKFh9zfgRuZPHclIK-VV-JJUWkIwDGAsSbNI_f7j943NrvRbVlFwlDpAtF-HIQKJLTjOpqNYT7frMhrZZw2h3ow_4op5g0pOOEeKiQrlZTWtsqBQzkHNYNMEj1_iZmCSUab3uuivs/s1600/S5004805.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669990893332817666" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRVfKFh9zfgRuZPHclIK-VV-JJUWkIwDGAsSbNI_f7j943NrvRbVlFwlDpAtF-HIQKJLTjOpqNYT7frMhrZZw2h3ow_4op5g0pOOEeKiQrlZTWtsqBQzkHNYNMEj1_iZmCSUab3uuivs/s400/S5004805.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
I have taken children here at the unthinkable hour of 1:00 pm on a summer's day, just to use the swings ... And although the slide/climbing structure is in full sun for much of the day, it actually provides shade for the sand pit in which it stands (along with some surrounding trees). The open green space is shaded to some degree at any given hour.<br />
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Even the Mom-Mobile (can you guess which one it is?) enjoys the shade.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWQLhr_R8bZtf5IFPNmqF1s-3lqqpQ5P5KGw_31eRkVSfEQ8GE7PmiX_03nk5Im3nEWj_UHENKj9JB_xlnqOoGByYSVttVxUHdb6wmkgwQJDoKXebklgDxkJbPlDjxMYU3hfLnlcjdgpc/s1600/S5004682.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670365360083341266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWQLhr_R8bZtf5IFPNmqF1s-3lqqpQ5P5KGw_31eRkVSfEQ8GE7PmiX_03nk5Im3nEWj_UHENKj9JB_xlnqOoGByYSVttVxUHdb6wmkgwQJDoKXebklgDxkJbPlDjxMYU3hfLnlcjdgpc/s400/S5004682.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">Playground equipment and features</span></strong>:<br />
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-- <em><strong>Large climbing structure</strong> </em>with sections suitable for both toddlers/preschoolers:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrcoi6Ilsd1QAfy3QAyswAQnaux3hrwqd8bkD4o8Q3bgRnfBa2iolR3gOmE1HICLQsp69eNxmCbBL3eJ9bIq8zaQmP5rPqa5F1BuUoKRase8gL06VND4WBiCTlI_kRGUD7FijwMRzR9M/s1600/S5004678.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669991716563578338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrcoi6Ilsd1QAfy3QAyswAQnaux3hrwqd8bkD4o8Q3bgRnfBa2iolR3gOmE1HICLQsp69eNxmCbBL3eJ9bIq8zaQmP5rPqa5F1BuUoKRase8gL06VND4WBiCTlI_kRGUD7FijwMRzR9M/s320/S5004678.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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and older children:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhemgZ2e-99UkNyQZxgf2T1Zd6Jhuv3ctTnWhyphenhyphencDEvb8xpNDDAmkXp1BK6wMzXrL_7qUDbWSqP6LKMcMmYnOWutfrBQEAgjJBJBva4B-ZprE-09uFdsq6Oz0IgQjWfnpmpxVB7uDe8Npqw/s1600/S5004679.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669991983950013026" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhemgZ2e-99UkNyQZxgf2T1Zd6Jhuv3ctTnWhyphenhyphencDEvb8xpNDDAmkXp1BK6wMzXrL_7qUDbWSqP6LKMcMmYnOWutfrBQEAgjJBJBva4B-ZprE-09uFdsq6Oz0IgQjWfnpmpxVB7uDe8Npqw/s320/S5004679.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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-- <em><strong>Swings</strong></em> (one toddler swing and one older-child swing). The swings are in shade from the late morning into the afternoon.<br />
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-- <em><strong>Sandbox</strong></em>. Sandboxes are a dying breed in Jerusalem; you find them only in older playgrounds -- and when such playgrounds are renovated, the sandboxes are generally removed. I guess it's a labor-intensive affair to keep them free of animal droppings, though some appear to stay cleaner than others. The Gan Gidon sandbox unfortunately tends to be dirty and smelly; on one recent Friday morning I simply had to keep my daughter out of it due to its kitty-litter ambience. Usually, though, the situation is tolerable, and in my experience the sandbox in this park is extensively used. <br />
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Sandboxes in general are not for the fainthearted mom; even when they look clean I always suspect the worst -- but I steel myself and let my kids play in them because I feel that they provide a valuable kind of sensory stimulation that other playground features/equipment don't offer. They certainly keep my little one occupied for relatively long periods of time.<br />
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I just call in the biohazard squad to decontaminate her afterwards.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRjgI6lOn24E7nUFtBL6507Pnv3H22GjWOGkhjbQCfJA-JUQdMjM9ot5FGPnF4vZpUESRmBme5v0me_5onUPPcoxKzRsx0l74TevT_bqdzkcRP2BQ2CkVb1iZo9unZ2QLRTtYElu4ebsw/s1600/S5004683.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669994494529346786" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRjgI6lOn24E7nUFtBL6507Pnv3H22GjWOGkhjbQCfJA-JUQdMjM9ot5FGPnF4vZpUESRmBme5v0me_5onUPPcoxKzRsx0l74TevT_bqdzkcRP2BQ2CkVb1iZo9unZ2QLRTtYElu4ebsw/s400/S5004683.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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-- <em><strong>Seesaw</strong></em><br />
-- <strong><em>Merry-go-round</em></strong>-- <strong><em>Spring toy</em></strong>-- <strong><em>Basketball and soccer court</em></strong><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH8WwJGvousVIC9LJdM_Upp_OSs1mILRjv2-cSHtK-7LEA1vH2Kda_szXmHLtswSe-EBvAqxU8gKtGKsHDZBp-E2xFjC_sJQDBSNG9tRT-N98Do5DjpPg6dU3crTFinzcadBCQacibxyU/s1600/S5004803.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669997608337620690" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH8WwJGvousVIC9LJdM_Upp_OSs1mILRjv2-cSHtK-7LEA1vH2Kda_szXmHLtswSe-EBvAqxU8gKtGKsHDZBp-E2xFjC_sJQDBSNG9tRT-N98Do5DjpPg6dU3crTFinzcadBCQacibxyU/s320/S5004803.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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-- <em><strong>Open green space</strong></em> (smallish), with large rocks for climbing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKaWlMKjmTt07XLQEkTZ8eYR1o1HRBrGUgkVI4CVj2m0utbBsWY4r16jVfhDo8W2duXUPXnx4OVESNpa_Nmw7dDwDJpQYU2gFLyPztyOj0aZrYcU4oRNbELXsSXd6Jb1piOB8kkbwmq-I/s1600/2011+July24+020.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670004833747023042" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKaWlMKjmTt07XLQEkTZ8eYR1o1HRBrGUgkVI4CVj2m0utbBsWY4r16jVfhDo8W2duXUPXnx4OVESNpa_Nmw7dDwDJpQYU2gFLyPztyOj0aZrYcU4oRNbELXsSXd6Jb1piOB8kkbwmq-I/s400/2011+July24+020.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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-- <strong><em>Picnic tables</em></strong><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaaOIJUoX8Xf3VHkc6DnxiaGwA6R8APtAGcvG4SWscOOk3ZZI8oM0IbjU7-C62Kxri8C52_kQUMPoNEWr5e8-aab94lO0WvbgVCGM3hAMLCAweF50khsNIkCEKcjwQyK-1CD_qS5t2ZOI/s1600/S5004674.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672887734330120162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaaOIJUoX8Xf3VHkc6DnxiaGwA6R8APtAGcvG4SWscOOk3ZZI8oM0IbjU7-C62Kxri8C52_kQUMPoNEWr5e8-aab94lO0WvbgVCGM3hAMLCAweF50khsNIkCEKcjwQyK-1CD_qS5t2ZOI/s320/S5004674.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<br />
-- The shady, tree- and shrubbery-bordered length of sidewalk along the Efraim St. side of the park is really part of the park itself, and is a good area for <em><strong>bicycling/scootering/bimba-ing</strong>.</em><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihRqopBcN1BLJMKrkaFl-5r1ZU_XxgmGx0aeEKnMpj0PsG7Hrm5lDxSxrQ3_wmlzNXuO1sXTXMhuikN0S9Kadte7PmTL3jQe1M6VPPw5kQDxO1DduU8r5_UIoM34nTLGwCsUVG-geo7uY/s1600/S5004800.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670001620147453874" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihRqopBcN1BLJMKrkaFl-5r1ZU_XxgmGx0aeEKnMpj0PsG7Hrm5lDxSxrQ3_wmlzNXuO1sXTXMhuikN0S9Kadte7PmTL3jQe1M6VPPw5kQDxO1DduU8r5_UIoM34nTLGwCsUVG-geo7uY/s400/S5004800.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">Age range</span></strong>: toddler/preschool, school-age<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnv_hSqZXXFlyGfZJ-eLAo16ztusxH-DiD1FlpA6PDCwasGMoYroY2SxwfxulOTxrDJ5CJaY5EeQ8lAmtZE1aiFq8Ub0ifQAliDDxcVg3Xyl0HffOYboBI9_tdtg4vEIuqVWbUYgoteQ/s1600/S5004994.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670361729405742594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnv_hSqZXXFlyGfZJ-eLAo16ztusxH-DiD1FlpA6PDCwasGMoYroY2SxwfxulOTxrDJ5CJaY5EeQ8lAmtZE1aiFq8Ub0ifQAliDDxcVg3Xyl0HffOYboBI9_tdtg4vEIuqVWbUYgoteQ/s320/S5004994.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: right; height: 240px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">Snack factor</span></strong>: A kiosk at the park entrance on Efraim St. sells the usual ice creams/ices, salty snacks, and drinks. The kiosk recently changed hands and now calls itself "Efraim Bar." Previously it was called "Yummy BaPark"(יאמי בפארק) -- a name that never failed to raise a smile on my lips. Beyond this, myriad eateries, groceries/minimarkets and greengrocers are available a block or two away on either Derech Beit Lechem (Bethlehem Rd.) or Emek Refaim St.<br />
<br />
The back of the kiosk has been "decorated." While I accept that graffiti can be an authentic mode of artistic expression, I'm not too fond of the pink, green and black color scheme here...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWzD2CE4JD-4ZZwU9Eh1wBxMr5Rm7whOF9b4iwMfH2zrLElK0FO6HSlcPgh7nXCwkyvTeVb0eFh_eSLcJcnog-yah86d5nF1Ddu9VqCFTDV8-UX77VkL1qi1lUyB-5y_tZIw3rX4Ud2S4/s1600/S5004801.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670366492206020130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWzD2CE4JD-4ZZwU9Eh1wBxMr5Rm7whOF9b4iwMfH2zrLElK0FO6HSlcPgh7nXCwkyvTeVb0eFh_eSLcJcnog-yah86d5nF1Ddu9VqCFTDV8-UX77VkL1qi1lUyB-5y_tZIw3rX4Ud2S4/s400/S5004801.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1eI4A3gsqldPPn-Uj2h0EUfLyw9t3h3GNCtrqYSimtQ31SJZcEp4CFIn110Y01LUdLvctF1djRCIvitehY3SNtEaKUjTqubB24J6npwNzGqMTUxX_gsBvpn4X4teire_4ztTU8m6v1Q/s1600/Oct+2011+003.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670363306571626242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1eI4A3gsqldPPn-Uj2h0EUfLyw9t3h3GNCtrqYSimtQ31SJZcEp4CFIn110Y01LUdLvctF1djRCIvitehY3SNtEaKUjTqubB24J6npwNzGqMTUxX_gsBvpn4X4teire_4ztTU8m6v1Q/s400/Oct+2011+003.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: right; height: 300px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 400px;" /></a><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">Schmooze factor</span></strong>: Gan Gidon attracts a particularly varied population of veteran Israelis, immigrants, short- and long-term visitors. On fine mornings I often see <em>metaplot </em>(family-based childcare providers) wheeling their young charges into the park in kibbutz-style wagons. I have also struck up conversations with the elegant, slender wives of American journalists stationed in Jerusalem, fresh from their cosmopolitan morning swims at the Y, slumming it with their lone toddlers in the less-than-hygienic sand pit. There are lots of French-speaking immigrants in Baka these days, so you hear that language along with the occasional Russian and ubiquitous English (Hebrew too, sometimes). Altogether Gan Gidon is a sociable little park, situated halfway between two fashionable thoroughfares; a true <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_place">"third place."</a><br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">Multiple uses within the park</span></strong>: This compact park/playground manages, within its narrow confines, to encompass quite a few different uses that complement each other and enhance the site's value as a family-oriented public space.<br />
-- <em>Play equipment </em>suited to both young and older children<br />
-- A <em>sand pit</em> that constitutes a separate attraction, distinct from the play equipment<br />
-- A <em>basketball and soccer court</em><br />
-- A <em>lawn</em> that is reasonably shady even in mid-afternoon<br />
-- <em>Picnic tables</em><br />
-- <em>Shrubbery areas </em>suitable for young children to explore and muck around in<br />
-- Adjacent <em>kiosk </em>(with seating) that fuels additional human interaction.<br />
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Bottom line: You can occupy kids here for decent amounts of time, because there are several distinct play areas/activity options. If only the sandbox were cleaner!<br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="Gidon"><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">Beyond the park: <em>a walk along Gidon (Gideon) St., Baka</em></span></strong></a><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br /></span><br />
Gidon St. provides the urbanista mom with a conveniently direct route between the two chic commercial hubs of Derech Beit Lechem (Bethlehem Rd.) and Emek Refaim St. But Gidon St. is more than just a connecting line. If you take Gan Gidon (Gideon Park) as your starting point, a walk along Gidon St. in either direction offers a kind of classic urban Jerusalem experience, in the form of residential architecture and landscaping that run the gamut in terms of style, period, and socioeconomic context.<br />
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The intersection of Gidon and Efraim features an attractive seating area:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9tbiK2OErlP3vTStly-o-u_3EG2Ak_OljTptOXQyQUP32FU1T1dsNaSnvo_wIOpvK46AFVWu1Cr9uvj5DpYQYoGmYtQW_6cs1yl5nmSXkuQXpgAqywb5faL1N5tHWXgE6BHY5xrDT_c/s1600/S5004992.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670986407448369906" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9tbiK2OErlP3vTStly-o-u_3EG2Ak_OljTptOXQyQUP32FU1T1dsNaSnvo_wIOpvK46AFVWu1Cr9uvj5DpYQYoGmYtQW_6cs1yl5nmSXkuQXpgAqywb5faL1N5tHWXgE6BHY5xrDT_c/s400/S5004992.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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Children like to walk around the stone benches surrounding these old olive trees, and (depending on age) to climb the trees themselves.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOykJfRz8dT2lw5wProHEJYh3K82_oiWQcfW6HBE9Hl2dDgauoAP9xG-7zqnfHE4nqY0tgBIOPbYOr9WGNKid28jcbRwkMS5ixPAEao9De-AEZn_BQiiVNQDeH2darzyI7OyZ-nJJab0/s1600/Oct+2011+030.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670987013160075266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOykJfRz8dT2lw5wProHEJYh3K82_oiWQcfW6HBE9Hl2dDgauoAP9xG-7zqnfHE4nqY0tgBIOPbYOr9WGNKid28jcbRwkMS5ixPAEao9De-AEZn_BQiiVNQDeH2darzyI7OyZ-nJJab0/s400/Oct+2011+030.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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The lovely flower garden adjacent to the seating area perpetuates the memory of Eli Altretz [sp.?], a painter and sculptor who was murdered by an Arab terrorist in 1990.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoYnXk5l_8DKZDYxQHM1IMP_2ih5ZJuiRshLxw6Yawk6NMVu844-lhESCve1ifuyCOEeU3AvZmjDaDzg_XtEWoXLOrN89_uWKqo2JV29UI_DEKYOUxv-CKN1x454HJq_gFqy8NXfvXCD0/s1600/Oct+2011+031.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670988653812882098" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoYnXk5l_8DKZDYxQHM1IMP_2ih5ZJuiRshLxw6Yawk6NMVu844-lhESCve1ifuyCOEeU3AvZmjDaDzg_XtEWoXLOrN89_uWKqo2JV29UI_DEKYOUxv-CKN1x454HJq_gFqy8NXfvXCD0/s400/Oct+2011+031.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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Turning eastward up Gidon in the direction of Derech Beit Lechem, one finds interesting old houses ...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAf5XRkdUX_l3WtXcbZeJzsy2-yzc5VR0RipAnp8OnI32I3fF8Q67oNKpSRTQ6EHs8u2DrnAx9YYAkNzCopjDaOywJLWYUPhaby64nCcMgDVIgD_Cg3FrEoVebiPv6n3SVUbkQdB08Kmw/s1600/Oct+2011+006.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672884540224467234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAf5XRkdUX_l3WtXcbZeJzsy2-yzc5VR0RipAnp8OnI32I3fF8Q67oNKpSRTQ6EHs8u2DrnAx9YYAkNzCopjDaOywJLWYUPhaby64nCcMgDVIgD_Cg3FrEoVebiPv6n3SVUbkQdB08Kmw/s400/Oct+2011+006.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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... newer residential buildings, and hybrids of the two:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyc5Tnn5upmsTGCtbIOFmG3hLJsXderMaE06oq0JrZO_a9MZ1mOEmNhUhe3DIoP2JpyEI9DRqATM7-Setd9-bYApIrr0CzgrS_4OqPERNdqn-5K8_PbKCDh09YWXoTmY0tuu0jO79yWc4/s1600/Oct+2011+026.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670990413456474130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyc5Tnn5upmsTGCtbIOFmG3hLJsXderMaE06oq0JrZO_a9MZ1mOEmNhUhe3DIoP2JpyEI9DRqATM7-Setd9-bYApIrr0CzgrS_4OqPERNdqn-5K8_PbKCDh09YWXoTmY0tuu0jO79yWc4/s400/Oct+2011+026.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a><br />
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I'm no expert on Jerusalem architecture (that's an education I hope to acquire when I no longer find myself spending large chunks of time in playgrounds), but when I look at the building pictured above I think, Middle East on the bottom, Bauhaus on top.<br />
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Another building that incorporates the old into the new:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKUMbQYiLR0CwU9W0AVaGwOEswTYznJ0cK2AqXoAcTTWl3kXWH1Re0f95u8n40Z33TAvQw3xZ-tMAc022HwOmdWpDZJj8mq_7aHHPNxFnDVO5K1p_FlRcPiuh_1zCm3ctlJ8vCl2lzw0/s1600/Oct+2011+022.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671099906314678994" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKUMbQYiLR0CwU9W0AVaGwOEswTYznJ0cK2AqXoAcTTWl3kXWH1Re0f95u8n40Z33TAvQw3xZ-tMAc022HwOmdWpDZJj8mq_7aHHPNxFnDVO5K1p_FlRcPiuh_1zCm3ctlJ8vCl2lzw0/s400/Oct+2011+022.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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Too bad the arched windows in the photo below (the same old-new hybrid building as the one pictured above) are mostly hidden by a high, forbidding wall.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrjnYm_wuYlo9c5qA52ApCfs_qTSFiXjwDpMUf55a_p97FmljK0CaT39qFchT9TcDpggjTT3DdneczTZcWxFHytIDbFSGB8TwY8bo17G9fvN1Z7Nlo6fPTmroHoRajNtVj1_RKb75LuI/s1600/Oct+2011+024.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671101694986368514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrjnYm_wuYlo9c5qA52ApCfs_qTSFiXjwDpMUf55a_p97FmljK0CaT39qFchT9TcDpggjTT3DdneczTZcWxFHytIDbFSGB8TwY8bo17G9fvN1Z7Nlo6fPTmroHoRajNtVj1_RKb75LuI/s400/Oct+2011+024.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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Here, one new project offers the passerby a garage-scape to look at ...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivlkKr0JorL86nROLOzb_rqQ-qTwQPYlNOMoiR8LaR-PBJGxOXCzUtaiVNtgpdua-sJcd3IW03CdnFXmsoG7MRmNK1A30rcl2A5ChIczc__udwuZAonz7xJ0VYoWO_aXbGbHPdiaSyvLI/s1600/Oct+2011+009.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671102973003831474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivlkKr0JorL86nROLOzb_rqQ-qTwQPYlNOMoiR8LaR-PBJGxOXCzUtaiVNtgpdua-sJcd3IW03CdnFXmsoG7MRmNK1A30rcl2A5ChIczc__udwuZAonz7xJ0VYoWO_aXbGbHPdiaSyvLI/s400/Oct+2011+009.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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... while on the opposite side of the street you can glimpse a beautiful garden through a chain-link fence:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdvzx2py7XxMPstP3G3qimyOopU3d2Jz4kyNDGjD4A3c2noBG_fx1jnJfl51r1zY1gagnyIcrKHHIaJA8sQRBeVQ6sDzzxOhNMgp7tvlYU2FDd4B1xQcvWLTu8mG361AG40PV8PtVK_p8/s1600/Oct+2011+016.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671103746931708146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdvzx2py7XxMPstP3G3qimyOopU3d2Jz4kyNDGjD4A3c2noBG_fx1jnJfl51r1zY1gagnyIcrKHHIaJA8sQRBeVQ6sDzzxOhNMgp7tvlYU2FDd4B1xQcvWLTu8mG361AG40PV8PtVK_p8/s400/Oct+2011+016.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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As you approach Derech Beit Lechem, Gidon Street becomes closed to vehicular traffic and narrows to a footpath:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvBX2xPC2fNC6hk03XdbMJEEU1eSbqVYcfI-AqDhy2aFqylKCQ50lvoT3OQSV1AWeJFoJPvNFIqihY0Ekf9YMGzZWfSFX01z6klttW4y4JiEgSVyIsD6xiYmYOADHipxKUAdo_7ZLpDS8/s1600/Oct+2011+007.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671104261429742802" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvBX2xPC2fNC6hk03XdbMJEEU1eSbqVYcfI-AqDhy2aFqylKCQ50lvoT3OQSV1AWeJFoJPvNFIqihY0Ekf9YMGzZWfSFX01z6klttW4y4JiEgSVyIsD6xiYmYOADHipxKUAdo_7ZLpDS8/s400/Oct+2011+007.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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New but tasteful:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj2TeHEpDV8wfFO8DMx6Rbj2tdaSu2N0hnSMkgigXU4-bK4-AAOCWEUWdY2ThHI7h-e1d93G4PvyQpaNd-Z8hFGyN05Fm14V-WpNaPcISjJsBCDF4fWz-k_73tGjjnf4CnLSpZJ_MJoX8/s1600/Oct+2011+011.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671104590578387650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj2TeHEpDV8wfFO8DMx6Rbj2tdaSu2N0hnSMkgigXU4-bK4-AAOCWEUWdY2ThHI7h-e1d93G4PvyQpaNd-Z8hFGyN05Fm14V-WpNaPcISjJsBCDF4fWz-k_73tGjjnf4CnLSpZJ_MJoX8/s400/Oct+2011+011.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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The trendiness that is Derech Beit Lechem:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqiqEun_Qro021oohGvRsfEbxt-mmdoVji0fap8inx2KgaNAP0qLTCXFb1BW9s-xIIClG5j-0nbhwsT1D8rO82pfr_53h3L-_sQ88_TYJ5oKJBwlJfnRo-zTxSlOIxer36uKIXI27yQSo/s1600/Oct+2011+017.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671105080165086738" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqiqEun_Qro021oohGvRsfEbxt-mmdoVji0fap8inx2KgaNAP0qLTCXFb1BW9s-xIIClG5j-0nbhwsT1D8rO82pfr_53h3L-_sQ88_TYJ5oKJBwlJfnRo-zTxSlOIxer36uKIXI27yQSo/s400/Oct+2011+017.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNJTVExWxpAF4Z7nbYGuGQM7eZtHJbBh8x8pwiTyTBDcgNEEf0lJggAKx-uZydJZ6GmyNkoMIDTVwCUZzQLzL3Wnn6ghPycGRgtj_PDSKyMhSEjBdXdMwfQIYdDN0Ig82UuvcGq9EnP4I/s1600/Oct+2011+018.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672885058666166578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNJTVExWxpAF4Z7nbYGuGQM7eZtHJbBh8x8pwiTyTBDcgNEEf0lJggAKx-uZydJZ6GmyNkoMIDTVwCUZzQLzL3Wnn6ghPycGRgtj_PDSKyMhSEjBdXdMwfQIYdDN0Ig82UuvcGq9EnP4I/s400/Oct+2011+018.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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Corner of Derech Beit Lechem and Esther HaMalka St. (one block down from the Derech Beit Lechem-Gidon St. intersection). The yellow awning (if I remember correctly) belongs to Siman Kriah (a.k.a. "Bookmark"), a store that sells used English-language books:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWlAuUtboyEfzgCT-pD5H2uk0FRJU1ltQRYD_Ot8nYj3E11qIf2nPc17UgU1frvEMm_vrPNduQY6fMQip3WUpDpxhl0hdBIZk2iOACSp_1EFeeXvhsvKikN2e597_ZkO_G_3YD-OAhBnk/s1600/Oct+2011+020.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672886448252130018" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWlAuUtboyEfzgCT-pD5H2uk0FRJU1ltQRYD_Ot8nYj3E11qIf2nPc17UgU1frvEMm_vrPNduQY6fMQip3WUpDpxhl0hdBIZk2iOACSp_1EFeeXvhsvKikN2e597_ZkO_G_3YD-OAhBnk/s400/Oct+2011+020.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<em><strong>Returning to the Gidon-Efraim intersection</strong></em>:<br />
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A sign exhorts us, in one official and one non-official language, to care for Jerusalem's appearance:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWTMxWXfjqhvf01MF6W2x1uh0cznb9dBAuwQgCdM4nj2iGtT04vq03ekYg7UUZXxPK_dJarZ44oMSfEo6ObpYAtxYgohKPMP1G1iyXMoKsqarucablPB_L4JeOt5HA6gotwL6yxKHu7nQ/s1600/Oct+2011+028.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671109358920828882" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWTMxWXfjqhvf01MF6W2x1uh0cznb9dBAuwQgCdM4nj2iGtT04vq03ekYg7UUZXxPK_dJarZ44oMSfEo6ObpYAtxYgohKPMP1G1iyXMoKsqarucablPB_L4JeOt5HA6gotwL6yxKHu7nQ/s400/Oct+2011+028.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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Yet just across the intersection, one finds legalized <em>street spam </em>(a.k.a. <a href="http://www.doloreshayden.com/a_field_guide_to_sprawl_37813.htm#sprawlquiz"><em>litter on a stick</em>)</a>, courtesy of the Jerusalem Municipality:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKmwt0I7Ygt3do_x44mP2a-boyAE2Ay5DkPCNFbLE6b6iPmEMxcEVJej4w65KgdIvMye2tCPGuIcHHRBix-LlQJxDtV4RrADzRyZR6RFhwwc9djj2pTsfQBhD2ueuv5jKjdEKNWrUiOgA/s1600/S5004998.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671109865938392274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKmwt0I7Ygt3do_x44mP2a-boyAE2Ay5DkPCNFbLE6b6iPmEMxcEVJej4w65KgdIvMye2tCPGuIcHHRBix-LlQJxDtV4RrADzRyZR6RFhwwc9djj2pTsfQBhD2ueuv5jKjdEKNWrUiOgA/s400/S5004998.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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The section of Gidon St. that extends from the Efraim St. intersection to Derech HaRakevet is a study in contrasts.<br />
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The even-numbered side of the street is the more upscale side, featuring attractive and well-maintained stone buildings. The odd-numbered side consists of <em>shikun </em>buildings (Israeli mass housing of the 1950s and 1960s). Some of the buildings have been refurbished, while others retain their old-style facing:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3kK7GlFeda3Y368ufhU1JNREWLh6WaN0cVhpTf1wD0FJFr2QLVQz4IyQ_avKM7T_9HA9vnHi_BBfmP9N9jlArWqvReNJc-sukHPaivxVaNqN4M7yaG7gXd7JykZRrfeDfmuZ8SAMahnc/s1600/Oct+2011+035.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671720452046892770" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3kK7GlFeda3Y368ufhU1JNREWLh6WaN0cVhpTf1wD0FJFr2QLVQz4IyQ_avKM7T_9HA9vnHi_BBfmP9N9jlArWqvReNJc-sukHPaivxVaNqN4M7yaG7gXd7JykZRrfeDfmuZ8SAMahnc/s400/Oct+2011+035.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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The location being what it is, even these less upscale buildings have their signs of gentrification, such as sleek and shiny designer doors to individual apartments -- which contrast starkly with internal courtyards that have yet to be gentrified:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJ5gVicBOKw98lbDA3i4FgIxAz6vitN3T0ad9ti6HAmTbdoZMyIVZVASWFfABhofSEC8KYgmDmiDEAOXy6w16kuurHik4rwN0G7cJp5rytKlZfO11K_FPoNRJItNVXoAeFySiu0Y2BBU/s1600/Oct+2011+034.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671721724159680722" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJ5gVicBOKw98lbDA3i4FgIxAz6vitN3T0ad9ti6HAmTbdoZMyIVZVASWFfABhofSEC8KYgmDmiDEAOXy6w16kuurHik4rwN0G7cJp5rytKlZfO11K_FPoNRJItNVXoAeFySiu0Y2BBU/s400/Oct+2011+034.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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The end of Gidon St. is picturesque:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjICO5bDElpdZxWe8SRbRxifKVwF-mCMxYnyX4_S7f7wE_vOi7sJZidBp9CtOWAT_zHpStYJnnlCE7ZnzcPULq5kzwFi2zwgUcbnl3_QncPeOL7EJwO6vWyL-d4N7XSifJxJoetnoGVw_g/s1600/Oct+2011+037.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671722893489509874" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjICO5bDElpdZxWe8SRbRxifKVwF-mCMxYnyX4_S7f7wE_vOi7sJZidBp9CtOWAT_zHpStYJnnlCE7ZnzcPULq5kzwFi2zwgUcbnl3_QncPeOL7EJwO6vWyL-d4N7XSifJxJoetnoGVw_g/s400/Oct+2011+037.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXuiBomg1ZmgjnTS12L3J5eoxqRISY7ZPEslhRS2np0bHX65Cul4MjI7az7Z0t4qFDy6HlojR3c85VqWlfabrbVrApDJc99s0WmSNO9AFPfWqYPGNAxiU3Quipi6UwGyLrpBPOsgr0U3w/s1600/Oct+2011+038.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671723069254431234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXuiBomg1ZmgjnTS12L3J5eoxqRISY7ZPEslhRS2np0bHX65Cul4MjI7az7Z0t4qFDy6HlojR3c85VqWlfabrbVrApDJc99s0WmSNO9AFPfWqYPGNAxiU3Quipi6UwGyLrpBPOsgr0U3w/s400/Oct+2011+038.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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From here you enter Derech HaRakevet, where a new park, featuring attractive greenery, walkways, bicycle and running paths, has tastefully incorporated the old Jerusalem railroad track ...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwccBZVBD5G9ssHs11oz6_Be5mZSBqwKPu0Gj00_gkqw0l773H6HUGIQNX-MYAkqRhRqaxnf4RcaqkqIfqxL5o081CGCbxs5tgQ4OOyucgXNYOPBDpsVincj2QRJ3-11dxJqOtTYSiVeI/s1600/Oct+2011+040.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671725658318570034" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwccBZVBD5G9ssHs11oz6_Be5mZSBqwKPu0Gj00_gkqw0l773H6HUGIQNX-MYAkqRhRqaxnf4RcaqkqIfqxL5o081CGCbxs5tgQ4OOyucgXNYOPBDpsVincj2QRJ3-11dxJqOtTYSiVeI/s400/Oct+2011+040.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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... proving that the Jerusalem Municipality can plan something right when it wants to. Park HaMesila is a pleasant urban space to cross on the way from Baka to Emek Refaim, and an equally pleasant destination in and of itself, for humans and their canine friends alike.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQwLY8TZTY1_5y1sGMXJwE2RdO2-vk1Tecx8mDE5CHp_wG7JP5p0FIpdbthTeP9435_DANObwJXhQMucNCBv66fUsRznsGwod9jJ9cqlzdrdm7aRaBsbpYOKE2_NkQhDur73ERGG5ZE0/s1600/Oct+2011+039.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671724312571947922" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQwLY8TZTY1_5y1sGMXJwE2RdO2-vk1Tecx8mDE5CHp_wG7JP5p0FIpdbthTeP9435_DANObwJXhQMucNCBv66fUsRznsGwod9jJ9cqlzdrdm7aRaBsbpYOKE2_NkQhDur73ERGG5ZE0/s400/Oct+2011+039.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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The new trees have some growing to do before they can give any real shade. During chol hamoed Sukkot, DH and I stood/sat mainly in the sun for half an hour while our three school-aged boys cycled happily up and down Derech HaRakevet:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zjFbu-4PtwJRN9kb-ctdxzU-w90qBEZyQbkbxBb3Hyo3MxlrZw1gK8Ih5Q2wpU7XH_NpopJrj2TrYG3t52v0f1Lyma-4MlgPUk34PUrXxJdoECAs1tHZg1mBCRlq7MExXFFTgdsUZ9Y/s1600/S5004799.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671728141013955266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zjFbu-4PtwJRN9kb-ctdxzU-w90qBEZyQbkbxBb3Hyo3MxlrZw1gK8Ih5Q2wpU7XH_NpopJrj2TrYG3t52v0f1Lyma-4MlgPUk34PUrXxJdoECAs1tHZg1mBCRlq7MExXFFTgdsUZ9Y/s400/S5004799.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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The building with the arched windows in the background was hidden from view until recently, when the area around it was cleared for a new parking lot. From an urbanist point of view, perhaps this is a net gain.<br />
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The vibrant commercial hub of Emek Refaim is just a block down.Julie@walkablejlmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17457867529399394774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131109057897232296.post-6976226210209258432011-11-04T22:46:00.000-07:002012-01-05T12:01:10.436-08:00Jerusalem Playground Reviews -- Agenda and Parameters<b>Agenda</b><br />Two main objectives motivate my effort to review Jerusalem playgrounds:<br /><br />1) To provide parents and others with information about parks and playgrounds in Jerusalem -- information that might be hard to come by in the course of their day-to-day activities.<br /><br />* <strong>With regard to local residents</strong>, the idea is to offer a glimpse of play areas throughout the city. People naturally tend to stick with what they know, with what is closest to home. But sometimes the answer to a need lies a bit farther afield. And sometimes a perfectly worthwhile solution is closer to home than one might think.<br /><br />* <strong>With regard to tourists</strong>, I thought it might be a good idea to offer information about more "heimish" or local-color playgrounds -- places that can be used as bases for exploring different neighborhoods on foot.<br /><br />2) Grandiose as it might seem, I hope to exert an influence on those involved in planning Jerusalem parks and playgrounds. Probably the main reason that I have come to explore playgrounds outside of my home neighborhood over last dozen years or so is the erosion (as I see it) of traditional standards of playground design. A failure to provide for shade (not just in immediate terms, but in the long term as well); a lack of concern for how parks/playgrounds interact with the neighborhood as a whole (isolated locations, distance from shopping, services, etc.); a disregard of visibility issues (e.g., hiding play areas behind high walls); an inappropriate separation of shrubbery and trees from playground users ... these and other issues have frustrated me over the years as I have transported my children to play areas around Jerusalem in search of shade, contact with nature, and stimulating encounters with urban life.<br /><br /><b>Review Parameters</b><br /><br />Parameters include:<br /><br /><em>Location</em> (street and neighborhood)<br /><em>Shade</em> -- IMHO, the <strong>single most important factor</strong> in determining a playground's usability during daytime hours, and one that the Jerusalem Municipality has consistently ignored in the design of its newer playgrounds.<br /><em>Play equipment</em> -- In general, Jerusalem playgrounds are rather poorly equipped by Western standards. There is little creativity and much repetitiveness. In my home neighborhood, playgrounds within a block or two of each other have virtually the same slide/tunnel structures, spring toys, etc. Even the playgrounds which I have reviewed most enthusiastically are not those with the fanciest equipment -- but I'm not sure that's such a terrible thing. One point that I try to underscore throughout these reviews is the importance of a playground's location, overall layout, multiple-use status, and interaction with the surrounding environment. Children don't need the most expensive toys available on the market -- they need environments that are stimulating.<br /><em>Age suitability</em> <br /><em>Snack factor</em> -- Although I, like many other mothers, try to bring healthy snacks or even meals (depending on the time of day) along on park outings, there are certain summer mainstays, such as ice creams and ices, that are often inconvenient to pack and schlep. Sometimes you forget stuff. Sometimes you just want to fly out the door and not pack anything. A small grocery or kiosk near the park can be a lifesaver. It can also bring more human traffic to the park, and make it a more sociable place.<br /><em>Schmooze factor</em> -- Both children and their adult escorts benefit from human interaction. Sometimes it can be pleasant to have a park/playground to yourself, but usually you want to see people. <br /><em>Multiple uses within the park</em> -- A playground with just one item of play equipment, or a number of items that are suited to a specific age range, will obviously be of limited use. Likewise, a space that contains some play equipment but offers no access to nature and no areas to explore, will not be too attractive to children or adults. Multiple uses give parks the ability to be different things to different users, or different things to the <em>same</em> user on different occasions.<br /><em>Beyond the park</em> -- Items of interest to parents and children that are within an easy walking distance from the park. Parks and playgrounds that are isolated from commercial and other land uses are less valuable than they might otherwise be -- however fancy the equipment in them.Julie@walkablejlmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17457867529399394774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131109057897232296.post-35815748901431707292011-08-25T04:21:00.000-07:002011-08-28T22:43:23.363-07:00Summertime, libraries, Brooklyn, JerusalemIt's mid-August. The kids' summer camps have long since ended. Every day is an exercise in parental ingenuity: how to keep the children occupied in a positive way. How to keep eyes off screens, grubby little fingers off keyboards.
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<br />Outdoor excursions are important in summer, at least to our family. But reading is also an activity that -- in the mind of yours truly, a former librarian -- is strongly associated with summer vacations. August, as I remember it from childhood, is <em><strong>public-library prime-time</strong></em>.
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<br />Granted, the Brooklyn of my formative years was a public-library-goer's utopia. Perhaps I was spoiled -- though I do recall a certain famous NYC fiscal crisis of the mid-1970s ("<em>Ford to City: Drop D--d</em>") in which public library hours were curtailed. But that didn't leave much of an impression.
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<br />Israel has never developed the kind of public-library culture that exists in the US. The municipal library systems here vary greatly in caliber from locality to locality, and there are no professional organizations with sufficient clout to set and enforce standards. I'm not sure why the Israeli public-library sphere has evolved so little over the years. Books certainly are expensive here -- like everything else; how Israelis have managed to obtain reading material all these decades in the absence of quality public libraries, I cannot imagine. (But then I have trouble understanding how they can afford expensive new cars, trips abroad, etc., on their Israeli salaries.)
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<br />It's worth pointing out that a neighborhood branch of a municipal public library system doesn't have to be anything grandiose. Some of my fondest Brooklyn-childhood memories are of a modest storefront library that was located around the corner from our home on East 58 St. I was sorry when it later moved a few blocks away to a new, larger building at a busy commercial intersection. The storefront library had perfectly complemented the sleepy little strip of shops around the corner from us on Ave. T: the old-style luncheonette with the swivel stools; the cool, dim grocery with its fascinating stacks of canned goods -- themselves like bookshelves in a way; the perfumey drugstore with its aisles of greeting-cards; the Chinese laundry with the honest-to-goodness Chinese family living in its back room.
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<br />The little library nestled among these stores might not have served the adults of the neighborhood very well, but from a child's perspective, it was "right-sized."
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<br />Nostalgia aside, it is worth noting that, even <strong><em>before </em></strong>a proper, dedicated library building was built to serve this part of southeast Brooklyn, the municipal library system <em><strong>recognized the need to provide services to the local taxpaying population</strong></em>. In the absence of a building, <strong>the municipality rented a store and set up a library in it</strong>, with regular opening hours. Not too difficult, right?
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<br />The Jerusalem municipality was capable, in the past, of coming up with solutions of this kind, in order to serve residents in newer neighborhoods where library buildings had yet to be built. If I'm not mistaken, both central and eastern Pisgat Ze'ev had public library branches operating on the premises of local schools, within a reasonable time frame after these areas became populated. Nothing fancy, for sure. But serviceable. Normal, convenient opening hours. Someplace to take your kids for an hour or two on a hot summer afternoon. Someplace to read a magazine, get some books.
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<br />Something happened during the Lupolianski mayoral administration. Suddenly, it became okay to disenfranchise taxpaying Jerusalemites -- to penalize them for deciding to live in the city's newer neighborhoods. Suddenly, the lack of a library building became a good excuse for simply neglecting to provide library services. Send the bookmobile in there 2-3 times a week for an hour. That'll do.
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<br />Below is the site where a public library is slated for construction, in the neighborhood of Jerusalem where I live -- Har Homa:
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-AfYY166XZXFj26gu2W1ItTn0tUDYjLTqxiIngaNW_QUTjOIMoYvHJzMjgQEogwpLTSLnOEldVHZJbePGthn2-_GNByXFETh0xBqhxrVHl2B6vCmizr8omHMgH2-LzF0kZgzWdUMdwug/s1600/S5003325.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-AfYY166XZXFj26gu2W1ItTn0tUDYjLTqxiIngaNW_QUTjOIMoYvHJzMjgQEogwpLTSLnOEldVHZJbePGthn2-_GNByXFETh0xBqhxrVHl2B6vCmizr8omHMgH2-LzF0kZgzWdUMdwug/s400/S5003325.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643965978752579746" /></a>
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<br />Plans for this site also include kindergarten buildings and a small synagogue (the neighborhood is in a perpetual state of crisis regarding both kindergarten and shul space).
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<br />The photo above was taken about half a year ago. The work has not advanced appreciably since then.
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<br />In lieu of a real library, our neighborhood's children have been served for <strong><em>nearly a decade</em></strong> now by this rather forbidding specimen of a mobile library:
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheYVce_LTzzL2jsjQHvdNVQ82CopgVUC3Pch3KAhy12qki-LpsfYWgblA2Z_YSVcadmdVIWZ8DOPamyUv7RXfG6MJ0bgV7wbjPzRFJM0qG4COzwJQY4vbmBAP_MMkdaQc9EgOrU15qNQ4/s1600/S5003919.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheYVce_LTzzL2jsjQHvdNVQ82CopgVUC3Pch3KAhy12qki-LpsfYWgblA2Z_YSVcadmdVIWZ8DOPamyUv7RXfG6MJ0bgV7wbjPzRFJM0qG4COzwJQY4vbmBAP_MMkdaQc9EgOrU15qNQ4/s400/S5003919.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643970277378287586" /></a>
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<br />For years I and my family snubbed the bookmobile. I had a "Mom-mobile" at my disposal and Baka wasn't too far away; we could get there on a weekly basis in summer, and perhaps once every six weeks during the school year. Not ideal -- certainly not <em>walkable </em>-- but it seemed pleasanter and more civilized to patronize a real (albeit modest) library every few weeks than to climb into that unventilated and unappealing little truck -- like a furnace in summer, and (so my kids claimed) reeking of cigarette smoke.
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<br />Then, a couple of summers ago, the arrival of a new baby made the trip to the Baka library less practicable. I went through the mobile library's irritating subscription process (writing out half a dozen deposit checks for a hundred shekels each, so my 3 older kids could each take out two books at a time). Of course I hardly expected the Jerusalem mobile library's circulation system to be integrated with that of the city's public library system as a whole -- seeing that the neighborhood branches themselves are not integrated as a Westerner would expect them to be: instead of having a library card that serves you at all municipal branches, you have to take out a subscription at each and every branch that you want to patronize, going through the annoying deposit-check process every single time.
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<br />So we subscribed, my kids used the mobile library a few times that summer ... then stopped once school started up again.
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<br />The mobile library comes to Har Homa only 3 times a week, for an hour or, at best, an hour and a half at a time -- somewhere between 3:30 and 5:30 pm. What this means is that a child who goes to school outside of the neighborhood (a large proportion of Har Homa's children fall into that category) and comes home at around 4:00 pm, has little chance of making it to the mobile library, after unpacking his/her day for Ima and grabbing a bite to eat. What is more, many organized after-school activities, such as martial arts or music lessons, conflict with these miserly mobile-library hours.
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<br />As things worked out, my kids were unable to make use of the Jerusalem mobile library during its operating hours in Har Homa.
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<br />What is needed, clearly, is a local library that offers services during the normal range of hours for a Jerusalem branch -- from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm, 4 or 5 afternoons a week. Whether that library is operated out of a storefront rented by the municipality, or in a caravan planted in one of the schoolyards -- that's for the <em>iriya </em>to decide.
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<br />Har Homa, for those not aware of the local demographic situation, is overwhelmingly a neighborhood of families with young children. Basically, an entire generation of children has been growing up here without library services worthy of the name. Nine years is an awfully long time for the "new neighborhood" excuse to be employed. And library service is hardly the only sphere in which that excuse is <em>being </em>employed.
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<br />Not that things are altogether rosy in Baka. To get to my summer 2011 library saga: I decided to try the mobile library again this year. Not out of any enthusiasm, but because I found out that the Baka library would be closing for <em><strong>two whole weeks</strong></em> during August.
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<br />Based on previous years' experience I had been expecting the library to close for <em>one </em>week, when the community center that houses it shuts down for "concentrated" staff vacations. One August day a few years ago I arrived in Baka with my kids expecting to pass a couple of pleasant hours in the library, only to find, along with other families that had come for the same purpose, that the library was closed for the week -- nobody had bothered to post notices beforehand. When I inquired afterward why the library had shut down for a week during the month when it was probably most needed, the librarian told me that it is unsafe to keep the library open while the community center itself is closed.
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<br />That, unfortunately, sounds like a typical Jerusalem Municipality solution -- rather than getting a security guard to stand at the entrance to the community center so the library can stay open during peak season, they just cancel services for the duration (ditto for several other Jerusalem public libraries housed within community centers).
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<br />A public library branch, even a small and poorly-equipped one, represents a considerable investment of public resources. Isn't it a <em><strong>horrible waste of resources </strong></em>for a library to shut down for even one week -- let alone two -- during the summer vacation?
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<br />In despair, I decided to try again with the mobile library. However, I had misplaced the sheet I once had detailing the bookmobile hours. I spent quite a while online trying to find the information, ultimately reaching <a href=http://www.jerusalem.muni.il/jer_sys/picture/atarim/site_form_atar.asp?site_id=8353&pic_cat=1&icon_cat=5&york_cat=8>this page </a> which lists bookmobile hours for other neighborhoods, but makes no mention of Har Homa. The mobile library does not appear on the <a href=http://www.jerusalem.muni.il/jer_main/defaultnew.asp?lng=1>list of Jerusalem public libraries</a> provided at the municipality website.
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<br />Okay, I could just have picked up the phone to the main branch at Beit Ha'Am and asked. But as it happened, the bookmobile was there one afternoon while I and a couple of my kids were walking down the street. So we climbed on in. My kids chose a few books for themselves; but when we tried to check them out, the librarian was unable to locate any record of our subscription. It's all hard-copy, you see. The index card had been lost.
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<br />I didn't have any checks on me and couldn't re-subscribe. So we left the books behind and went home. A few days later, we subscribed at the Gilo library branch (which has its own building, so it doesn't close during August). I hadn't thought of it as an option before, as I had understood the English children's book collection there to be quite minimal compared with Baka's and it's important to me that my kids read in both of their languages ... but in the end it was fine. My oldest found a <em>Hardy Boys </em> book that he had never read before, the staff displayed a heroic degree of understanding when my toddler threw a tantrum over a sippy cup that didn't belong to her, and we were able to combine the library visit with a trip to the Gilo pool next door. My only gripe: having to haul a stroller up a flight of stairs to get to the library, which was built in the days before anyone thought of <strong><em>access</em></strong>. A person who gets around in a wheelchair could not make use of the facility (and I gather that this is the case at other Jerusalem branches as well).Julie@walkablejlmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17457867529399394774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131109057897232296.post-8571801792658430482011-08-03T10:22:00.000-07:002012-08-16T07:44:01.493-07:00The Lifschitz Street Park -- Jerusalem Playground Reviews, pt. 2<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtZp4txjMRdvKQaGUGaeWMhcBzW5N9-SnX0wwuyqbyjkZLILoYRQA5ebj0A9AUF9tkpRxd7CvbeMbjo-KqXtOvuNOp_YHs37MkPDW7eyUnXob3GOXlTSjnRF5BpSRSHnzmQJpnJ32nr3c/s1600/2011+July29+021.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636683312303024818" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtZp4txjMRdvKQaGUGaeWMhcBzW5N9-SnX0wwuyqbyjkZLILoYRQA5ebj0A9AUF9tkpRxd7CvbeMbjo-KqXtOvuNOp_YHs37MkPDW7eyUnXob3GOXlTSjnRF5BpSRSHnzmQJpnJ32nr3c/s320/2011+July29+021.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 240px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<strong>Location: </strong>Access to this large Baka park/playground is via Lifschitz and Peretz Streets, and by a footpath to the side of the kindergarten building at #9 Pierre Koenig St. (the path includes a few steps).<br />
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It took years and years for me to discover this gem of a park -- and I thought I knew the area well, despite not actually being a Baka resident. Presumably anyone who lives in Baka would be familiar with the place; yet it is remarkably invisible to non-residents, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy0SM889p1br-4eyyDMT1a0lFvapSlLy4Rcv2Nz3oXXVtPt4o0cX_Bz_RITqPQ0U9wt4FUxSuTkRAhu2FbBJ2A_1TSliMtDKv2oOQFuj98YnNbruBBQsPmcI5sT7cAKAhkGEUzBfaDnX8/s1600/2011+July24+018.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636689231261084466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy0SM889p1br-4eyyDMT1a0lFvapSlLy4Rcv2Nz3oXXVtPt4o0cX_Bz_RITqPQ0U9wt4FUxSuTkRAhu2FbBJ2A_1TSliMtDKv2oOQFuj98YnNbruBBQsPmcI5sT7cAKAhkGEUzBfaDnX8/s200/2011+July24+018.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;" /></a>despite its size (large by Jerusalem standards) and open, flowing design. Somehow the park manages to be wedged between two major thoroughfares -- Rivka St. (to which Lifschitz runs directly parallel -- pictured at left) and Pierre Koenig (the main drag of the Talpiot Industrial Area) -- yet without being visible from either.<br />
Rivka and Pierre Koenig streets bustle with commercial activity, vehicular and foot traffic, yet the Lifschitz Street Park -- accessible to both via short footpaths, is a veritable oasis of greenery and calm.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGyzllaPvehK17iCGfDaz-SzWQp9_Tye_hWKiIRv1aXJWu6T5KdiqUfQXdXnTYnafRSClkT9rwZzkCC-Q3peKlU-qL7YRGSOKNYI-n-eTslmJc0SRr66CwMQW-Jm4DM28FW-svv-DAkK0/s1600/2011+July24+002.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636941399659084194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGyzllaPvehK17iCGfDaz-SzWQp9_Tye_hWKiIRv1aXJWu6T5KdiqUfQXdXnTYnafRSClkT9rwZzkCC-Q3peKlU-qL7YRGSOKNYI-n-eTslmJc0SRr66CwMQW-Jm4DM28FW-svv-DAkK0/s400/2011+July24+002.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<strong>Shade: </strong>In general, this park has abundant shade.<br />
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The <em>toddler play area </em>has sufficient shade to make it usable throughout the morning, until noon.<br />
The <em>play area for older children </em>is, unfortunately, in full sun pretty much all day -- from 10:00 am or so until 3:00 or 3:30 pm.<br />
The <em>lawns/picnic areas </em>have plenty of shade throughout the day.<br />
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<strong>Play equipment: </strong><br />
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<em>Older children: </em>The play equipment for older children includes, in addition to the swing set pictured at top, a large slide/tunnel complex.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPopC_hKzpf7IGAiDGYKrVDbxwqzPs_FTr1dKBjw7rlVSpxCyZau1Ut5YbeI69PQbRh5M3EO5SLYmvvXQmkhzkmA9HCE7R_3UgJFRAygFjkBXHACp2OIWrR5v08EGQ4nEDafDBVcfAIzM/s1600/2011+August5+001.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638416256727542834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPopC_hKzpf7IGAiDGYKrVDbxwqzPs_FTr1dKBjw7rlVSpxCyZau1Ut5YbeI69PQbRh5M3EO5SLYmvvXQmkhzkmA9HCE7R_3UgJFRAygFjkBXHACp2OIWrR5v08EGQ4nEDafDBVcfAIzM/s400/2011+August5+001.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<em>Toddlers: </em>A separate play area (on the park's lower level) includes a slide, a carousel, a running barrel, spring toys and seesaws. Nothing too fancy, just plain, old-fashioned and serviceable equipment.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6MSrT-tWIvVDNtuH2WvfWVkuHLXv-Ec4-OA_P7BDX62A8sDrT9zZrVBTbVkoBVqvtpoDchiGrdFKOSbQ4QMdGdGoaPvda59Twbr5sQ6Vmvmn576KyTZGwcFSO9tVwEZAWfYTKPaXcLd4/s1600/2011+August5+003.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638415001286418418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6MSrT-tWIvVDNtuH2WvfWVkuHLXv-Ec4-OA_P7BDX62A8sDrT9zZrVBTbVkoBVqvtpoDchiGrdFKOSbQ4QMdGdGoaPvda59Twbr5sQ6Vmvmn576KyTZGwcFSO9tVwEZAWfYTKPaXcLd4/s400/2011+August5+003.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
On the upper level (the older children's play area), the aforementioned swing set includes one toddler swing.<br />
The upper and lower play areas are connected both by steps and by a winding path for strollers.<br />
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<strong>Seating: </strong>There are plenty of benches in shady spots throughout the park, as well as a couple of picnic tables.<br />
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<strong>Snack factor: </strong>There is no adjacent grocery or kiosk, making it hard to pick up something healthy if you've forgotten to bring provisions, or to treat the crew to an ice cream. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibjlWEL_xjk3sXBlUVi_3ton5eY8fxo1uyGoBxYQkvv8cRN4S-uNNkGOWaiMWkYD-bxNmkLOqd0G_xl-unbLTzzJbuTQWHh4R01qTJcF6QjB_ZhdaEZP80XUAqLXMhBZBgZpZuipSHdg8/s1600/2011+August5+035.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639115261557016658" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibjlWEL_xjk3sXBlUVi_3ton5eY8fxo1uyGoBxYQkvv8cRN4S-uNNkGOWaiMWkYD-bxNmkLOqd0G_xl-unbLTzzJbuTQWHh4R01qTJcF6QjB_ZhdaEZP80XUAqLXMhBZBgZpZuipSHdg8/s200/2011+August5+035.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;" /></a>However, the nearby Talpiot Industrial Area offers an abundance of eateries and supermarkets. Rivka Street, directly parallel to Lifschitz, is home to Burekas Ima (pictured at left). Ima, a venerable local institution , offers a particularly large selection of semi-nutritious mizrachi-style savory baked goods such as individual pizzas, pitot topped with roasted vegetables, blinz-type things filled with chickpea paste, etc. -- along with the standard burekassim, breads/rolls and dessert items. So you don't have to feel too guilty about having left those tuna sandwiches home. Treat yourself to an iced coffee, while you're at it.<br />
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<strong>Chevra (schmooze factor): </strong>One thing that I find distinctive about this park is the presence, on weekday mornings, of a regular crowd consisting primarily of <em>metaplot </em>(family-based childcare providers) and their young charges. This provides a certain user base that makes the park attractive to other people as well. As noted above, the park, despite its proximity to a major commercial and shopping area, is hidden from the nearby main roads and doesn't get much "incidental" traffic -- i.e., shoppers dropping by to sip a soft drink, or to let their kids air out between errands so they don't get pushed past their boredom limit; working people on their lunch hour, and so on.<br />
This limitation on the park's user diversity is compensated for by the presence, at regular hours, of metaplot and young children, who attract other users that the park might otherwise not get.<br />
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Knowing that Orly will be in the toddler playground area at around 11:00 with her little troupe of 2-3 year olds --<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZDhoaoqmaon6JMZVYD5yhwDt4uDVvvCkHyMneqIuuCtkpM7RppKKcFm_emugqq2AFAhACQmV9DJbZcKrEl90GFXH9kolSjCpAA2ZfvD48Dew19puVht1k-vm4_ZWcnFefXU5cPh0ZnA/s1600/2011+July24+011.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636934655404551410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZDhoaoqmaon6JMZVYD5yhwDt4uDVvvCkHyMneqIuuCtkpM7RppKKcFm_emugqq2AFAhACQmV9DJbZcKrEl90GFXH9kolSjCpAA2ZfvD48Dew19puVht1k-vm4_ZWcnFefXU5cPh0ZnA/s400/2011+July24+011.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>and her exceedingly gentle and tolerant dog Angie -- <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcKzS2hRzT53b6ghthzXMqgrjGlPz5bQPhIiDxYs0Wn48sLKeS6SlVPDBMcGzZ9kTPLqRATwGrqimXVhdmSrJFqJATDMN_CYw2SCVcSl3yTs00mQdlk7mXiZxbygafVeC9dpqFUAc2Ifk/s1600/2011+July24+012.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636934930440071714" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcKzS2hRzT53b6ghthzXMqgrjGlPz5bQPhIiDxYs0Wn48sLKeS6SlVPDBMcGzZ9kTPLqRATwGrqimXVhdmSrJFqJATDMN_CYw2SCVcSl3yTs00mQdlk7mXiZxbygafVeC9dpqFUAc2Ifk/s400/2011+July24+012.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>makes me and other SAHMs/WAHMs want to be there too.<br />
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This combination of metaplot who integrate the playground into their daycare routine, and mothers who drop by on a more irregular basis with their youngsters, creates a sense of community -- a social framework that is intimate yet open, stable yet fluid.<br />
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<strong>Multiple uses within the park:</strong><br />
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-- There is play equipment that suits both toddlers and school-aged children.<br />
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--The fact that the toddler and older-child play areas are on separate levels, rather than being inconvenient, is actually a plus.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1etQuc0Yenv9DBJJ8iwXHAmLM19oIGcnyNibREBqvx7ElRPkIDHe0bl5g5OjG29GeaH7IdaBupUYyCZO1-NeX1Y908PN71R9oRZjT50RgZPnvmm4ngH4ytfOgpFo6DqrCMCreJ19_aW4/s1600/2011+August5+017.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638478280755743186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1etQuc0Yenv9DBJJ8iwXHAmLM19oIGcnyNibREBqvx7ElRPkIDHe0bl5g5OjG29GeaH7IdaBupUYyCZO1-NeX1Y908PN71R9oRZjT50RgZPnvmm4ngH4ytfOgpFo6DqrCMCreJ19_aW4/s320/2011+August5+017.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
The areas are visible to each other, so a mother in the toddler area can keep track (to some degree) of what the older kids are up to, and they are connected both by steps and by a winding path for the convenience of stroller-pushers and wheelchair-users. (This concern for access is, unfortunately, not something to be taken for granted in Jerusalem.)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFJtghQH_iCFFnE6qmlNPh-_1_5Veb3A1InMIq6QCRbzqxOiFsOq9ghKkUiM7Dlz0mcBRWlQi1syo9fPwLYL1YTVJC1SgTE4u9c-tyi3RdjrK-z0WpaqmK6UtnGoPd4hp-iBPZPzFxfjE/s1600/2011+July24+009.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638476672173129202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFJtghQH_iCFFnE6qmlNPh-_1_5Veb3A1InMIq6QCRbzqxOiFsOq9ghKkUiM7Dlz0mcBRWlQi1syo9fPwLYL1YTVJC1SgTE4u9c-tyi3RdjrK-z0WpaqmK6UtnGoPd4hp-iBPZPzFxfjE/s320/2011+July24+009.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
-- The older-child play equipment includes some items that can be used by toddlers, e.g. a toddler swing within the swing set ,<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8np6m3ckY-irI5GJv514kuUZuJSS5d8sO27diddUEXSXmQjB-8YdgWGdyy4eHUtnPRiKpaH50Cyb8rDkHWoF4kResG17qOE2KIBlMAt6oDLhjyCLciAVIJ1Ec3mRl-vtPHDf2gn824N8/s1600/S5003160.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639110259682629954" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8np6m3ckY-irI5GJv514kuUZuJSS5d8sO27diddUEXSXmQjB-8YdgWGdyy4eHUtnPRiKpaH50Cyb8rDkHWoF4kResG17qOE2KIBlMAt6oDLhjyCLciAVIJ1Ec3mRl-vtPHDf2gn824N8/s320/S5003160.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
while some of the toddler equipment could be attractive to older children as well<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ9kIQdvwEEYBvWlB3mpecJk5f722XKP8CMfS10lfL8N9oCQxf-qw3o7c7G1sHxb298QPA-A-XX-rcx7v4mce9pw872ufa-ufznMqNxpSKyYItYSkSwWN3Uy4qr50oaNG3Ty6Hw-x45vk/s1600/2011+August5+020.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640525308847757506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ9kIQdvwEEYBvWlB3mpecJk5f722XKP8CMfS10lfL8N9oCQxf-qw3o7c7G1sHxb298QPA-A-XX-rcx7v4mce9pw872ufa-ufznMqNxpSKyYItYSkSwWN3Uy4qr50oaNG3Ty6Hw-x45vk/s400/2011+August5+020.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
... meaning that a youngster who gets bored in one area of the park can wander to another area and find something to do there.<br />
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-- Lawns on both levels with ample shade throughout the day.<br />
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-- Picnic benches.<br />
<br />
-- Shrubbery that is open and child-friendly (suitable for exploring).<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKw7Wh-6WtmB_Pwvh0E2pUEpUZaHHpca8Q2Y60UqWhLyBStb4uxxKucLFFV8aLl8xVJ66d1mp0arSBGvpdjavQDF0BuAFTQs7GuQJ3TGkpaOvgWizXEO5Dzmv9sSmKNPdGyNvPH6mVpnI/s1600/2011+August5+036.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638419453657985810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKw7Wh-6WtmB_Pwvh0E2pUEpUZaHHpca8Q2Y60UqWhLyBStb4uxxKucLFFV8aLl8xVJ66d1mp0arSBGvpdjavQDF0BuAFTQs7GuQJ3TGkpaOvgWizXEO5Dzmv9sSmKNPdGyNvPH6mVpnI/s320/2011+August5+036.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
-- Paths for bicycling/tricycling/scootering/"<em>bimba</em>-ing".<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWRWdyum1qxtjg764N10KjrUocgE9_tyPOD0HC2fFWETCuCyPj-ED2qwEloNnu8w0e_90jArpXIl77X8QgrNBvnOHTpEu1R4rut0XZkOn_9-q72hhj8wTRitja5T1RfXxwGjSHy1fBShY/s1600/2011+August5+025.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640522902736410306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWRWdyum1qxtjg764N10KjrUocgE9_tyPOD0HC2fFWETCuCyPj-ED2qwEloNnu8w0e_90jArpXIl77X8QgrNBvnOHTpEu1R4rut0XZkOn_9-q72hhj8wTRitja5T1RfXxwGjSHy1fBShY/s320/2011+August5+025.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
-- Sometimes features intended for other uses entirely become successful play arenas. My two year old just loves to walk around and around the stone perimeters of these raised tree/shrubbery platforms:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZE_z7cU1X0OvrW8U96imNAKCnKq1O1qGtREcNpjMJS6-UW9i30CMo_kOOVKA6vDfewa_a8W0Z5TIrz8PMwmFMIzOs5xx_ZIxfItUXKvl1RtJQYTI8IdTAXqZpbaQ55dWLA7sYf3D9E4E/s1600/2011+August5+039.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638410457487615490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZE_z7cU1X0OvrW8U96imNAKCnKq1O1qGtREcNpjMJS6-UW9i30CMo_kOOVKA6vDfewa_a8W0Z5TIrz8PMwmFMIzOs5xx_ZIxfItUXKvl1RtJQYTI8IdTAXqZpbaQ55dWLA7sYf3D9E4E/s400/2011+August5+039.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<strong>Beyond the park </strong><em>(services and amenities available in the Lifschitz St. area)</em><br />
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Despite being hidden and little-known, the park is close to all sorts of worthwhile things:<br />
-- In one direction you have the shopping mecca of Talpiot, with its lovably chaotic mix of malls and commercial strips, carpentry shops, eateries, auto repair shops, educational institutions, government agency offices, and organizational headquarters. If you know where the Lifschitz Street Park is, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWDz3pZ4ovfoCWfdT2zAwW6TUNPKzJyRahuOrkUq6aYZtoSBEjb_SR_0Kjj7hDC3HUHQPGkf0aQMUeqrkp3qmJP6Is797EDLTNuvRKini3dp3zq0I12AMrITfZc48iDsJpjk6xRIeQPfU/s1600/HadarS.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640526357081502258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWDz3pZ4ovfoCWfdT2zAwW6TUNPKzJyRahuOrkUq6aYZtoSBEjb_SR_0Kjj7hDC3HUHQPGkf0aQMUeqrkp3qmJP6Is797EDLTNuvRKini3dp3zq0I12AMrITfZc48iDsJpjk6xRIeQPfU/s200/HadarS.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 128px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
and your errands are confined to, say, the Hadar Mall on Pierre Koenig St. (pictured at left) and thereabouts, you can easily combine a shopping expedition with a park outing. If you come to the area by car, I recommend simply parking on Lifschitz St. (parking there is plentiful; in addition to the on-street parking there is a large lot surrounding the Yedidya shul adjacent to the park). You can get out to Rivka St. via one of two footpaths that start directly across from the park and from the adjacent Kehillat Yedidya shul.<br />
<br />
--In the other direction, into the quiet streets of Baka, there are a few points of interest for those seeking to entertain children. One is the Baka branch of the Jerusalem Public Library, located in the community center at 3 Issachar St. Although by Western standards this library is exceedingly modest, by Jerusalem standards it is quite presentable. There is some comfortable seating, and parents can often be seen reading to young children here. The library has a relatively decent collection of English-language books for children. <br />
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Another item of interest in Baka is <a href="http://www.zoology.co.il/">Zoology </a>(pronounced in Hebrew with a hard "g") -- an animal-based enrichment and activity center for children. It is located on the premises of the Tali Geulim School on Kibbutz Galuyot St., a couple of blocks from the Lifschitz Street Park. Zoology runs courses and also has open hours for visitors, with explanations by trained guides.<br />
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<a name=Lifschitz St.><em>Items of visual/architectural interest on Lifschitz St.</em>:</a><br />
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Lifschitz Street features an eclectic mix of old stone houses ... <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7oYSmV0fl_cOSJhLyXYQnUm95r3hqXYjclTqEIHa45DJekhg_Cw-Wy0ZXnvLbiB3Wnw1pCycAIsbFh3-K_XSYAlydlFjrywKfbeQD-xoXn-jD_DJT7pT0hyphenhyphen3bkre_rMZexk25rTe3QN4/s1600/Copy+of+2011+July29+036.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639109331991303682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7oYSmV0fl_cOSJhLyXYQnUm95r3hqXYjclTqEIHa45DJekhg_Cw-Wy0ZXnvLbiB3Wnw1pCycAIsbFh3-K_XSYAlydlFjrywKfbeQD-xoXn-jD_DJT7pT0hyphenhyphen3bkre_rMZexk25rTe3QN4/s320/Copy+of+2011+July29+036.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
newer imitation Arab-style houses ...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4D6vf-Bu63U2LBMY4NtEYsaVSi-CcT5ypAqO0tlfI7C___CgUzK5P9pJ73TIZQ1c29pto1ijvsgYEy5I-x2NZgrgEXKlZeheK1bJOvZ_FGSOuoxE1wYCW7R_vl0rczhU46Tu2_4fVgRo/s1600/2011+August5+027.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639112472251918114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4D6vf-Bu63U2LBMY4NtEYsaVSi-CcT5ypAqO0tlfI7C___CgUzK5P9pJ73TIZQ1c29pto1ijvsgYEy5I-x2NZgrgEXKlZeheK1bJOvZ_FGSOuoxE1wYCW7R_vl0rczhU46Tu2_4fVgRo/s320/2011+August5+027.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
and <em>shikkun </em>buildings (1950s-era Israeli mass housing) that have been refurbished in a respectable, if uninspired, way. Note the shrubbery in front of these buildings, and the human-scaled entrance area -- features that recent Jerusalem residential architecture has done away with in favor of the <a href="http://jlmsnouthouse.blogspot.com/2010/12/jerusalem-snout-houses.html">almighty garage entrance</a>.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoJQzQES9FC4vjFIaAxVIGQVVZdXAQAHqhPnN3nHl478h0aO5E8c_zrTi6wkPjWo1bPpS5l3aoT7FK2zl9iIwjhpSXsfaWkdzCbKzPPv1KSLM-f3pp_I4pHmqqKRK9CXOPiOLbQxyVfqE/s1600/Copy+of+2011+July29+046.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640528550783354066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoJQzQES9FC4vjFIaAxVIGQVVZdXAQAHqhPnN3nHl478h0aO5E8c_zrTi6wkPjWo1bPpS5l3aoT7FK2zl9iIwjhpSXsfaWkdzCbKzPPv1KSLM-f3pp_I4pHmqqKRK9CXOPiOLbQxyVfqE/s400/Copy+of+2011+July29+046.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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Directly across the street from the park entrance, at #25 Lifschitz, one enters a footpath <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4LxFUdzb4fDhfO5GS0gmDlFR53pOQjg7Jlkdge1VG2jaEJxTL86Pc1F052JsLZdfth1tULGsfUE-5vSv0flkjZbXodSmkVBt5EsGiUJeejpXwyzC-D9m9U16Cj2OP4GEQvuTLeAxxcP8/s1600/2011+July24+015.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639118119754965682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4LxFUdzb4fDhfO5GS0gmDlFR53pOQjg7Jlkdge1VG2jaEJxTL86Pc1F052JsLZdfth1tULGsfUE-5vSv0flkjZbXodSmkVBt5EsGiUJeejpXwyzC-D9m9U16Cj2OP4GEQvuTLeAxxcP8/s400/2011+July24+015.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<br />
that turns into what must be one of Jerusalem's narrowest walkways:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCoSc4K4L9KNLA6Zq78795wEmm2rJ1dITf2C81FiSoqfOaIKzoEzRUQRXRqYHEOB1TCZKpOe7Q1e11nqCVdyAdsQUpKHFuShqEnkCI3OUuJ-rMI-FRY4gXJeS1bE27wlJxDcBUNwZb_LY/s1600/2011+July24+017.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639117866718793634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCoSc4K4L9KNLA6Zq78795wEmm2rJ1dITf2C81FiSoqfOaIKzoEzRUQRXRqYHEOB1TCZKpOe7Q1e11nqCVdyAdsQUpKHFuShqEnkCI3OUuJ-rMI-FRY4gXJeS1bE27wlJxDcBUNwZb_LY/s400/2011+July24+017.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a><br />
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This little passageway yields some picturesque sights:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOVq2_41dy0htKgBm7zbeZRzikq3odk9Frr1hssrdwu5W84JrSIU38zm3jftn74kbFqJyb7L_7JONRd2ZB507G1rGjTaPs3YSge4SfS3Lt2AAY9paTqfzMNtfuGY6sjxyVfXwsW5GFlg/s1600/2011+August5+031.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640529390212879890" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOVq2_41dy0htKgBm7zbeZRzikq3odk9Frr1hssrdwu5W84JrSIU38zm3jftn74kbFqJyb7L_7JONRd2ZB507G1rGjTaPs3YSge4SfS3Lt2AAY9paTqfzMNtfuGY6sjxyVfXwsW5GFlg/s400/2011+August5+031.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-wGjwVtkNRSK2Me8C49YxwUdEKOtUdyEJx2zY3v-apYmcxpzbANkRtgl7c1lP3kvzUcriyBFZ2tV1PlxM7rHyH1UnruAOwQKls2Po9HuU_XBC7C2ZXM-L3M_-XQ4sBo3kDaMtVA3OPg/s1600/Copy+%25282%2529+of+2011+July29+029.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639119497074409890" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-wGjwVtkNRSK2Me8C49YxwUdEKOtUdyEJx2zY3v-apYmcxpzbANkRtgl7c1lP3kvzUcriyBFZ2tV1PlxM7rHyH1UnruAOwQKls2Po9HuU_XBC7C2ZXM-L3M_-XQ4sBo3kDaMtVA3OPg/s400/Copy+%25282%2529+of+2011+July29+029.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
The rather bucolic little footpath brings you out to busy Rivka Street. Note the Domino's Pizza located in an old stone house stranded in the middle of a parking lot.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1jloGIhGNSJ33zxgYwXcQQ9BEw9jZShbVasqD_0IJxyCq0A_KiGy3OXhxdr1bO2DtXr34W_yM7bpzNVYZvE57aHYhhnSfGoU_iQXh2tvxWR0qJsDbkWYcXVa0Id2vhO0kr5dLK6_LJ0o/s1600/2011+July24+018.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640531544090986098" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1jloGIhGNSJ33zxgYwXcQQ9BEw9jZShbVasqD_0IJxyCq0A_KiGy3OXhxdr1bO2DtXr34W_yM7bpzNVYZvE57aHYhhnSfGoU_iQXh2tvxWR0qJsDbkWYcXVa0Id2vhO0kr5dLK6_LJ0o/s400/2011+July24+018.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<br />
Back on Lifschitz, at #12 (right next to the park entrance), is the synagogue building of Kehillat Yedidya, completed in 2003. According to Kehillat Yedidya's website, the structure resembles an "unfurling scroll." <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjBwyN5zUkasSEZP9UBIt6BSHKNCkxV8SqsQ4uPPRxiJ-_AV-IkMiKHwTYHZwF_JpogHwwYRr-N04w6ee-MCBTc66Ox1V27YpyX3dM0A_UAKY74_tmVosPfixO6U7jGDjmk7m6Pd3jWA4/s1600/Copy+of+2011+July29+034.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639120736603897826" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjBwyN5zUkasSEZP9UBIt6BSHKNCkxV8SqsQ4uPPRxiJ-_AV-IkMiKHwTYHZwF_JpogHwwYRr-N04w6ee-MCBTc66Ox1V27YpyX3dM0A_UAKY74_tmVosPfixO6U7jGDjmk7m6Pd3jWA4/s400/Copy+of+2011+July29+034.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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Up the street is is a more traditionally-designed shul building:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ktiaRnkUEcsJH-F4bs3P3NXsbCsVJ_nbE9Sz7Mu9jHbUSGRwzMobxnw36Ph95gK3RCWXGrVauJK7dcJMmIWHxZeka_7tVvBWVUMhff5IQ_NtbIV7L9jh5MU9FGpDloY1CClsv2CAeZE/s1600/Copy+of+2011+July29+039.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639121628983584562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ktiaRnkUEcsJH-F4bs3P3NXsbCsVJ_nbE9Sz7Mu9jHbUSGRwzMobxnw36Ph95gK3RCWXGrVauJK7dcJMmIWHxZeka_7tVvBWVUMhff5IQ_NtbIV7L9jh5MU9FGpDloY1CClsv2CAeZE/s400/Copy+of+2011+July29+039.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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Photo credit:<br />
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/HadarS.jpg">Hadar Mall </a>via Wikimedia CommonsJulie@walkablejlmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17457867529399394774noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131109057897232296.post-22671967807324470862011-07-18T03:13:00.000-07:002012-08-16T07:47:33.632-07:00The Hildesheimer Park -- Jerusalem Playground Review, pt. 1<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7S1YBSv_e_w037ww_6fe3lfPllZOxjbqC1DDVxJX3nlcX90hwbAmjoVizgRoSZSifIddiyGQ9Y41NUrzdhZS5qhjOFd02y9k2qIUdkqhGYcRpY8EghQCD-jwUjpcOBDoLIvm-_1_vaI0/s1600/2011+July24+035.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632892370921092290" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7S1YBSv_e_w037ww_6fe3lfPllZOxjbqC1DDVxJX3nlcX90hwbAmjoVizgRoSZSifIddiyGQ9Y41NUrzdhZS5qhjOFd02y9k2qIUdkqhGYcRpY8EghQCD-jwUjpcOBDoLIvm-_1_vaI0/s320/2011+July24+035.jpg" border="0"> </a><strong>Location</strong>: Intersection of Hildesheimer and HaTzefira streets, the German Colony (one block down from Emek Refaim St.)<br /><br /><strong>Shade</strong>: This park is blessed with mature trees that make it at least partly usable throughout the day. Some of the play equipment, including one section of the large slide/tunnel complex, remains cool to the touch until around noon (at least), though the swings and seesaw become unusable considerably earlier.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcA4_bWqFvQnblhFixLNwYShEJAQ9J7CVaSDzgV_TpNdjxg61LFvEZz68yVhFo0DxotbA0jWzyhOMThu-cKjL7b6SggjiRNhDvKmp-5Jsy93DHRc5n3y9z4ZqXDcwmLl5yclMv79oyECI/s1600/2011+July24+028.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632892739032012690" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcA4_bWqFvQnblhFixLNwYShEJAQ9J7CVaSDzgV_TpNdjxg61LFvEZz68yVhFo0DxotbA0jWzyhOMThu-cKjL7b6SggjiRNhDvKmp-5Jsy93DHRc5n3y9z4ZqXDcwmLl5yclMv79oyECI/s200/2011+July24+028.jpg" border="0"> </a><strong>Play equipment</strong>: The park was renovated about three years ago; a large sandbox (usually full of cat droppings) was removed and a decrepit old slide replaced with a state-of-the-art slide/tunnel complex. Swings -- a major attraction and relative rarity in Jerusalem playgrounds -- were added (though not the kind suitable for toddlers), along with a spring toy, a small carousel, and a seesaw.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy1pH1lC4ppzavxoZtKc_tUDIyml6cXNSiR8vS90TOHk4Jwh9YVK21ZvpmsJbjBBI4e6awDjGGL8MLySOgg8ihyphenhyphenRK6ednLc8lyRq5JoyaHqi2x3WTv7ml_vnjF3U5n8KlNFeVTB9qmygE/s1600/S5004269.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630636756692740322" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy1pH1lC4ppzavxoZtKc_tUDIyml6cXNSiR8vS90TOHk4Jwh9YVK21ZvpmsJbjBBI4e6awDjGGL8MLySOgg8ihyphenhyphenRK6ednLc8lyRq5JoyaHqi2x3WTv7ml_vnjF3U5n8KlNFeVTB9qmygE/s200/S5004269.JPG" border="0" /></a>Exercise equipment for adults was installed as well -- wonder how much use it actually gets.<br />In point of fact, I generally see the exercise bench being used as a regular bench, and have never seen a grown-up using any of the other equipment.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Age suitability of play equipment</strong>: The multiplicity and diversity of the equipment make the playground suitable for toddlers and older children alike.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Seating</strong>: Plenty of benches -- many in well-shaded areas.<br />Just outside the park proper, on the Hildesheimer side, an S-shaped stone bench snakes picturesquely around a tree. On the Hatzefira side, just across from the minimarket<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrqf5PDkTaFD5Hh4B3zqVKGV1e5fS16uSsgYSWzr33saB_VOd3Xn4HY8DXIG3KjirWDp1txY53QuhsT_ysdf3V_10o65khjEu9QecfXJHkKUJsPS6FwYpfSmoEfgtGYSG-0UOC9MNjj5A/s1600/2011+July24+029.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrqf5PDkTaFD5Hh4B3zqVKGV1e5fS16uSsgYSWzr33saB_VOd3Xn4HY8DXIG3KjirWDp1txY53QuhsT_ysdf3V_10o65khjEu9QecfXJHkKUJsPS6FwYpfSmoEfgtGYSG-0UOC9MNjj5A/s320/2011+July24+029.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632895616067727986" /></a><br />(and in direct line of the foot traffic from Emek Refaim) there are benches facing the street. Overall, a sociable ambience.<br /><br /><strong>Snack factor</strong>: Minimarket Maalomi directly across the street provides the full range of ice creams, salty and sweet snacks, plus a variety of upscale/American/healthy items, in keeping with the character of the German Colony.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEgv00QC3PsmaTffHnRM13sbqmnIo3SjrPjkt9Z-Cp6Uqw0MzO9vOjGfq-L_fRom6TPBfCmTLWmGviQQCGHHSk4BGbg17aefKxNpyzmx31kqaVgAgF2wnu46O1i2EIMgeFHQDnPMRLF5U/s1600/2011+July24+034.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEgv00QC3PsmaTffHnRM13sbqmnIo3SjrPjkt9Z-Cp6Uqw0MzO9vOjGfq-L_fRom6TPBfCmTLWmGviQQCGHHSk4BGbg17aefKxNpyzmx31kqaVgAgF2wnu46O1i2EIMgeFHQDnPMRLF5U/s320/2011+July24+034.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632896954386911570" /></a><strong>Chevra (schmooze factor)</strong>: This park has the advantage of its proximity to Emek Refaim, as well as to several schools and kindergartens -- factors that attract a wide range of age groups to it and ensure the social and ethnic diversity of its users. One encounters here permanent residents, tourists, students. Lots of locals pass through with their dogs -- a plus from the point of view of entertaining young children. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNsTYyiP1AoDHq7Tg7hyr3VKYyuAj-uzTmsFokQHvaGamvLzsAGvwAOAe3A5GcVmCdYYXwDBTCJsSM3S59QOoACwmhyphenhyphencaJrunCxGsS-ZfVf2J5sTHxD8u0GFZUfmFQUfSD6pzoRPkonmg/s1600/S5003367.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNsTYyiP1AoDHq7Tg7hyr3VKYyuAj-uzTmsFokQHvaGamvLzsAGvwAOAe3A5GcVmCdYYXwDBTCJsSM3S59QOoACwmhyphenhyphencaJrunCxGsS-ZfVf2J5sTHxD8u0GFZUfmFQUfSD6pzoRPkonmg/s320/S5003367.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632894825663126882" /></a><br />(Despite the removal of the "litter-box" during the recent renovation, there is still a sizable feline presence as well.) One often sees elderly people, some in wheelchairs, accompanied by foreign caregivers. On a given morning spent here, I might run into a couple of people I already know, while also getting into conversations (sometimes deep ones) with people I've never met before. On one memorable occasion, a group of some half-dozen women, most of whom did not know each other previously, got into a lively debate over the relative advantages and disadvantages of the Chorev and Makor Chaim elementary schools. Is it the crossroads character of the park that facilitates interaction? Does its openness on three sides conduce to openness at the interpersonal level as well?<br /><br /><strong>Multiple uses within the park</strong>:<br />-- Play (and exercise) equipment that suits a range of ages.<br />-- Seating clusters that are distinct without being isolated.<br /><br /><em>Criticism</em>:<br /><br />-- The renovation that took place three years ago, though it vastly improved the park's play equipment, actually undermined its multi-use status. Prior to the renovation, one entire end of the park consisted of a lawn -- a raised mound of grass that constituted a separate and distinct area within the park. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMT0P7OsD4eWt9xTUCv8bTfMN34SwKiW_cft-MBBYgzy3qtEdIij3HjVqB5Acu0FA6oouDmsg3P9EA0NzwYBpjtyJdF9ANGj-Lo9GZVesKtplohi5yTQhF6ilm4SVi4BPj8bliMGymUI/s1600/S5003369.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630798589940839330" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMT0P7OsD4eWt9xTUCv8bTfMN34SwKiW_cft-MBBYgzy3qtEdIij3HjVqB5Acu0FA6oouDmsg3P9EA0NzwYBpjtyJdF9ANGj-Lo9GZVesKtplohi5yTQhF6ilm4SVi4BPj8bliMGymUI/s200/S5003369.JPG" border="0" /></a>During the renovation the lawn was scooped out and paved over, and replaced with exercise equipment which, as I noted above, may not have been the best possible use of the space. I personally miss the lawn and feel that it added a dimension that is now lacking. People brought blankets and picnicked there; students snoozed there during breaks; it was yet another area for children to investigate when they tired of the play equipment.<br /><br />This latter point is an important one: <em>playground landscaping should take into account the fact that children want and need bits of nature to explore. One can't chain them to the play equipment -- slide, or else!</em><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb5cnvhZHOn6hWbSj75tQBX7SrTf5JgPAIMtfeoFZbwYOdCpMUnumygILSQN2a3SezNFguGpAEn4kTUgskyp9D1v7MhAhefpgxbm0Ki8V_XlFcuUnz0HvayQloUrFxT6gnVutDA4MSyp0/s1600/S5004275.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630794930885744098" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb5cnvhZHOn6hWbSj75tQBX7SrTf5JgPAIMtfeoFZbwYOdCpMUnumygILSQN2a3SezNFguGpAEn4kTUgskyp9D1v7MhAhefpgxbm0Ki8V_XlFcuUnz0HvayQloUrFxT6gnVutDA4MSyp0/s320/S5004275.JPG" border="0" /></a>Likewise, the shrubbery lining the park's perimeter was fenced off, thinned out and overly "manicured." The pre-renovation shrubbery was much more open and inviting to children. I remember my older kids hiding among the bushes, finding various germ-encrusted treasures there ...<br />Before the renovation, this gnarled old tree had a wooden bench all around it -- another quirky feature that kids (and adults) liked. Basically, the renovation somewhat eroded the park's distinctive character -- made it more "generic," in addition to curtailing the variety of uses within it.<br /><br />Still, you can't really ruin a park that has so much going for it in terms of location, shade, and openness.<br /><br /><br /><a name=HaTzefira St.><strong>Beyond the park </strong><em>(services and amenities available in the vincinity of HaTzefira St.)</em>:</a><br /><br />-- Emek Refaim Street, a major thoroughfare and commercial hub, is a block away. Alongside trendy cafes and upscale shopping, Emek Refaim is home to more mundane amenities such as a smallish supermarket, a post office, a stationery store, and medical clinics, meaning that various everyday errands can be appended to the park outing.<br />-- Kindergartens, an elementary school and high school are clustered at the end of Hatzefira Street.<br />-- Grocery across the street.<br />-- Natural History Museum a few minutes' walk away.<br />-- The park's location at an intersection, multiple entry points and general open feel attract passersby (or "passers-through") of all stripes -- dog walkers, people on their way to work, school, etc.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Other nearby attractions</strong>: The eateries of Emek Refaim, and the taxidermy collection/weird 1950s-era high school science projects on display at the Jerusalem Natural History Museum, are of obvious interest to families. But HaTzefira Street in general is worth getting to know. It has a few architecturally distinguished buildings <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEkVSjg3LcKQRih58kwQRIZVujf2wlnFU39lMVkSW6-qjEr8NDaVjm2hEqK0iwVTNbJ5vFIhFnhzDehlLP4xCH7jj_-ERYpFAGzDT6DsLFjXlrnrWEpPUOF_wTM1UUUO6HmwBQtH0tFUE/s1600/S5004264.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630805335844210578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEkVSjg3LcKQRih58kwQRIZVujf2wlnFU39lMVkSW6-qjEr8NDaVjm2hEqK0iwVTNbJ5vFIhFnhzDehlLP4xCH7jj_-ERYpFAGzDT6DsLFjXlrnrWEpPUOF_wTM1UUUO6HmwBQtH0tFUE/s200/S5004264.JPG" border="0" /></a> a good deal of greenery, and a couple of funky establishments -- a hole-in-the-wall pizza parlor and this tiny high-end toy store, Ritch-Ratch,<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjluaXuQcxGOKrLUtss34jPQ0SCA9xQawcw2NWS5yeqvPRvElm67cyt0i08ZmCMCwIlTdC6eESDjDq4pmrEyealdSy0c05Z8j1BntCV5NvqlA7wiFY1GOQ7aM_dLpHBhyNsyC8-OOFqgGU/s1600/ritch-ratch.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630807575836335586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjluaXuQcxGOKrLUtss34jPQ0SCA9xQawcw2NWS5yeqvPRvElm67cyt0i08ZmCMCwIlTdC6eESDjDq4pmrEyealdSy0c05Z8j1BntCV5NvqlA7wiFY1GOQ7aM_dLpHBhyNsyC8-OOFqgGU/s320/ritch-ratch.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /> whose merchandise consists exclusively of imported wooden playthings. The store, owned by a veteran local resident, sold sewing notions until the abrupt switch was made a few years ago to wooden toys. The merchandise is actually very appealing; it might be hard to drag small children away from it. The store's sign still features a zipper and proclaims the availability of sewing items. I strongly suspect that one could still obtain a spool of thread here on personal appeal to the owner.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVpDzPivMu5q0Ka4w23SmMQNQtFLhvV4MBYqJsWg1dd9W7kfINQPZmRPWuTtk7tPd7CVYCsRKO2rrzUUh-Ygr42WJWoPEzLpoI1fX8UJZBR-uq4ZOwA2AL-vY-Q1AEsoxQQ2R2svPsyGs/s1600/S5004263.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630810717529133762" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVpDzPivMu5q0Ka4w23SmMQNQtFLhvV4MBYqJsWg1dd9W7kfINQPZmRPWuTtk7tPd7CVYCsRKO2rrzUUh-Ygr42WJWoPEzLpoI1fX8UJZBR-uq4ZOwA2AL-vY-Q1AEsoxQQ2R2svPsyGs/s200/S5004263.JPG" border="0" /></a>Hatzefira Street starts at Emek Refaim and terminates in a large parking lot, serving a cluster of kindergartens and schools. If you turn from the parking lot up the path that starts out from this little sport center pictured at left, you will come to a kind of farm/petting zoo belonging to a high school. The path zig-zags and includes a few steps, though nothing too difficult to negotiate with a stroller.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCKaQvWykZclfRTzo15an29PGFhAqdS9gk78ApzWsIs4sroX-2hADIIUhT8Z8tUoQSnlrxtEXoVqC6abijjcsbxLkkHikouppL8YWgZh8aSdz3MNLE1Tatg1uSkRnrbuRfoHvO-E538cs/s1600/S5004259.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630814537164410146" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCKaQvWykZclfRTzo15an29PGFhAqdS9gk78ApzWsIs4sroX-2hADIIUhT8Z8tUoQSnlrxtEXoVqC6abijjcsbxLkkHikouppL8YWgZh8aSdz3MNLE1Tatg1uSkRnrbuRfoHvO-E538cs/s320/S5004259.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />The petting zoo is not normally open to the public (during the school year I saw a sign stating that it was open on Thursdays from 4-6 pm, but the sign disappeared once the school year ended). However, the animals -- mainly goats, ducks, chickens and turkeys -- are clearly visible, and small children can be entertained here for ... oh, at least a few minutes ...Julie@walkablejlmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17457867529399394774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131109057897232296.post-69347520020353829642011-07-15T08:11:00.000-07:002011-08-04T02:13:49.230-07:00Back to the playground<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2cNdK8yCBHQzXjLd0G9pE5f2rxR6oMrQrtcIdnEvJRRPfqCaO1HFKchhBToZfwok6v3fSoYjniWK5ofFvrYGRa595t5ytVlkMGGBXOQmCD0-R46_f_Jm9R1TB95KUsxcq8xDnnZ-tdc/s1600/Malkie+slide.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630621872182415458" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2cNdK8yCBHQzXjLd0G9pE5f2rxR6oMrQrtcIdnEvJRRPfqCaO1HFKchhBToZfwok6v3fSoYjniWK5ofFvrYGRa595t5ytVlkMGGBXOQmCD0-R46_f_Jm9R1TB95KUsxcq8xDnnZ-tdc/s200/Malkie+slide.JPG" border="0" /></a>When my older children were small, I often took them to playgrounds outside of our neighborhood, which was then (and is still, 9 years later) under development and, consequently, lacking in shade -- the main factor determining a playground's usability between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm. During the long summers when my three "musketeers" were babies, toddlers and preschoolers, it seemed I was always chasing after shade. I developed a certain expertise regarding the green spaces of central and southern Jerusalem -- could tell you, for any given park, which corners and what play equipment remained tolerable at what hours.<br /><br />A few years went by. The musketeers turned into schoolboys, and playground outings became a thing of the past. I moved on -- into middle age, a more substantial work schedule out of the home, a new routine ... until little "Midlife Surprise" made her appearance.<br /><br />Returning to young motherhood in one's mid-forties, after a longish hiatus, is an interesting phenomenon in and of itself; were I more of a mommy blogger I would write about it in depth -- well, maybe someday I will. Within the context of this urbanist blog, however, I will simply point out that the intervening years, my advancing age, and the fact that I have been dealing this time around with only <strong>one </strong>baby/toddler, have all helped to make me more reflective than I was in the past about the environments in which my childrearing activities are taking place. Whether that translates into more effective parenting, only time will tell. But it does unquestionably translate into an impulse to analyze the surroundings in which I spend time with my young daughter. <br /><br />In the musketeer days I would just pile the crew into the Mom-mobile and take off for someplace shady, without subjecting my destination decisions to any particular analysis. Whereas now the playground outings are informed by a spirit of reminiscence and of comparison at several years' remove -- a state of mind in which attention can be paid to the disparate elements that make up one's surroundings. Moreover, having spent most of the last decade coping with the problems posed by defective neighborhood design, I've acquired a conceptual framework for analyzing the public spaces that I and my little one frequent.<br /><br />The foregoing is by way of introduction to a series that I wish to present on parks and playgrounds in Jerusalem. I will, G-d willing, be taking a close look at what makes these places "tick" (or not). I hope that the series will be useful to mothers and others looking for good places in Jerusalem in which to spend time with (or without) children.<br /><br /><a name="criteria"><br />The series will discuss/rate playgrounds based on a number of set criteria. Some of these criteria will be self-evident and technical, e.g., level of shade, quality of play equipment. Other criteria will be informed by a New Urbanist sensibility.</a> In particular, I will be looking at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed-use_development"><strong>mixed-use</strong></a> features of parks and playgrounds -- both vis-à-vis their surrounding areas, and vis-à-vis themselves. That is to say, I will discuss the degree to which a given park is accessible to, or isolated from, other land uses such as commercial activities, schools, public/municipal services, and other attractions that a parent might want to know about. I will also discuss the degree to which a given park's design facilitates diverse uses within it, e.g. play equipment for different age groups, picnic areas, lawns, shrubbery, paths for bicycling/tricycling, etc.Julie@walkablejlmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17457867529399394774noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131109057897232296.post-12647936199840518672011-06-17T00:00:00.000-07:002011-07-18T12:16:12.971-07:00Do Judaism and New Urbanism have anything to say to each other? <br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmvE2cz9kfb_HVcc73HDxrWsGU93e8nEIhJuKwwbBdy1Nnlhrvl5ihTuLXcp2tKmzHxfha7dhpe7SQxKyfFVI7Cq-kfVvB5_f3aqp0g9skv-c1GUAlumBGt6n0qTbX62GOqwcEUaA577w/s1600/Gazelle+Valley.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="240px" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618902465668548130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmvE2cz9kfb_HVcc73HDxrWsGU93e8nEIhJuKwwbBdy1Nnlhrvl5ihTuLXcp2tKmzHxfha7dhpe7SQxKyfFVI7Cq-kfVvB5_f3aqp0g9skv-c1GUAlumBGt6n0qTbX62GOqwcEUaA577w/s200/Gazelle+Valley.jpg" style="float: left; height: 240px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" width="320px" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Emekatzvaiim3.jpg#filelinks">Gazelle Valley, Jerusalem</a> via Wikimedia Commons (ערן)</td></tr></tbody></table> I believe the answer to the above question is linked to the issue of whether Judaism and <em>environmentalism </em>-- a movement to which New Urbanism is related though not identical -- have anything to say to each other. <br /><br />I'm an observant Jew. I generally favor environmentalist initiatives, e.g. recycling. But I tend not to be terribly interested in Jewish apologetics for environmentalism.<br /><br />I guess that's because I view environmentalism as a common-sense enterprise.<br /><br />This is not to suggest that there are areas of life where Judaism doesn't apply, or that Jewish sources should not be brought to bear on common-sense issues. An observant person might be willing to brush off the health risks of smoking, but can hardly ignore, without some religious qualms, a <em>psak </em>instructing him to quit.<br /><br />I also recognize that looking to Jewish sources for environmental insights can be a fascinating intellectual exercise for those so inclined. There's plenty of eco-Jewish material on the Internet, and not all of it is cliche-ridden. One blog that is interesting (though not recently updated) is <a href="http://svivaisrael.wordpress.com/">Judaism and Environment in the Talmud</a>.<br /><br />These acknowlegements aside, the idea of seeking out specifically Jewish justifications for water conservation, energy efficiency, etc., strikes me as redundant. In a way I find it demeaning to Judaism -- a kind of subjugation of the religion to political correctness. And, for me personally at least, the "Judaization" of common-sense issues isn't a terribly compelling endeavor.<br /><br />Just as I regard environmentalism as a kind of "no-brainer" proposition, so do I look upon New Urbanism as a common-sense framework for ensuring that our <em>built</em> environment is pleasant, stimulating, and safe. I wouldn't normally consider it necessary to embed my personal affinity for this movement in a <em>halakhic </em>framework, any more than I would feel I had to ask my rabbi about the necessity of good oral hygiene.<br /><br />However, it has occurred to me lately that perhaps a Jewish-Urbanism niche ought to be created, within the framework of Jewish environmentalism. That if Jewish sources could be enlisted on behalf of New Urbanist tenets, a little more interest might be generated within the Jewish blogosphere than my rantings to date have managed to do.<br /><br />If you Google "<em>Judaism and [new] urbanism</em>" you get a few items that are worthwhile, though primarily of sociological interest -- and with an American orientation. Notably, Michael Lewyn, a law school professor with expertise in urban planning who blogs at <em>Planetizen</em>, points out <a href="http://www.planetizen.com/node/39364">here</a> and <a href="http://www.planetizen.com/node/40196">here</a> that the urbanist focus on walkability should be music to Orthodox Jewish ears, as it dovetails with, among other things, the need to get to shul by foot on Shabbat.<br /><br />This issue of car-oriented sprawl conflicting with Orthodox Shabbat observance is an interesting one -- but it seems to me a primarily American issue, and not one around which religious Israelis are likely to rally. I wouldn't expect that a lack of pedestrian access to <em>minyanim </em>is a common problem in Israel. The urbanism/sprawl dichotomy expresses itself here in other ways that are probably more challenging to frame in specifically Jewish terms.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWChw0uEGv-2P2P3ci104vybBJ6_Qj86FRg80rgvhrpo7oxaLI2AHyfqwoRM5zNi1U05MZsGvGrKSIr9in251YPHXMPpIFjMPHt5DlADJaq-GdeU3MgMOnnFwZaMiwvMup5TWTyYX7s7g/s1600/S5003342.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619810905204482738" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWChw0uEGv-2P2P3ci104vybBJ6_Qj86FRg80rgvhrpo7oxaLI2AHyfqwoRM5zNi1U05MZsGvGrKSIr9in251YPHXMPpIFjMPHt5DlADJaq-GdeU3MgMOnnFwZaMiwvMup5TWTyYX7s7g/s320/S5003342.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: right; height: 240px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a>The problem, as I see it, is an overall lack of "urbanist consciousness" among observant Israeli Jews, leading to a failure to demand street- and community-friendly features from the planning authorities and real estate developers who build for this public. <em>Building setbacks</em>? <em>Mixed-use zoning</em>? <em>Snout houses</em>? Folks are too busy caring for and educating their large (<em>ken yirbu</em>) families to relate to these issues. In the newer, peripheral neighborhood of Jerusalem where I reside, people are happy just to have secured for themselves apartments of reasonable size in which to raise their kids; they couldn't care less what their buildings look like from the outside, whether or not the neighborhood has a discernible "center," whether their street is automobile-oriented or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walkability">pedestrian-friendly</a>.<br /><br />Would some erudite <em>drashos </em>tying New Urbanism to halakhic principles regarding the public domain spark an interest among the religiously observant? Possibly. <br /><br />Unfortunately, I won't be the one to take up this challenge, having come to Jewish observance rather too late in life to acquire the erudition necessary for such an enterprise.<br /><br />All that I am capable of doing -- to the extent that I am indeed capable of furthering any agenda with this blog -- is to take a common-sense approach to my surroundings, here in the Holy City: what looks good/bad, what feels welcoming/alienating, what is safe/unsafe. Yet, limited as this approach is, I can't help feeling that at some level it ought to be sufficient -- even from a Jewish perspective. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IinC2dtlBiPJ5rnjv6UadnJFVE8rVAsqQh3JEBBOLhX86bp5AuMCpgz7-xf7nRRxBUSrwZXwgByl76c8De2Y3ubePYJGjZJ2ifXIKp1hIsiYlGT23jGCDr6Pdp0Ne1-jkJeK7mi0Ebo/s1600/S5003389.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619811783178450146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IinC2dtlBiPJ5rnjv6UadnJFVE8rVAsqQh3JEBBOLhX86bp5AuMCpgz7-xf7nRRxBUSrwZXwgByl76c8De2Y3ubePYJGjZJ2ifXIKp1hIsiYlGT23jGCDr6Pdp0Ne1-jkJeK7mi0Ebo/s320/S5003389.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: right; height: 320px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 240px;" /></a><br /><br /><br />Common sense enjoins Jews to care about how Eretz Israel -- the land given to us by G-d -- is built up and developed. All the more so regarding Jerusalem. I'm not sure one needs halachic justification for one's distress when a visual hijacking occurs -- when chunks of Jerusalem's landscape are sold to the highest bidder.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYhQZhHil2bZl-tJ_nMAI1tBiSEh-21e7NEtMrlppxx2UHXpjyXP1WGfwePPGHcdrxVq9wcn1LQXOSnP7lPKN1OLLHNvYlCdV-Ax85Xw2CWd5_BHu4qZHPGeeaUvsUbasHpmNRRnzZk9E/s1600/S5003353.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618926564944421250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYhQZhHil2bZl-tJ_nMAI1tBiSEh-21e7NEtMrlppxx2UHXpjyXP1WGfwePPGHcdrxVq9wcn1LQXOSnP7lPKN1OLLHNvYlCdV-Ax85Xw2CWd5_BHu4qZHPGeeaUvsUbasHpmNRRnzZk9E/s320/S5003353.JPG" style="float: left; height: 240px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />Common sense also enjoins Jewish parents to be concerned when residential projects are constructed in such a way as to create a sense of desertion at street level, and to leave the street -- and the children who use it -- <a href="http://streetswiki.wikispaces.com/Eyes+On+The+Street">essentially unsupervised</a>. <br /> <br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">To conclude: I feel fairly confident that Judaism and New Urbanism have something to say to each other at the esoteric level -- high up on the Jewish bookshelf. At the same time, I think they probably have much to say to each other at the level of common sense.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Emekatzvaiim3.jpg#filelinks">Gazelle Valley, Jerusalem</a> via Wikimedia Commons (ערן)</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Julie@walkablejlmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17457867529399394774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131109057897232296.post-1770943235575181492011-05-16T00:07:00.000-07:002020-06-19T00:50:17.814-07:00Walls and values<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-HyAuX0Ta4Z8GXa6qh0pAKS9gZoM9hW1OOtj4AsXkdYarHTu_FPf2k09_kvo87ySzDayInJNrAo_pufvhjOhKoYEay3COLRwtWi86jskHJk5_9l_W2CN1Gn8MCZJi9mp8ekiTqsLOSA/s1600/S5003334.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605276409736301938" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-HyAuX0Ta4Z8GXa6qh0pAKS9gZoM9hW1OOtj4AsXkdYarHTu_FPf2k09_kvo87ySzDayInJNrAo_pufvhjOhKoYEay3COLRwtWi86jskHJk5_9l_W2CN1Gn8MCZJi9mp8ekiTqsLOSA/s320/S5003334.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 240px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a>My basic assumption is that architecture and neighborhood design reflect values.<br />
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What values are embodied in the buildings pictured at left -- a residential project in one of Jerusalem's newer, peripheral neighborhoods?<br />
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More precisely, what prominent feature of the project reflects values that are skewed -- from an urbanist point of view, at least?<br />
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Imagine that the wall surrounding the project weren't there. I'm not a real estate marketer, so I don't have <a href="http://jlmsnouthouse.blogspot.com/2010/12/jerusalem-snout-houses-part-2.html">simulation software</a> handy. But let's try to envision what the project -- or rather, the <em><strong>semi-public area fronting the project</strong></em> -- would look like in the absence of that wall.<br />
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What you would end up with is something not too dissimilar to this older building in Jerusalem's prestigious Katamon area:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELWgDjl4A0opsDxjnha9z8lmzyaWb-KIgCPZSnxHltV6Bj46s_6C5uqLqysfjUKaP4PxVqQswoEUv6LqpL2-V70T9YOeGpOdOYw2_EUkgoG7Dwm3_jTXsjr9VrmE2UFJ1PSAcS80KFkY/s1600/S5003990.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617220457412013682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELWgDjl4A0opsDxjnha9z8lmzyaWb-KIgCPZSnxHltV6Bj46s_6C5uqLqysfjUKaP4PxVqQswoEUv6LqpL2-V70T9YOeGpOdOYw2_EUkgoG7Dwm3_jTXsjr9VrmE2UFJ1PSAcS80KFkY/s320/S5003990.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 240px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a>Both buildings, the one in the newer neighborhood and the older Katamon one, have parking at ground level. But in Katamon a passerby can see the cars. This may not be an attractive sight in and of itself; however, that is not the whole picture. The area in front of the Katamon building is open; one has an unobstructed view of the building entrance, as well as of human traffic into and out of the building. (Of course I don't mean this in a voyeuristic sense, but rather in the sense of a passerby's peripheral awareness -- at once reassuring and stimulating -- of human activity in and around the building.) An ambience of sociability prevails; the building communicates with the street. This sense of human activity goes a long way toward mitigating the aesthetic "blemish" of the cars parked under and around the building.<br />
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Moreover, the communication is two-way: anyone exiting the building (whether to get into their car or to continue on foot) will have an immediate view of the street scene before them. They can greet neighbors, assess the weather and the overall mood of the street; they will be influenced, in the most natural way, by the street atmosphere as they encounter it on their emergence from the building. Perhaps a group of laughing schoolchildren will raise a smile on their lips; maybe they'll see someone trip over a section of broken pavement and make a mental note to call the municipality about it. Whatever they see or hear, they will have interacted in some way with the street.<br />
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<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605344479625000738" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1mobA1ehhhJKlG7TqXpoLBW8OzgKDpDxYi9lXUNxKK4ud1pjU5kN-7RUiShUp0_hJ1H90S7S8vnUYqTZr3HQ0sxU55kByX5m2ibAf2dAZk2hSanJPSqQFGlCqmk8ZaI9-kXnVrF5rl4/s320/S5003339.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: right; height: 240px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px;" />By contrast, the wall fronting the project in the newer neighborhood simply hides all signs of life, both from passersby and from the building residents. What could be more depressing than to walk out of one's building and be confronted by a sterile stone wall? And what could be more alienating to a passerby on the sidewalk, than a wall such as the one pictured at right?<br />
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The buildings in this project are by no means unattractive. When we leave the external wall out of the equation, they even compare favorably with the one in Katamon pictured above. What a pity that the project designers felt the need to deface their own handiwork with this nonsensical wall -- a wall that serves no structural purpose, whose sole <em>raison d'etre</em> is to ensure that the building residents see as little as possible of their neighbors, and vice versa.<br />
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Superfluous walls are a recurring motif in this newer Jerusalem neighborhood. The neighborhood's name has the Hebrew word for "wall" in it, and one feels as though the metaphor has been taken to an insane extreme. In my <a href="http://jlmsnouthouse.blogspot.com/2011/05/tomb-with-view.html">last post</a> I described the crypt-like atmosphere of a playground surrounded by a wall (where a simple metal railing ought to have sufficed). There are many other examples. Here, for instance, one finds a wall placed directly in front of a building entrance, for no apparent purpose other than that of concealing the entrance from passersby:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDVsSO-_0vCsVrzh07uiRR3lqFO8xnAZZxgLV1zdmi0u_CGR5ISyVbaGOxm0cDF1SPeaPcpnuRPNuBbTx5YZ6xAADyBLYvIbwuzoAgs8gdf1W96Dhjjq5_KZnzNYVbjpTjuWrSE8cmYNw/s1600/S5003331.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605376520930556386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDVsSO-_0vCsVrzh07uiRR3lqFO8xnAZZxgLV1zdmi0u_CGR5ISyVbaGOxm0cDF1SPeaPcpnuRPNuBbTx5YZ6xAADyBLYvIbwuzoAgs8gdf1W96Dhjjq5_KZnzNYVbjpTjuWrSE8cmYNw/s320/S5003331.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br /><br />This is the view from behind the wall (the mailboxes could, obviously, have been placed elsewhere, e.g., next to the building door):<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AY2ZaaV1PqgQIkGMb0NsoLSZ2aIldK2EYqccZMDsW2uGDx3z45GJBaoINHnX3fvl4f_RwcXY99lGcyGH286gAbPZgVT22TMIMuFc4oIXjiSoFLrRlqIxn2uiYlUwHOVwPKT7OWYVqx0/s1600/S5003332.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605376825192025330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AY2ZaaV1PqgQIkGMb0NsoLSZ2aIldK2EYqccZMDsW2uGDx3z45GJBaoINHnX3fvl4f_RwcXY99lGcyGH286gAbPZgVT22TMIMuFc4oIXjiSoFLrRlqIxn2uiYlUwHOVwPKT7OWYVqx0/s320/S5003332.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />Apparently, the project architect felt that <strong><em>only the building residents</em></strong> should be entitled to see the tiny patch of shrubbery near the entrance. Should a passerby on the sidewalk happen to catch a glimpse of it, that would be tantamount to an invasion of the residents' privacy.<br /><br />
The architect also seems to have felt that the building residents would prefer to see a wall as they exit the building, rather than the sidewalk, as in most normal Jerusalem architecture of the previous century.<br /><br />This architectural style constitutes a clear departure from the past -- aesthetically and morally.<br /><br />Why this fear of seeing one's neighbors? Of being seen? Why the obsession with privacy, at the expense of any normal, natural concern for the public sphere? From where did we get the idea that it is okay to dishonor the street?<br /><br />I get it that Israelis want more luxurious living conditions than those offered by the typical apartment building of 30 or 40 years ago. The exposure to Western standards -- to the glimpses of suburban home decor that abound on American television -- has likely changed everyone's outlook, and driven demand for larger apartments and for a "<em>mifrat techni ashir</em>" -- the "high-caliber" specifications that are always being touted by new residential projects and which are supposed to make buyers feel that they are getting something exceptional.<br /><br />I can understand that Israelis want a reprieve from the tiny apartments and modest conditions of past decades. But I fail to understand why one's privacy and quality of life are "hurt" when a passerby gets to see the outside of one's building. Why do we have to feel that our standard of living in the private sphere can be ensured only by showing contempt for the public sphere, or by doing away with it entirely?<br />
Julie@walkablejlmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17457867529399394774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131109057897232296.post-26081366088809372092011-05-08T11:48:00.001-07:002011-07-20T13:38:24.151-07:00A tomb with a view<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHugsQDpzvkOonaD5vgk1VX5Q2LmXm1aCCWfUJOUXA_C0XPlIo70nd54o-yNK6drUrs7gfu-n_R5owOhCiO_24s8NMFXBDkwQ3ozGwLS1WFhkIlZjjo7TgcisENl7NLNI7RAk2Z4azQE/s1600/S5003925.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHugsQDpzvkOonaD5vgk1VX5Q2LmXm1aCCWfUJOUXA_C0XPlIo70nd54o-yNK6drUrs7gfu-n_R5owOhCiO_24s8NMFXBDkwQ3ozGwLS1WFhkIlZjjo7TgcisENl7NLNI7RAk2Z4azQE/s200/S5003925.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604439345914123490" /></a>The main impetus behind this blog is a nagging feeling that common sense is being increasingly abandoned in current Jerusalem construction practice. Basically, time-honored rules for building pleasant and attractive edifices, streets and facilities have been forgotten, and a new set of rules, as rigid as they are illogical, has been adopted.<br /><br />What makes a playground a fun and happy place to spend time in?<br /><br /><strong>Visibility</strong>, for starters.<br /><br /><div align="left"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604422744325906930" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitc4sAsaZW_ok9zKqux0a5mcEQAoCtauGZVMjnOI3EMfu3M8ow7DVl0aRJYC83LE3s0nvHdSPFgGBEtLc7VaNyZI6GkgjvqkqIGNrM99gzwrMsXQ1iKR7tSIvgz2t7_UOnva00LC7r30w/s200/S5003350.JPG" border="0" />People like to see their friends and neighbors. When I pass by a playground, I<em> want to see who's in it</em>. Maybe I'll join them! When I'm sitting in a playground with my kids, <em>I want to see who's passing by on the sidewalk</em>. Maybe I'll call to them and they'll join me! Young children in general love to stand by park fences and peer between the bars at the world around them. They enjoy watching people, cars, motorcycles, strollers with other young children, garbage trucks, police cars, etc., pass by. </div><br /><br />But the folks who design playgrounds these days in Jerusalem have other priorities.<br />Here is a "top-secret" playground in one of Jerusalem's newer, peripheral neighborhoods:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb7bFUm19uAS9KJVctelFnYHXgRfnzbNH-UfWlDKbmSo6La_JmvxOZD7WFdZBzHhinYQN5ZOk5RIdZZ4ha8VrBnwFzIkcKWQ30KrGZO5czn16ZBcxeho_YYJBtFgakepkgCpl2OU7oN0E/s1600/S5003930.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604433784359754290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb7bFUm19uAS9KJVctelFnYHXgRfnzbNH-UfWlDKbmSo6La_JmvxOZD7WFdZBzHhinYQN5ZOk5RIdZZ4ha8VrBnwFzIkcKWQ30KrGZO5czn16ZBcxeho_YYJBtFgakepkgCpl2OU7oN0E/s320/S5003930.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmk1u4Gg3Rghyq-vUCibGhIhY2o-PW-D17ZN3OKCo8nHE6shRlw5SPeoz5GnSVBwEheYlE3xXyNNeKh_2Y5-ndhGJ8UKyWg61fJHdB94dTrSgZXdA-4L0w1MwoQZJcTDXcjp2LrQfcE4A/s1600/S5003928.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmk1u4Gg3Rghyq-vUCibGhIhY2o-PW-D17ZN3OKCo8nHE6shRlw5SPeoz5GnSVBwEheYlE3xXyNNeKh_2Y5-ndhGJ8UKyWg61fJHdB94dTrSgZXdA-4L0w1MwoQZJcTDXcjp2LrQfcE4A/s320/S5003928.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617261610804189890" /></a><br /><br />The play-crypt ... What's on the other side of the stone wall? Why, the <em>sidewalk</em>, of course. Wouldn't want to expose anyone in the playground to <em>that</em>, would we?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN36iTZLruIkiHKAuWJEJweHBoKu6xMTNxS2LJz1-ZmOeNGg9B3V_9oEwf6wh601LH6xnI9c1-ghPlC3GxqNTx6HFYPWA8jPaHWRQux249akQ1wIhSIwIX5mP45hUQob3XEYJ_QFTGrpc/s1600/S5003926.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN36iTZLruIkiHKAuWJEJweHBoKu6xMTNxS2LJz1-ZmOeNGg9B3V_9oEwf6wh601LH6xnI9c1-ghPlC3GxqNTx6HFYPWA8jPaHWRQux249akQ1wIhSIwIX5mP45hUQob3XEYJ_QFTGrpc/s320/S5003926.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617262805418710770" /></a><br /><br /><br />My, that bench looks inviting, doesn't it?<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTVLxWYZ0kg9nG8eIg_0F4FVp2QlvJFLPXzFu0Pk5kQfTHaexbFXDzvTbFW38eBwtBDRr1yo9Yo7LG16WTdQmfzedVyi26ZH6CC9iZr8JpHqwenGhUHQoXCJzN7fYF4B2x06GsFmD0pE/s1600/S5003929.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTVLxWYZ0kg9nG8eIg_0F4FVp2QlvJFLPXzFu0Pk5kQfTHaexbFXDzvTbFW38eBwtBDRr1yo9Yo7LG16WTdQmfzedVyi26ZH6CC9iZr8JpHqwenGhUHQoXCJzN7fYF4B2x06GsFmD0pE/s320/S5003929.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617263710602975746" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />What's really weird is that from the other side of the playground you can see out to the far reaches of the neighborhood, and beyond:<br /><strong>A tomb with a view!</strong><br /><br /><br /><br />The new construction rules in Jerusalem seem to be:<br />1)If you can build a wall, do it.<br />2)If you can block people's view of the street in front of them, do it.<br />3)Force people to look out at what's far away from them. Call it "<em><strong>nof</strong></em>" ("a view"). They'll think they're getting something good, and won't miss the <strong>human-scaled</strong> view they're being deprived of.<br />4)Make sure to keep trees out of children's play areas. Don't just <strong>delay </strong>planting them: <strong>leave no space in which to plant them</strong>. That way you can ensure permanent shadelessness, and consequent non-use of the playground during most daytime hours.Julie@walkablejlmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17457867529399394774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131109057897232296.post-13476918004353676202011-03-17T00:38:00.000-07:002020-06-19T00:49:46.472-07:00A car mentality<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5OHW7xaSXCEAmjlztqYs9OvOh_m_Lcb-GfZsCgDzZWxly1_0zvaT7JpQJeJTVfOybii9kgqaZilatz3nVeTCVHagYmDmo9smBOQbVp6HgoXw3bWKDZvA_sMAXURYQLpGOg2QHAHWsJRc/s1600/Sde+Boker.jpg"></a><br />
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<span style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 85%;"></span><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584937207106127410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5OHW7xaSXCEAmjlztqYs9OvOh_m_Lcb-GfZsCgDzZWxly1_0zvaT7JpQJeJTVfOybii9kgqaZilatz3nVeTCVHagYmDmo9smBOQbVp6HgoXw3bWKDZvA_sMAXURYQLpGOg2QHAHWsJRc/s200/Sde+Boker.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;" /> This post was inspired by a talkback to an article in <em>Ynet Magazine. </em>The article, entitled <a href="http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4040423,00.html">"Back to the Desert"</a>, is about A.B. Yehoshua's plans to spend a weekend at Kibbutz Sde Boker (pictured at left, with ibex), and why he thinks settling the Negev would solve our density and demographic problems, and restore the old-time Zionist values that made Israel's first prime minister go to settle the desert in a shack ...<br />
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Yehoshua's invocation of Ben-Gurion at Kibbutz Sde Boker stands in stark contrast to the values embodied in talkback #12 to the article:<br />
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<span style="color: black;">To make the Negev attractive would take little things, which make for well-planned cities. If we planned a city from the start, we'd have <strong><em>roads wide enough for 2 lanes of traffic, despite the fact that cars will park on both sides of the streets</em></strong>, unfortunately Israeli-style. <strong><em>Every SINGLE place of business and school would have an actual parking lot</em></strong>, suitable for the cars that will actually need to park there. Real urban planning will go a long way. Israelis' would flock to a well-planned place. [emphases mine - WiJ]</span></blockquote>
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Without wanting to "flame" an unsuspecting talkbacker, it's hard not to be distressed that the talkbacker's only planning desiderata relate to the <strong>convenience of drivers</strong>, and reflect zero <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walkability"><strong>walkability</strong> </a>awareness.<br />
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When we think of Sde Boker or any other kibbutz, images of large, green public spaces generally come to mind. Folks walking or scooting around on bicycles. The kibbutznik doesn't own a car; he doesn't need one. He can get to work/kindergarten/the clinic/the post office, etc., on foot or by bike. And as he walks or pedals along, he enjoys the lovingly-tended common areas that reflect the kibbutz's community-friendly values.<br />
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These values, which A.B. Yehoshua links with old-fashioned Zionism, do not require a kibbutz environment in order to be realized. They can exist quite well in an urban setting, such as Jerusalem's Rehavia neighborhood, whose green and welcoming semi-public spaces reflect the values of its original inhabitants -- Zionist leaders of the pre- and early-statehood period.<br />
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Those were the days when <strong>people didn't think they needed cars for every shopping excursion; when children walked to school</strong> -- or got there in large buses, rather than being chauffered by their parents in private automobiles.<br />
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It's no accident that Rehavia has some of the most expensive real estate on the planet. People like to live in communities that are walkable. The talkbacker notes that "Israelis would flock to a well-planned community" -- in fact, wealthy Israelis and foreigners are doing just that throughout Jerusalem's walkable older neighborhoods.<br />
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But these are precisely the neighborhoods that <strong><em>don't</em></strong> have wide roads to accommodate both two-way traffic and parking on both sides of the street. These are the neighborhoods where "every SINGLE place of business and school" <strong><em>doesn't</em></strong> have a parking lot.<br />
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The fact is that narrow roads and a lack of off-street parking are actually <strong>tools used by enlightened planners to promote walking, bicycling and the use of public transportation</strong> over the use of private automobiles.<br />
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Dom Nozzi, an American urban planner who writes compellingly about walkability and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Urbanism">New Urbanism</a> topics, has this to say about<a href="http://domz60.wordpress.com/2011/03/08/widening-roads-is-socialism"> widening roads to relieve congestion</a>:<br />
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<span style="color: black;">[I]n the face of a tolled or congested road, a number of motorists will choose to avoid the road. Some will choose an alternative road nearby. Or will drive at a different time of day (instead of rush hour). Or will walk, bicycle or use transit. Or will forego the trip completely. In the long run, many people would move closer to their destinations.<br /><br />But widening a road short-circuits these self-regulating changes in travel behavior. A widened road that is free to use says to motorists: “Feel free to use this major road to drive across town at rush hour to rent a video!”]</span></blockquote>
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Regarding the talkbacker's demand for a "parking lot for EVERY SINGLE place of business and school," it's worth checking out the <a href="http://www.mrsc.org/Subjects/PubSafe/offpark.aspx">off-street parking links</a> at the Municipal Research and Services Center, a non-profit organization offering professional consulting services to local government in Washington State. The MRSC notes that "[n]ewer off-street parking ordinances recognize both the necessity of parking and <span style="color: black;"><strong><span style="color: black;">the need to reduce dependence on the automobile by encouraging transit and other alternative transportation modes</span></strong></span>." [emphasis mine - WiJ]<br />
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The planning perspective represented by the talkbacker quoted above produces the following<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6TQm1rRBtj5fK8T_4ydkQ1tZTBiB4O25RuHjem9Ktc7cJyAnWzItrjhYrSURaVbmbZv2GnA9lvXsPK5nPwzfC-FHVxm7QqH304euRH6wqmSJxg6BF9M5SdFgXY-4nUTEzgc_m5XOOa8/s1600/big+box+shopping.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584943109521892066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6TQm1rRBtj5fK8T_4ydkQ1tZTBiB4O25RuHjem9Ktc7cJyAnWzItrjhYrSURaVbmbZv2GnA9lvXsPK5nPwzfC-FHVxm7QqH304euRH6wqmSJxg6BF9M5SdFgXY-4nUTEzgc_m5XOOa8/s320/big+box+shopping.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 225px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a><br />
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Wouldn't you rather shop here:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmgnE8SAvKURS_dCxUO5-cVlHbgpjNNtxPbzubUbD9KHvaywFfwQwIBHYbx4TqzXW9LJpVVZdKzdFWo2ehK8sEaMlX_2f1-XnirwggZ3kByvsxtpLSPkL8RaAYBvQfr3C8RXx3Dz0pUYI/s1600/walkable+shopping%252C+Washington+GA.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584943759851187170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmgnE8SAvKURS_dCxUO5-cVlHbgpjNNtxPbzubUbD9KHvaywFfwQwIBHYbx4TqzXW9LJpVVZdKzdFWo2ehK8sEaMlX_2f1-XnirwggZ3kByvsxtpLSPkL8RaAYBvQfr3C8RXx3Dz0pUYI/s320/walkable+shopping%252C+Washington+GA.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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Photo credits:<br />
<em>Ibex at Sde Boker</em>: Hannah Sivan via the <a class="external text" href="http://www.pikiwiki.org.il/?action=gallery&img_id=4533" rel="nofollow">PikiWiki </a><br />
<em>Big-box shopping</em>: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wal-Mart_in_Madison_Heights.jpg">Ben Schumin -- Wikipedia</a><br />
<em>Washington, GA storefronts</em>: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Washington,_Georgia_storefronts_in_Commercial_Historic_District.JPG">TampAGS, for AGS Media (via Wikipedia)</a><br />
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<span style="color: black;"></span>Julie@walkablejlmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17457867529399394774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131109057897232296.post-52928271873425248932011-02-16T02:38:00.000-08:002020-06-19T00:48:42.739-07:00A Woman's touch?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPkD-idenDBCjeo3CdR7FNPcWthQ5kUXbwy0uIfdRyBqr219hoOxaYLRmM6gphvRiXdpVqbbShm8I1EBNFLx9jTUOYCjF2isinr6b4AozKpjBxtfJZY48L77SGceCPJmX8Olcthoqu5T0/s1600/young-construction-worker%255B1%255D.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575708333547317154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPkD-idenDBCjeo3CdR7FNPcWthQ5kUXbwy0uIfdRyBqr219hoOxaYLRmM6gphvRiXdpVqbbShm8I1EBNFLx9jTUOYCjF2isinr6b4AozKpjBxtfJZY48L77SGceCPJmX8Olcthoqu5T0/s200/young-construction-worker%255B1%255D.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 133px;" /></a><br />
A recent post on <i>The</i> <i>Forward's</i> Sisterhood blog , <a href="http://blogs.forward.com/sisterhood-blog/135072/">Breaking the Drywall Ceiling</a>, inspired me to reflect on the degree to which the planning and architectural issues that preoccupy me have a gender component.<br />
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The author, Dr. Elana Sztockman, celebrates the election of a woman, Ofira Golomev (גולומב) as chair of the Rishon LeZion branch of the Association of Contractors and Builders in Israel. Given the gender disparities in the construction sector to which Dr. Sztokman calls attention, one would have to agree that this is, indeed, a positive development, from a women's-status point of view.<br />
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What I'm wondering is whether Ms. Golomev's election has any meaning from an urban-planning and architectural point of view.<br />
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Are women, once in positions of influence, better equipped than men to push for well-designed neighborhoods and residential projects?<br />
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On the face of it, the answer would appear to be, <em>yes</em>. Women, particularly mothers, spend more time in the neighborhood and in the home and, it stands to reason, are more likely to be deeply affected by poor planning and construction. They also tend to be more aware of their children's needs and whether these needs are or aren't being served. If the nearest library is not within walking distance, if the street environment is <a href="http://streetswiki.wikispaces.com/Eyes+On+The+Street">unsafe due a lack of visibility from building windows and entrances</a>, if the local playgrounds are shadeless and unusable from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, the moms will know -- <strong>after the fact</strong>.<br />
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The question is, do they notice these details <strong>beforehand</strong>?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi50JEFNjm-WBMCMQ3aJ6ujKzPOxEvCMgOSyzJ24u5BQkIChyphenhyphenj5c5hRfmbxfO54R8FG0zTiwhOhwv33n2yvEvk-JRBjFkXbH7blSi2eXb9MWusIov4lAssI4HxgeXdAWJiLIWjWZOBMNcQ/s1600/S5003329.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617950829863647442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi50JEFNjm-WBMCMQ3aJ6ujKzPOxEvCMgOSyzJ24u5BQkIChyphenhyphenj5c5hRfmbxfO54R8FG0zTiwhOhwv33n2yvEvk-JRBjFkXbH7blSi2eXb9MWusIov4lAssI4HxgeXdAWJiLIWjWZOBMNcQ/s320/S5003329.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 240px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 320px;" /></a>It is tempting to connect the kind of wall-and-garage-dominated streetscape exemplified by the photo at left with a male design perspective. If we are to be guided by stereotypes, then we will affirm that men like their cars and want them to be well-housed. Men aren't around all day and might not realize that the lack of a <a href="http://jlmsnouthouse.blogspot.com/2011/01/paradox-haaretz-article-on-rehavia.html">semi-public space between the building and the street</a> leaves residents, and particularly children, with no place to be except in the house, the school, or the formal after-school activity.<br />
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But is the converse true? Do Israeli women, when they are in the process of buying a home, place a premium on street-friendly features? Do they care if the building has no entrance except through a garage? Do they notice if local playgrounds have been built with no trees anywhere in the vicinity of the play equipment?<br />
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Based on my own observation -- and, I must say, on my own past experience as a homebuyer completely ignorant of planning issues -- the answer is <em>no</em>.<br />
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Without trying to blame either men or women, I think it's fair to say that the Israeli home-buying public has almost no awareness of what makes a place pleasant to live in -- no awareness of neighborhood design. As <a href="http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-EdContributors/Article.aspx?id=174188">Gerard Heumann pointed out</a> last year after the Holyland scandal broke, "[t]hose who paid good money for apartments in Holyland, blind to its destructive impacts, could not imagine the present scenario."<br />
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Regarding the election of a woman to chair the Association of Contractors and Builders' Rishon branch: Sztokman points out that Golomev "has been influential in advancing many building projects." I would love to know what these projects are, what they look like, to what degree they embody urbanist values. Do they reflect a "woman's touch," or was Golomev's gender irrelevant to their design?<br />
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Sztokman quotes Golomev on the Association's "[...]social and communal agenda. For years the organization has produced the annual ceremony for granting scholarships to students with lesser abilities from Reshon Lezion. This is a continuing, respected tradition that the organization is very proud of.” This all sounds very nice, but what does it have to do with planning and architecture? Do these scholarships reflect a desire on the Association's part to create safe, healthy, walkable, livable communities, or are they a fig leaf for construction that is unfriendly to the community?<br />
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I would be very grateful for some feedback from readers in the Rishon LeZion area regarding the actual nature of Ms. Golomev's activity.<br />
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<strong>Photo credit: </strong><br />
<a href="http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/">Young Construction Worker : FreeDigitalPhotos.net</a>Julie@walkablejlmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17457867529399394774noreply@blogger.com0