Jerusalem 5800 English

102

The Metropolitan Jerusalem Master Plan

103

Four rows of trees,

separated lanes, a

pedestrian and cycling

expanse, and a two-

direction pedestrian

conveyor sidewalk.

Simulated image of

a boulevard with a

maximum of smart street

characteristics

Sustainability in Jerusalem

meet and hold social events, an impromptu

lounge for alternating art exhibits and a

convenient route for all to use in getting

around the city. Creating an inclusive

infrastructure which is accessible to all

of the capital’s residents and visitors, and

connects its neighborhoods with each

other, will increase everyone’s ability to

enjoy what metropolitan Jerusalem has

to offer and bring the periphery and the

historical center closer to each other,

while effectively making the city center

bigger and expediting the development of

neighborhoods as a source of attainable

housing with new qualities. The ability

to get around for free will remove the

economic barriers between people, and

the ability to get around on Shabbat will

remove religious barriers – all of this while

significantly lowering air pollution.

There is a significant difference between

the winds during the cold season and the

hot season in Jerusalem. Cold winter winds

bringing rain come in from the west. In

contrast, summer breezes come in from the

northwest. The difference between wind

flow directions in summer and winter in

Jerusalem allow us to use these elements in

planning for both protections from winter

winds and for taking in the summer breeze.

Plants provide an excellent means of

balancing the winds. On one hand, soft,

pleasant movement surrounds every

leaf and every tree. On the other hand,

rows of trees and bushes are much more

effective for protecting from strong winds

than structures such as walls or buildings.

Tall buildings can create a quiet area

protected from winds, but ultimately they

amplify the winds. When the wind hits a

building, there is dynamic pressure on the

façade, creating high wind speeds over the

ground surrounding the building. Thus,

construction of buildings higher than five

storeys (about 15 meters) without planting

at least one row of trees around it should

be avoided. These trees will moderate wind

speeds around buildings in the winter.

Herzog Street with

simulated image of the

pedestrian conveyor belt

Sustainability in Jerusalem

is similar to a Shabbat elevator, and even

religious people would be able to use it on

Shabbat, decreasing air pollution all week.

The existence of a pedestrian conveyor

belt on any given street is expected to

significantly lessen the number of cars

traveling through the neighborhood

streets. Use of conveyor belts will solve

transportation accessibility for people

with disabilities and babies in strollers.

Free moving sidewalks will especially help

weaker populations – particularly those

with many children.

For a small, largely one-time investment,

any street with enough space for a 4-meter

or more traffic island can become a

beautiful boulevard where two rows of

trees envelop a moving sidewalk. Such

transformation, inexpensive and simple

to implement, is possible on almost all

Jerusalem roads, such as Derech Hebron,

Zvia and Yitzhak, Moshe Baram, Kanfei

Nesharim, Yirmiyahu, Ben Gurion, and

many others.

There is good potential for creating a

10 km ring of boulevards, incorporating

conveyor belt sidewalks for public

transportation, a green expanse, and

tourist and commerce points along. In the

initial stage, it is proposed that a network

of such boulevards connect King David,

Agron, Azza, Herzog, and Yaakov Pat

Streets and The Railway Park. The ring

of boulevards will serve as a place for

cultural events and tens of businesses:

kiosks, cafés, boutiques, and more. It will

serve as an enormous linear park and a real

tourist attraction. In the second stage, the

network of pedestrian conveyor sidewalks

will be set throughout the entire city, and

later on, even certain areas in the greater

metropolitan region.

The boulevard network will serve as a

lively urban expanse, a place for people to

The difference in the

direction of air flow

in Jerusalem in the

winter and summer

makes it possible

to use the same

planning elements in

all seasons.