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The Metropolitan Jerusalem Master Plan
The Metropolitan Jerusalem Master Plan
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year 2050 the current political problems will
be resolved in a manner that will preserve a
unified metropolitan Jerusalem. We did not
address how this conflict will be resolved,
a question that is beyond the boundaries of
this plan, but we presumed (for apolitical
reasons) that the metropolitan Jerusalem
region will not be divided. Thus, we relate to
the metropolis as a territorial stretch wherein
people and goods move freely. We further
presumed that in 2050 there will be some 5
million residents living in the metropolitan
Jerusalem region, and some 12 million
tourists visiting the city annually.
Jerusalem is the historic, modern,
and future capital of the Hebrew nation
- the Jewish people. In Jerusalem and
the surrounding area, the culture, faith,
and ethics of the nation were formed
over the millennia. Many of those ideals
transformed to inform universal values
which are common to other nations and
have informed other religions and peoples.
Jerusalem is considered holy to adherents
of the Abrahamic religions and many strive
to visit the city. The Master Plan’s vision
understands the importance of realizing
Jerusalem’s destiny as a global spiritual
center, capable of serving millions of
tourists from Israel and abroad and offering
them a unique, spiritual, and religious
experience.
Metropolitan Planning for Jerusalem as a Socio-Economic Model
Changing
awareness:
Jerusalem as
the center of the
metropolitan
region
Realizing
the unique
potential: A holy
cosmopolitan
city
Promoting
the
metropolitan
tourism
development
plan
Development
and preservation
of a region of
cultural legacy
– infrastructure
development
The inclusive
2050
Metropolitan
Master Plan
Leading
projects for
realizing the
vision
Improving the
economy for the
city of Jerusalem
and its residents
(solving the
poverty
situation)
emphasizes the three issues which are, in
the opinion of the initiators of this plan
and the Planning Committee, strategic
issues that bear impact on the realization
of the general vision: tourism, hotels, the
transportation system, and open spaces.
The Jerusalem 5800 Project offers a
brave economic and multi-pronged vision
for metropolitan Jerusalem. It presents
an opportunity to turn Jerusalem into a
cosmopolitan city, but this vision requires
broadmindedness and the ability to see
beyond the current reality.
A regional hub for future tourists – 35
million people will travel through a new
airport each year – in addition to the 16
million that are to travel through Ben-
Gurion Airport, combining to make Israel
one of the largest centers for air travel in
the world. This factor will increase the GNP
and significantly improve employment
rates in Israel, as just one million additional
tourists would increase Israel’s GNP by
2.5%.
Currently, Jerusalem faces serious
political issues, which are part of the
political dynamic facing the entire State of
Israel. From an urban point of view, the
Arab-Israeli conflict has led to the physical
division of the area by the separation
barrier, a division that poses problems for
the quality of life within the Jerusalem
metropolis as well as posing ecological
problems. Therefore, in our estimation,
this current political status-quo cannot
remain in the long-term in metropolitan
Jerusalem or in the overall Judea and
Samaria region. We presume that by the
Even today, the Old City
of Jerusalem is a mosaic
of religious and spiritual
tourism that meshes with
classic tourism. A beautiful
expression of this is seen
in the Christian Quarter
market, which is both a
central passageway to
Jewish, Christian, and
Muslim holy sites, and
a focal point for Holy
Land souvenir shopping.
Sights in the marketplace,
Summer 2015
The vision