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26

The Metropolitan Jerusalem Master Plan

The Metropolitan Jerusalem Master Plan

27

The Atarot industrial Area will

be designed to take in tens of

thousands of employees from

all areas of the metropolitan

Jerusalem region and from

other parts of the country.

There is no need to describe at length

the archeological sites in Jerusalem, their

potential for restoration, nor their ability to

attract visitors. These sites are widely-known

and are being attended to, even if further

work is needed. Therefore, we will focus here

on the more modern historical sites, those

built in the last 150 years in the New City of

Jerusalem.

While the historical structures found

within the Old City walls were included by

law in the list of protected archeological sites,

the structures outside the Old City generally

suffer from lack of appreciation. There is

also constant pressure to demolish or alter

them for the purpose of urban development

as part of the constant evolution of

developing neighborhoods. A living city is

a city in which continual change is a part its

cultural framework. The task of preservation

is to take advantage of development, see it

as an opportunity for the endowment of a

legacy, and manage urban development while

preserving the existing wisely.

There are only a few structures in the

New City built before the first half of the

19th century. These sites weren’t considered

to be part of the city of Jerusalem, at the

time they were built; rather, they were

part of farms and estates in proximity to

the city. Only a few compounds, such a

Mishkenot Sha’ananim and the Yemin Moshe

windmill, merited the appreciation and legal

recognition as heritage sites from the time

of establishment of the State and more of

them after the Six Day War. Preservation of

these structures is considered an important

component in shaping the Zionist story

of “leaving the walls.” Other sites, no less

historically significant, including the Schneller

Building and the Russian Compound, are

about to be demolished, althougha few

remnants of them may be preserved.

Jewish Jerusalem outside the Old City walls

was not built as a planned city. It evolved

along the historical lines from the gates of

the Old City, and the locations of the new

neighborhoods were chosen according to

whichever land was available for purchase and

building. Later on, neighborhoods evolved

surrounding newer centers. Subsequently,

neighborhoods with parks were built, even

further from the Old City. Some of these

neighborhoods weren’t even in the city limits

when they were built. Simultaneously, the

city’s Arab neighborhoods were developing in

slightly different ways.

Important institutions fueled the

expansion of the city in all directions. These

sites include the Bikkur Holim Hospital on

HaNevi’im Street, the old age homes at the

end of Yafo Street, the Hebrew University on

Mount Scopus, Bezalel, Terra Sancta, Augusta

Victoria, and Armon HaNatziv.

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Development of Sites in the New City

Many old streets and impressive structures scattered throughout the older

neighborhoods of the New City of Jerusalem are awaiting revitalization to

rescue them from neglect and add them to the city’s tourist sites.

The Mishkenot Sha’ananim

neighborhood and the Yemin Moshe

windmill merited appreciation and

protection at the time the State of

Israel was established. Preservation

of these structures is considered an

important component in shaping the

Zionist story of “leaving the walls.”

Jerusalem Rebuilt

Jerusalem Rebuilt