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The Metropolitan Jerusalem Master Plan
The Metropolitan Jerusalem Master Plan
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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