Tamra Gateway

Since Israel’s establishment, the development of Arab localities in Israel has mostly occurred spontaneously, without dedicated governmental planning, leading to a lack of organized urban centers. Today, the phenomenon of monocentricity (the concentration of most activities in a single urban center) is widespread in most Arab cities, where the majority of economic, cultural, and service activities are concentrated along one main urban axis, while the rest of the city is primarily designated for residential purposes. This situation results in traffic congestion, traffic jams and pollution, and negatively impacts the quality of life of the residents. Additionally, the rapid population growth in Arab localities increases the need for higher density and the development of urban solutions to cope with the rising demand for housing and services.

Given these challenges, there is an increasing need for a comprehensive policy that addresses urban planning in Arab localities, allowing for a better distribution of activity centers in the city while also responding to the need for increasing density.

In this context, the research question is: How can an urban centers planning policy be formulated for Arab localities in Israel? Can density be increased while preserving community life and improving quality of life, or will density become the new challenge for Arab localities in the future?

To explore this issue, the city of Tamra was chosen as a case study, where the urban project “Tamra Gateway” is planned, aiming to serve as a development model for all Arab localities across Israel.