The Center for Urban and Regional Studies, which was the first of its kind in Israel, was established at the Technion in 1969 by the late Prof. Moshe Hill. Since 1989, the Center has enjoyed the generous support of the Philip and Ethel Klutznick family. The Center is situated in the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, and is closely connected to the faculty’s Urban and Regional Planning Program. It cooperates with other research institutions and research fellows at the Technion and nationwide. The purpose of the Center is to promote knowledge concerning the understanding of processes of urban and regional development and functioning, and to help establish development policy on a national, regional, and local scale. The principles guiding the researchers’ work are, on one hand, excellence in research on an international standard, and on the other hand, contribution to the quality of life of the residents of Israel.
The center’s researchers are active in the following fields: land use planning, social planning, economic planning, psychological aspects of the relationship between humans and the environment, legal aspects of planning, environmental aspects in planning, housing, transportation, urban rehabilitation, local development, real estate development, natural resources and planning (water and energy), landscape planning and design, advanced computerized techniques in planning, public involvement in planning, mitigation of conflicts in the process of urban development, and planning for specific population groups, including Arabs, the elderly, and children.
The Center’s research is funded by national and international institutions and foundations, as well as by most Israeli government ministries, by local authorities, and by other public foundations in Israel. The knowledge accrued through these studies is distributed to decision makers, planners, and research fellows through a variety of means: first and foremost, through an independent publishing house, which publishes books, reports, and position papers (in both Hebrew and English), as well as through seminars, symposia, and public conferences. The Center’s researchers frequently take part in international and Israeli scientific and professional conferences, and serve in public, national, and local committees.
Research and publication fields:
- Planning and plans at various levels: national, regional, and local
- Housing, construction, and urban renewal
- Land policy and real estate development
- Economic development and spatial dynamics
- Land and transportation use
- Natural resources, environment, and landscape
- Social and psychological aspects in planning
- Planning in the Arab sector
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