Urban Renewal Post Covid-19

About a year and a half ago, the entire world underwent a dramatic change due to the spread of the corona virus, which had dire consequences both personally and interpersonally, and nationally and internationally – from the collapse of health systems and eruption of economic crises, to social isolation and poor mental health.

The project focuses on the Kiryat Eliezer – a neighborhood in western Haifa, where a master plan for urban renewal has been approved. The project seeks to present urban renewal from a new perspective, driven by the concept of a healthy city and the daily needs of the tenants, taking into consideration five healthy values: nature and landscape, work and learning, mixed use, walkability and social diversity. In addition, it aims to re-conceptualize existing concepts such as: service radius, community, meetings, common spaces and outdoor areas that influence the design typology.

The project proposes a conceptual shift regarding public spaces and examines them within complex residential typologies – termed the “Home Threshold Complex” – which include a distinct mix of uses that produces a campus of sorts. The complex provides for all the tenants’ life cycle needs without their having to leave in times of emergency, while also maintaining openness and urban connection based on walkability and diversity of interaction spaces.