Sweet Dreams and Green Fields

Maintaining our planet’s natural resources is increasingly challenging as cities are taking over open landscapes as part of the accelerate urbanization process. Open landscapes are limited resources that are essential for preserving biodiversity and reducing the ecological damage caused by construction and urban development. Israel is part of this global urbanization phenomena and acting to enlarge cities by spreading over natural landscapes. Enlarging urban areas at the expanse of open landscapes is easier to achieve than increasing the density of built areas, and it has been at the foundation of Israel’s development approach since its establishment. Over the years, cities have expanded without preserving nature or its quality. The standard solution to prevent the loss of open landscapes is to increase the density of built areas and limit their expansion. However, this action intensifies the disconnection between the city’s population and nature and deepens the fundamental separation between the inside and outside of the city.

I believe that urban development could be the foundation of the connection between nature conservation and man as a way to integrate nature into everyday city life. Therefore, the project suggests preserving natural landscape while strengthening the relationship between the city’s population and nature. My case study is an area around the main road that stretches from my hometown, Rehovot, to the nearby town of Ness-Ziona. The area is a braking point between city centers and between the business district and green fields. Furthermore, it prioritizes motor vehicles over pedestrians. Today, the areas are characterized as urban and human wilderness with future plans to expand construction over the open landscapes. The project addresses urban development needs while maintaining significant and sequential natural open areas bordering the urban area. The project is based on encouraging foot traffic: Naturebility, which is a stroll between the city’s landscape and nature while creating a new kind of experience by planning green landscapes accessible by a few minutes’ walk from every area inside the city.