The Story of Hava

Compared to other cities in Israel, where industrial zones are distinct and enclosed areas that develop on its outskirts, the Haifa Bay industrial zone is located in the heart of the metropolitan area. Since the 1930s, the Haifa Bay quarter has been home to the main industrial zone of the Haifa metropolitan area. This was the first modern industrial zone established during that period in Israel and remains one of the largest in the country today. The phenomenon of “an industrial zone in the heart of the city rather than on its periphery” occurred as a result of the development and expansion of the adjacent cities of Haifa, known as the Krayot. The Krayot is a cluster of small settlements that emerged in the mid-1930s, north of Haifa. Over time, the boundaries between the settlements became blurred, and Haifa annexed Kiryat Haim and Kiryat Shmuel, which developed along the northern border of the industrial zone, thus establishing the entrapment of the industrial zone within the city’s walls, both in a municipal sense and not just perceptually.

The research addresses the integration of industrial heritage preservation in a renewing urban space, focusing on the case of the Haifa tank farm, which is effectively at risk of extinction with the signing of National Outline Plan 75 (TAMA 75). In the past decade, there has been a decline in industry within the city and a relocation to uninhabited areas. The National Outline Plan TAMA 75, which was approved with the aim of clearing the Haifa metropolitan area of industrial zones and developing a new city in its place, lacks context and connection to the spirit of the place. Following the approval of TAMA 75, the Haifa Bay outline plan led to a government resolution to cease industrial activity and vacate industrial facilities in the area.

As a result of the urban renewal, industrial and craft areas in city centers are undergoing processes of revitalization and transforming into residential, business, or mixed-use areas. All this is turning the “black hole” into the heart of the city, combining various land uses within the same area, such as housing, commerce, and employment.

Throughout the research, a discussion takes place on the fate of post-industrial cities, the reasons and consequences of industrial relocation that led to either great success or total collapse of the city, alongside an examination of important issues such as “How can we act differently to prevent a major disaster?”, “Why have Florentine and Docklands succeeded to cope with the industrial relocation as compared to Detroit, which experienced a surge in crime and negative migration?”, and “Does the relocation of industry endanger Haifa and might turn it into another Detroit?”