sustainable Jerusalem

Undoubtedly, as we have been reminded by architect David Kroyanker's recent book, Jerusalem's Street of the Prophets is one of the most interesting urban entities in Israel: "Jerusalem, as reflected by the Street of the Prophets and its surroundings, is a living museum of various cultures, ways of life and architectural styles." Indeed, the Street of the Prophets is a gem both historically and architecturally, as well as a unique social phenomenon in that it serves Jews, Muslims and Christians alike.

Extending from the Old City's main entrance and Arab market at the Damascus Gate through the New City up to Davidka Square and the Jewish market of Mahane Yehuda, the Street of the Prophets connects the diverse populations it touches as it passes between the modern city center and the Orthodox neighborhood of Mea Shearim, while also housing such important foreign institutions as the Anglican School, the Swedish Theological Institute and the Lycee Francais.

This unique mix of locals and foreigners, of religious and secular populations, all living, meeting or studying along and around the street, is enriched by the working population, both Jerusalemites and commuters, like the clerks of the Ministry of Education or the Arab laborers waiting for job offers at the intersection with Road Number One. Furthermore, the outstanding historic character of the area attracts numerous visitors and tourists, making it the most popular choice of guided tours outside the Old City.

Last among the populations served by the Street of the Prophets are the drivers, whose growing numbers present a difficult problem. Research demonstrates that heavy traffic obstructs social interaction while degrading the quality of life. As has happened in many historic centers invaded by through traffic, there exists an inherent conflict between those who live or walk on a street and those who drive down it en route to another destination.

The Preservation and Development Plan presented here considers the Street of the Prophets to be a uniquely valuable space for social exchange among the various sectors of the Jerusalem public on the one hand, and between visitors and Jerusalemites on the other. It views the street as an integral component of the historic city center, where cars should be largely restricted and made unnecessary by virtue of an efficient public transport system. In this perspective, the future transformation of Jaffa Road in preparation for the new light-rail could represent a decisive step towards the revitalization of the city center. It could introduce an important change into our travel habits: using public transport because it is both faster and cheaper than a car. However, if the narrow Street of the Prophets is widened into a main artery in order to compensate for the restrictions on Jaffa Road, then nothing will have been achieved. Why should we use the light-rail if the city center remains accessible by car? Like buses today, the light-rail will be considered a second-rate means of transportation -- for children, youth and economically weak populations.

Bringing more cars onto the Street of the Prophets, and thus into the heart of the city center, will cause what always happens in historic urban centers when this kind of policy is adopted: more social, economic and physical decay. The most beautiful street outside the Old City walls should not fall victim to the new light-rail on Jaffa Road. On the contrary, it should be simultaneously re-developed as the green, quiet, cultural complement of the commercial, busy, noisy, main Jaffa Road thoroughfare. Perhaps is is preferable to allow some vehicular traffic on Jaffa Road in addition to the light-rail. Perhaps it is time to think about a car-free center or about underground traffic. In any case, new ideas and concepts are required.

The same can be said of the actual development policy, with its blind faith in the benefits of high rise. High-rise buildings in historic centers are detrimental to urban life, especially when the local economy is not exceptionally strong in the first place. Projects planned for the area, such as the massive structure in front of the Sergei compound on Monbaz Street or the bombastic building planned for Wallenberg Street, are monsters that will not only destroy the social and urban fabric of their surroundings but will also further compromise the dynamics of Jerusalem's economic development.

Everything possible should be done to stop the degradation process begun in 1948 and to restore the quality of life that made the Street of the Prophets famous. The area still has enormous potential and should be treated as an exemplary urban and economic challenge combining preservation and development. The re-use and renovation of the historic buildings should go hand in hand with the integration of new ones, especially for housing. Living in a renovated neighborhood adjacent to the Street of the Prophets, with its green courtyards and beautiful architecture, just a few minutes' walk from both modern and ancient sites, can again become an exclusive privilege. Together with Jaffa Road, the Street of the Prophets should be returned to its time-honored role in a user-friendly and environmentally healthy Jerusalem.

Street of the Prophets plan

The goal of the Preservation and Development Plan for the Street of the Prophets is twofold:

first, to propose realistic and balanced planning schemes for
preserving the historic fabric of the street and integrating new buildings
and public spaces into it;

second, to add fresh material to the ongoing debate about the future of Jerusalem's city center and its historic 19th century and early 20th
century urban heritage.

Implementation of this plan could provide some 250.000 square meters for new purposes, not including the re-use of historic structures and their possible extension. In addition to the four areas proposed for redevelopment by our team, other projects are planned for the street as well. Although some of these other projects take the Street of the Prophets' scale and character into account, others simply ignore them. Those that ignore these vital considerations should be re-examined and adapted in a friendly way to the historic context.

To guarantee the success of all the projects along the street, be they geared to preservation or to development, we strongly recommend integrating them into a comprehensive urban Closed Economic Market, encompassing all the renovation and building projects within the historic city center. The aggregate economic contribution of the new buildings and extensions inside this historic territory could then be used to support and sustain non-lucrative projects, such as landscaping the streets, cleaning historic facades, building public and educational facilities, etc.

Within the limits of the city center, each new planning project should start with a Preservation Plan. Indeed, the city center is no longer a "New City" but rather a rich and complex web of historic streets and neighborhoods. As presented here, this preliminary Preservation Plan should clearly define Outstanding and Typical Buildings, Historic Compounds and Urban Fabrics. As in all historic centers, a comprehensive and scientific preservation plan, and the research process leading up to it, are the necessary conditions for any further planning if it is to be appropriate to the site and improve the quality of its environment.

It is by virtue of such a Preservation Plan that we were able to undertake our Development Plan. We identified four main areas of Inner City Growth, of development within and between the preserved sites, as well as the type of program best suited to each of them. Eventually, a comprehensive "Image of the City" emerged. As illustrated by the aerial view of the "New Triangle", this Image of the City integrates three main spatial models into an historic/contemporary vision of the Jerusalem urban fabric: the Green Courtyard model, the Boulevard model and, in one specific context, a Jerusalem version of the modern Tower.

The Green Courtyard Model. This typology applies to the areas along
      the street that have been defined as historic urban fabrics and
      compounds, those that were formed during the Ottoman period (see
      preservation plan). This model follows a long tradition of authentic
      Jerusalem architecture, respectful of the scale and spirit of the city and
      using the courtyard as a basic pattern in its renovation. The maximum
      height of this first type of building is four storeys, possibly with a
      supplementary storey on or inside the (sloped, domed or flat) roof.

The Boulevard Model. This typology was introduced during the British
      Mandate and is still relevant for main commercial streets like Jaffa
      Road or for the new boulevard facade proposed for Road Number
      One. It is characterized by a commercial street-front two storeys high,
      preferably with public arcades, and three to five upper storeys for
      housing, work or tourism, with two possible supplementary storeys
      inside the (sloped) roof.

The Jerusalem Tower Model. This typology is used only once in the
      plan, for an area which is actually outside the historic domain of the
      Street of the Prophets. It is a narrow building some nine to twelve
      storeys high, with the possibility of two or three supplementary storeys
       inside the (pointed or domed) roof. This kind of building should be
      allowed only in the proximity of existing high rises, and is proposed in
      our plan for Davidka Square in order to soften the vulgarity of the Clal
      Center and the massive new housing complex next to it, thus
      contributing to the creation of a specific Jerusalem version of the
       modern downtown image. This would seem to be the only way of
      creating an interesting high-rise urban environment: not by erecting
      isolated monoliths in the heart of low-rise historic fabrics or at the
      crest of the Jerusalem skyline, but rather by grouping them as close
       together as possible. Furthermore, the re-introduction of sloped,
      pointed and domed roofs crowning the new buildings would create a
      strong connection to a typical local feature while softening the rooftop
      skyline.

The model for our Transport Plan is inspired by cities like Amsterdam, Basel, Grenoble and Boston, where public transport, traffic-taming measures and pedestrian-friendly street design have transformed the quality of urban life. Integrating ideas from successful city centers into the reality of Jerusalem's alleys and secret passages would revive a pedestrian communication system that is especially well adapted to the complex fabric of the Street of the Prophets area.

As stated in the Sustainable Jerusalem Charter, "traffic flow inside the limits of the Historic/Inner City has to be adapted to the shape of the existing streets, and not the opposite." Observing this basic principle of urban planning in historic centers precludes the transformation of narrow streets into main thoroughfares. Indeed, preservation means more than simply refraining from demolishing old buildings. If one wants to preserve the historic character of a place, then it is also necessary to preserve, or if necessary to re-create, the conditions that allow people to enter into contact with the memory and beauty of that place. Historic buildings along noisy and polluted roads are definitely silent. As Milan Kundera wrote, their heritage can no longer be transmitted and "the beauty of ancient cities becomes invisible."

What is vital to be understood is that the transformation of the Street of the Prophets into a main thoroughfare is a gross planning error. It is not the Street of the Prophets that should be enlarged as a main exit from Road Number One. On the contrary, it is the section of Road Number One between the Old City and the New that should be redesigned as a lively urban boulevard with spacious sidewalks all along it.

The example of Boston should be adopted. There, the replacement of the elevated Central Artery by an underground highway has created the opportunity for a sequence of new parks and development sites that "knit the fabric of Boston back together." If we really want to "unite" Jerusalem into a social, economic and cultural organism, then there is no doubt that the "wall" of noise, massive traffic and pollution that is Road Number One, which blackens the ancient stones of Jerusalem's walls and divides the city, has to be transfigured into a meeting space, a new avenue worthy of the country's capital.

The solution we propose for the intersection of the Street of the Prophets with Road Number One includes a bridge between the eastern and western sectors of the city. Such a bridge would facilitate the actual physical crossing between east and west and lead to the section of the street closest to the Old City: a pedestrian walkway inspired by the Rambla in Barcelona, a commercial landscaped axis leading to the Damascus Gate.

The disadvantage of the bridge, however, is that it acknowledges, and somehow reinforces, Jerusalem's division and, simultaneously, the "highway" character of the intersection and its surroundings. The ideal solution would put most of the vehicular traffic on Road Number One underground, which seems particularly appropriate when considering the topography of the area. Jerusalem's city planners should take their cue from those big cities which have pedestrian-friendly environments: they should allow people to cross smoothly, at ground level, a new intersection between a renovated Street of the Prophets and a green avenue (previously "Road Number One") that would "knit the fabric of Jerusalem back together." This is long-term Sustainable Planning.