Planning in Palestine: Haifa Bay, Carmel Hill and tiberias Architects' Journal

Title: Planning in Palestine: Haifa Bay, Carmel Hill and tiberias. Author statement: Article by Professor A. Klein

Journal title: Architects' Journal Citation: 1947 Jan. 9, p. 33-36.

Contents: Proposed schemes. Contents: Physical planning supplement.

Subject: Town & country planning: British Mandate of Palestine Author: Klein, Alexander, 1879-1961

Architects' Journal 1947 Jan. 9, p. 33-36.

A bove, tw o v iew s of the m odel of the K ir ia t Yam suburb a t H a ifa Bay. The low er illu stra tio n show s the shops, com m unal garage, parking place and bus stations.

T h e m odel of the Carm el H ill development schem e w hich shows the p rim a ry influence of the h ills id e contours, and a defin ite landscape policy.

A bove, a plan showing the developm ent of an a re a a t H a ifa Bay. T h e outline plan w as prepared by Professor S ir P atrick A b e 'c ro m b ie . T h e resid en tia l q u a rte rs a re arranged so th at through tra ffic flows past th e outside b orders.

CARM EL HILL

34] T h e A r c h it ec t s Jo urn al for January 9, 1947

E/nek ZebuIutL( Haifa Bay)

''hren KavmiHi beifytwl 'V smshHaiJmil Fund)fywsfine sw*1

H plan' fi/rftirt rr-ijiixUtil *

HAIFA B A Y

T he A r c h it e c t s J o urnal for January 9, 1947 [35

Left, a m odel of a developm ent plan near T ib eria s , an ancient town now being developed as a spa. Below , a detail of the layout showingthe double developm ent referred to in the text.

mediaeval walls, picturesque but narrow and insanitary and subject to periodic inundations, which claimed many victims. During the last years this latter danger was reduced due to works carried out by the Government. Since then numerous houses have been erected outside the old walls and gradually a new section with wide tree-lined streets and freestanding houses amidst large gardens has come into being. The new developments keep climbing up the slopes in the search for better air and view.physical features

The development illustrated, property of a private land development company, is about 90 acres in area. The ground rises steeply from minus 400 feet to plus 20 feet (the Sea of Galilee is 650 feet below sea level). On the North, the area is bounded by the Haifa-Nazareth-Tiberias road which continues toward Damascus on the eastern side, by built-up sections. On the western (upper) boundary, there is a recently planted forest, which is to protect the slopes from further erosion during the heavy winter rains. Finally, towards the south, a shallow wadi (temporary river filled only during the rainy season) separates the area from Bedouin pastures.basis of the planThe main natural datatopography, direction of the cool

winds (east) and the beautiful view towards the lake and the mountains on the other side (west)were at the base of the plan, together with general principles, which can be called organic development. These can be summarized as follows:

1. Separation of vehicular and pedestrian traffic by creating independent foot-paths connecting with the open spaces.2. Differentiation of roads according to their character and

traffic load that they have to carry. Minimum of through traffic, in order to safeguard the peace and safety of the inhabitants.3. Grouping of parking spaces, garages and shops along

the secondary traffic road (not the residential streets).4. Lots and building lines which guarantee good land use.

L

makes the visual and landscape qualities of the plan particularly important. Rough perspectives were drawn to show the effect from different viewpoints during the preparation of the plan.

3. TIBERIASTiberias, located on the western shores of the Sea of Galilee,

is the ancient town of Hamat mentioned in the Bible. The city was rebuilt in the year 20 b .c in honour of the Roman emperor Tiberius, who repeatedly undertook a long voyage to bathe in its mineral waters. During the Middle Ages, Tiberias was, for a long period of time, a great centre of Jewish learning, and one finds there the tombs of Maimonides and other famous scholars. The city declined during the Turkish rule, and to-day numbers only about 12,000 inhabitants, two-thirds Jews and one-third Arabs. Because of its comparatively isolated geographic location, Tiberias did not share, during the last decades, the intensive development of the coastal cities like Tel-Aviv or Haifa, and preserved to a large extent its ancient character. It is now being developed more intensively as a spa in connection with its very active mineral springs. One of the obstacles in this development is the hot climate during the longer part of the year. In an attempt to obviate this, the newer sections are being built higher up the slopes, up to 1,200 feet above the level of the lake, where the climate is more pleasant. It is hoped that in such a way the season, which is now limited to the winter months, can be considerably lengthened.

Up to the first World War, the built-up area of Tiberias consisted almost exclusively of the old city surrounded by

TIBERIAS

)

36] T he A r c h it ec t s Jo urn al for January 9, 1947

N e w P r o p o s a l s f o r D & v o ln p m e n i S s k e m e s a fM o u r t tn in S lo p e s

>/ sV * s

y^ v' W

o-

V s ua I D evelop h i e rti-'(Parti i- efo*t adapted pti.

Nosepara it on, of yeJei t ria it, and motor traffic, traffic reads only dusi-fumes^ lizzie etc D a n a nr to pedestrian* A il "s ir e e Is s lo p i h cj

All tenses si and close to oh an other on fra t ft side6 of the. f rafftc road. Iiviag rooms and iirraces fact parity theObstruct* vt and HJwvx'nHi o f dew.

Connection togreen spiuei only tk ro u jk sloping traffic roads

' ":2 - ; * -ar-.' r=> tp a ci a a

7 -"r. a a CD * i CD L j L"J r5 r -

,o a cj Q *0 Q a G=3 - -- O Q a oaac3D e u l l t D evelopm en t' c a

iJjpH dbim t dtfiijixArjfTittnJA

Separation cf pdeslri ah> a n d w e t o r t r a f f i c ta b le s auie t, dan^erle^anJ hygienic, d w e llin g , S o ja r ai> possit/la horizontal residentialsf*eet$

Ensuring fit# view ajteheide, sp a c e , a s w e ll a s t U rough; v e n t i la tic H . by m e a n s of* a p p r o p r ia te aepelapnen t*

Approach to recreation grounds is d i r e c t from every house

Hi rough avenues

O ' Q c _

i3 V cf-r a a 'r r P c r

^ C, '

if *'