Spatial planning and policy in Israel: land use perspective is a case study of Netanya and Umm Al-Fahm. This study is part of a series of studies conducted by the OECD. In the first part, the study illustrates the process of addressing the challenges resulting from inefficient regulatory procedures. The planning system in Israel is based on the planning and building law of 1965. The law defines planning authorities, planning procedures, types of plans, and the relevant hierarchy between them.
The planning system is comprised of three levels. First, the national level (government) in this level government decides the land uses and elaborates national master plans which affect the spatial distribution of economic activity and critical infrastructure location. Second is the regional level which is composed of six planning districts planning at regional level. Third is the local level which is responsible for building a local plan and the national government is responsible for the approval of local plans.
In the first part of the study as well, a quick highlight is spotted on major problems in the Israeli context. population growth and its effect on demand for housing, house rental accordingly increased while wages did not increase but only 4%.
In the second part, the study describes the major reforms in the planning and building law, Amendment 101 was applied to facilitate the application process for construction permits through the establishment of a professional construction control center. The increase of planning bodies to ease and approve plans and building permits is on the other hand another facilitates of this Amendment. The local authorities established a district committee to build a plan aligned with the comprehensive plan of the local authority and these committees approve these plans to reduce the time required for review and approval. The main source for supporting municipalities is property tax. The main objective is decentralization and built plans in all levels are aligned together and are compatible across policy sectors.
In the third part, the study illustrates the deficiencies in the planning system in Israel and proposes a resolution for these deficiencies that could strengthen the system. Public involvement in the process of building a local plan is another one of these defects, as assumed by the study, considered an increase in the democratic practices in society and fostering public participation. This reform reduces the time required to review and develop the local plan when citizens in Israel submit an appeal on the plan. Plans in the various levels from the government to the lowest level the local plan is incorporated in a master plan, physical planning, here the study illustrates that land use planning is not only putting plans in one master plan. The study shows that planning and building plans are integrated processes.
The Israeli planning system lack of a mechanism that develops a joint strategy. At the top of the planning system is the national planning board. The board is composed of representatives of several government ministers such as finance, interior and housing, and construction ministers. The strategies developed by this board are set at the ministerial level, not by the board itself. The strategies, as the study shows, are no more or less than a reflection of the balance of power of the ministers.
In the process of developing the Israeli planning system, the government has addressed the defects in the planning system and its influence on planning needs. The planning system developed a housing program for the government as an immediate tool to relieve the pressure on the housing market. Figure 1 shows the type of housing provided by the program.
The national housing strategy encouraged housing development to supply the demand for housing but in the peripheral locations and suburban locations. In this procedure, the Israeli policymakers protect scarce land for priority development in central areas and high-demand areas where all services are provided.
The planning authorities are subject to collecting and monitoring data about population growth in the country to check the current and future demand for housing. The planning authorities implemented a new strategy to cover the demand for housing by increasing urban densities. But this increase is allowed only within the urban regeneration programs in the high-demand areas to protect land for priority development. Landowners and developers are allowed to renovate old buildings and allowed to build 2.5 additional floors.
Most of the development in Israel is conducted on state-owned land and only 7% of the land is owned by the private sector. The planning authorities are in the process of creating land use policies that are not directly linked to state-owned land. Development was conducted on state-owned land because it is easier to develop and available for development. In this manner, the development and related issues like the demand for housing put a burden more on government funds and resources. The study shows initiating policies that encourage development on privately owned land is a solution to this problem.
In these previous paragraphs, I have shown the study focus. To sum up, the first part illustrates the planning system related to the government and the created authorities. The second part shows the major reforms in the planning system and planning law in Israel. The third part describes and proposes resolutions for the planning system deficiencies.
Following are two areas in Israel that were part of this study when considering the planning law, the planning reforms, and the proposed resolutions in each area.
Netanya (see figure 2) is one of the cities subjects of this study. The city is in a busy commuting zone of Tel Aviv metropolitan area. It is along the Mediterranean coast on a limestone cliff. The city is the 7th largest Israeli city and in continuous growth since the immigration of the 1950s and 1990s. it was founded in 1928 and was planned as a garden city. The city includes a city core of tourism and public spaces along the seaside. As well is composed of residential and commercial development while the east side is of industrial and agricultural areas.
The study arrived at several important defects in the planning system and as a result, problems appeared in the city like Netanya was a popular tourist destination till the 1980s, but the importance of the industry has since declined. The city has witnessed physically separated neighborhoods segregated by income. Recent developments ran against the comprehensive plan towards a walkable city. Large parts of the undeveloped land of the city core are privately owned and are difficult to develop. A high economic competition activity between the city and the rural area. Many of the high-income citizens moved to rural areas.
Umm al-Fahm is the second city subject of this study. The city is one of the largest Israeli cities and predominantly of Arab population. Located in Haifa, Umm al-Fahm is part of a valley looking to the Wadi Ara (see Figure 3). The city is surrounded by small towns and it’s a local social, cultural, and economic center. Over the last 60 years, Umm al-Fahm has grown from a small village of 5000 inhabitants to a city with a population of about 50000.
The study indicates one of the main difficulties to develop it is that its majority of inhabitants are Arab. The property market in the city is not systemized property is held by people without formal registration and development as well is conducted by families without permission and formal procedures. Planning authorities do not comprise a full and actual understanding of the city context and the market demand for development. The city is in the process of building a comprehensive plan to support the minority population in the city. The privately owned property is in a position that requires lots of effort to provide proper public space and infrastructure. The city undergoes unauthorized construction of housing due to local traditions and customs. Local authorities lack the power to enforce development in these concentrated areas. Construction without a permit regardless of the development in the planning system is a common practice in the city.
To this point, I have gone through this study part by part and the aims and objectives of this study. Following is my review of this study focusing on improving the Israeli planning system and the defects in the application of the various plans prepared by the planning system.
As part of the European union, system, the Israeli government is doing a great job in operating a planning system with two main tough obstacles limited resources for funding the plans and the difficulties to provide land for development for the high-demand areas in the capital and other cities. And my admiration also, when someone read the study, the Israeli planners do not mention any racist phrases within the text when talking about the majority of Arabs whether they are Muslims, Christians, Jews, or any other religion.
The Israeli planning system and after its reforms became like any other European country’s planning system. A small difference in European countries’ county-level planning is not submitted for approval and the plan is built considering all other high-level plans from the council, regional, and national level. The Israeli system could build plans at the local level but remove the approval of the plans from the high level for many reasons. First, to remove the approval and review time and efforts for the higher level. Second, compress the funding required for the lower-level planning system and remove the funding burden on public funds.
The study highlighted the problem of high demand for housing in areas where high employment is available. The planners provided several solutions one of which is to increase the densities of old buildings within the urban regeneration program by adding 2.5 floors to old buildings to encourage development. In the case of Umm al Fahm where the urban fabric is organic and very dense developing this fabric, I agree, is very hard when land is owned by the private sector. clearing out areas for urban space and developing modern public transport is a good solution. The government could allow the owners to go high rise within some of the areas where public transport could be plotted and to clear some plots and allow them to go high rise. In this manner, owners will be encouraged to develop when there is a benefit in development more than before.
Another way to remove the burden on the public fund for development is to facilitate international investment in high-demand areas whether the demand is for housing or infrastructure. In this list, there are many funding agencies in all areas of the world. But still the most important is the European funding program.
In the Arab majority population, the Israeli planning system could attract investment from likewise nationals from abroad, especially when the country is in a positive state with most Arab countries, to develop the cities where the urban fabric is organic and dense like Umm al-Fahm.
Finally, the Israeli government to look into increasing resources that supply the government with the demanded funds for development and not rely on tourism and agriculture, especially for the critical situation and complex environment in Israel. Enhancing manufacturing, going forward for high tech industries, facilitating international industry investment in the country, attracting international students for high-ranking universities in Israel.
You can find the study for more details Here.
Reference :
- OECD (2017) ‘ spatial planning and policy in Israel the case study of Netanya and umm al-Fahm’, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, pp. 115–145. doi:10.1787/9789264277366-8-en.
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