"In the coming decade about 40,000 new housing units will be added to the city," Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion said yesterday during the inauguration ceremony for the Aura Institute for Law, Social Entrepreneurship and Urban Renewal at the Interdisciplinary College (IDC) Herzliya.
Lion said that according to the roof agreement signed by the Jerusalem Municipality with the government several months ago, 20,000 new apartments will be approved in the coming five years. The other 20,000 will be added through urban renewal projects - demolishing existing buildings and replacing them with large buildings.
Lion said, "A year ago we began the first urban renewal project in Jerusalem in the Hamakasher Area (Kiryat Moshe) and that is the opening shot for many projects that will soon be approved. The increase in urban renewal plans compared with last year is because the master plan that we promoted is moving forward, high land values, continued operations to explain the situation to and support tenants and the work of urban renewal staff to strengthen certainty in the market with the backing of the mayor."
Lion said that the municipality generally preferred urban renewal through demolition and reconstruction but where that was not possible TAMA 38 earthquake retrofit and enlargement permits would be promoted. This will also apply to East Jerusalem where several masterplans are being pushed forward, aimed at urban renewal and more efficient exploitation of the land.
Lion added that the Jerusalem Municipality sees moving ahead with urban renewal plans as one of the main planning targets in the coming years, if the city is to house a population which is forecast to reach 1.4 million by 2040.
The Aura Institute for Law, Social Entrepreneurship and Urban Renewal at the Interdisciplinary College (IDC) Herzliya is headed by Dr. Ora Bloom and will provide an academic arena for the study and research of urban processes of urban renewal and deepening the connection between proper legal arrangements and business activities combining social and environmental values.