The Marker, Meirav Moran, 05.02.2020

The Givatayim outline plan will be brought this month to the local committee. This includes changes in the scope of building rights to existing buildings, the addition of public buildings to the growing population needs, and the expansion of the possibility of developing places for commerce, employment and institutions, in combination with residential buildings.One of the goals of the municipality is to restore access to various services and needs to Givatayim residents, and to release them from dependence on private vehicles.

This is, among other things, sought to be achieved by mixing uses, which naturally lead to shortening the distances that must be passed between residential and routine destinations, such as daily consumption stores, health and educational services, recreation areas, etc. The plan also outlines rules that will restore its historic original features to the street network - such as convenient ways for mobility on foot and public transport and cycling.

New use of the subsoil

The master plan, drawn up by architect Naama Malis, sets rules for renovating and developing the street-side estate. A distinct and different section from the principles commonly used in programs of other cities in Israel relates to land and sub-land use. Givatayim will allow apartment owners in residential buildings to add areas for employment in their lot, even in areas in the city that have not been defined as employment areas.

For example, in a building that was demolished and rebuilt in the process of urban regeneration on a regular residential street, and whose tenants decided to forgo the rights allotted for the construction of underground parking lots, offices can be added for free professionals on the ground floor and basement. The condition for the construction of underground floors is that they should not be spread over a large area of ​​the building occupying the ground above, leaving strips for seepage of rainwater. The plan also states that the basement floor will have "reasonable light and air conditions," by constructing sunken yards (English yards) in the area surrounding the building, with a space from the sidewalk to allow for tree planting.

Construction plans written and implemented in Israel during the past decades have been allocated suburbanareas for infrastructure and logistical needs as well as vehicle storage. In the new section, Givatayim reverts to traditional design of basement and half-basement floors for diverse uses, such as those that can still be seen in old buildings in the center of Israel's oldest cities.

No residential units were allowed in the underground areas of the buildings. In general, the plan's provisions try to prevent as much ground as possible on the ground floor, especially on the front facing the street. The goal is to reduce the phenomenon of high fences and walls, which surround private courtyards, which create deserted, dull and empty streets. The planners are seeking to create active fronts and have therefore determined that public uses should be located in the front areas: commerce, employment, common areas of residential or office tenants - such as a lobby or club, whose walls are transparent. Garden apartments will only be available in the back of the building.

The permit for the construction of subterranean employment areas was created by the municipality as a financial incentive, since office space has a higher value than parking space. The difference in the type of underground use adds value to the entire building, but an apartment without parking is sold at a low price compared to an apartment with adjacent parking, so there may be times when the economic incentive of additional office space is not enough to convince the contractor or tenants to give up close parking.

Converting the parking space into office space can encourage renewal in lots where construction of a parking lot is not possible for engineering reasons arising from topographical conditions, or greatly increases construction because the lot is small and requires deep excavation - a characteristic of many Givatayim residential areas.

To shop at the neighbor

Underground car parks create an environmental hazard, from entering them through the sidewalk. The outline plan does not limit parking lots in size or number to a street section, so the hazard may get worse. The solution they expect to implement and what they call "parking pooling" is the creation of a network of underground parking lots throughout the city.

These are parking lots that will be built during major construction projects, such as public institutions in evacuation plans, where the municipality can instruct the entrepreneur to add underground parking spaces that will be public and will serve as a parking reservoir for residents' service, rather than parking in private residential buildings.

One of the plan's provisions is that the municipality can order residents to put up with a parking space within 400 meters of their residential building. The plan prohibits the construction of entrances to parking lots on commercial streets and streets with mass transit lines.

Return of the pedestrian streets

New rules are set for the appearance of urban streets, according to their type of functioning. Metropolitan streets where bus services pass frequently include designated public transport lanes and separated bicycle lanes including Peace, Ben Gurion and Katznelson. Commercial urban streets will include bike lanes, including Weizmann and Sheinkin. On the residential streets, the pavements will be expanded at the expense of parking spaces, and there will be no designated bike lanes, because the assumption is that traffic in them will be moderate anyway.

In order for the streets to be illuminated and ventilated, the building rules are set in height in areas of urban renewal, depending on the road width and according to the following key: on streets more than 20 meters wide, construction will be up to 8 floors, on streets between 15 and 20 meters, construction will be 7 floors, While on streets up to 15 meters, construction will be up to 6 stories. The volume of construction on the streets on the east-west axis will be larger than on the streets on the north-south axis, where the upper floors will be smaller.

Ran Konik, Mayor of Givatayim , said: "The Givatayim outline plan is the future model for urban planning in Israel. We understand that if we continue in the direction of what is happening today, when a family owns three vehicles, the traffic will increase in a way that will not allow downtown traffic. That's why our outline program promotes the use of public and alternative transportation. "