CRCL is excited to share the final Tel Aviv-Yafo Resilience Accelerator report. Working with Resilient and Social Equality Authority, the City Architect, Environmental Authority, and scientists from Columbia, NASA, and Tel Aviv University, the Accelerator pioneered a new method of prioritizing areas of the city most exposed and vulnerable to heat. Then, informed by a detailed microclimate and thermal imagery study, urban design analysis and 3D modeling, and urban design and programmatic toolkit for urban heat based on global practice and academic research, the team brought together stakeholders to design projects that mitigate heat impacts and create a vibrant and accessible public realm.
Our approach led us to Shapira, a neighborhood grappling with housing pressure, changing demographics driven from settlement of asylum seekers and migrant workers. And in November, 2019, municipal leaders, non-government experts, designers, academic experts, and community leadership participated in an intensive facilitated design session to visualize design concepts in public spaces. They included a redesign of the playground at the Shapira Community Center that brings together programs from across the neighborhood, reclamation of a bike lane and public program in ventilation corridors, and pedestrianization of Mesilat Yesharim Street to increase public programs and vegetative cover.
So far, the effort continues to build a network of community planners and leaders who are sharing knowledge and scaling best practices. The Municipality is also advancing design proposals for Mesilat Yesharim, pursuing an emergency heat plan, exhibiting the Accelerator in schools across the City, and defining a new “Microclimate Overlay District” that can be codified through zoning and development standards.