Jerusalem: Urban Characteristics and Major Trends in the City's Development

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1996-1997

Jerusalem: Urban Characteristics and Major Trends in the City's Development

5 Jan 1997

JERUSALEM: URBAN CHARACTERISTICS

Jerusalem: Urban Characteristics and Major Trends in the City's Development

The Municipality of Jerusalem
Division for Strategic Planning and Research

by Sara Hershkovitz, Ph.D.
and
Sarit Fairmont-Rafiah, M.A.

January 1997

Editor: Daniel Jay Wool

Municipality of Jerusalem

"Ten measures of beauty descended the world,
Nine of them were taken by Jerusalem, and one by the rest of the world."

(Babylonian Talmud, Kidushim, 49b)

Jerusalem is unlike any other city. Three thousand years of history have created a unique texture, expressed in so many styles of architecture, countless archeological and historical sites, and a population from around the globe. No wonder that Jerusalem is the focus of attention of the entire world.

Jerusalem has long been the center of the Jewish People and a source of inspiration for Christians and Muslims the world over. It is this special status that must be reflected when forging the physical and social character of this old-new city.

Jerusalem, the capital of the state of Israel is also Israel's largest city. It is a city comprised of neighbourhoods, of communities, and of many different religious groups. It is a city of contrasts, a city with an unusually diverse population of Jews and non-Jews, religious and secular. It is a city rich in history-a city with an unequalled abundance of archeological and historical sites. It is a city that draws countless visitors, both from within Israel and from abroad.

Jerusalem is now in the midst of an unprecedented surge of planning and development that will affect the city's infrastructure, appearance, and municipal services. This requires constant consideration of the many, varied needs of all sectors of the population.

At the Municipality of Jerusalem we place great importance on how we plan and organize our vision of and our policy toward Jerusalem in the coming years. We are in the process of preparing a Strategic Master Plan for the city, dealing with the physical, economic, socio-demographic, cultural and municipal future aspects of the city. We have determined our course of action and created many long-term programs with which, we believe, we will be able to achieve our objectives.

When it comes to deciding and implementing policies, we require easy access to the most up-to-date facts and figures about Jerusalem. That is precisely the information to be found in this document. Special thanks must therefore be given to the Municipality of Jerusalem's Division for Strategic Planning and Research. They gathered, collated and analyzed the information, and can therefore take credit for playing a key role in shaping the Jerusalem of future.

Ehud Olmert, MK
Mayor of Jerusalem

INTRODUCTION

There is no single way to describe Jerusalem adequately. It is, of course, the modern capital of the State of Israel and the country's largest city. Yet this thriving, contemporary city can also boast of a remarkable history stretching back well over three thousand years. It is a city where the first century rubs shoulders with the twenty-first century, each jostling for legitimacy and space, and where picturesque "old" neighborhoods nestle against glistening office towers and high-rise apartments. But Jerusalem is much more than the sum of its landmarks, old and new. It is a city of people, as diverse as the four comer of the globe from whence they came. To Jews, Jerusalem has always been "The Holy City," and it has been revered by Christians and Muslims for centuries. No wonder Jerusalem has such a tremendous impact, both locally and internationally.

In trying to unravel the enigma of this city, the Midrash coyly states "There are seventy names for Jerusalem." Seventy names, each reflecting a different aspect of this city and its residents, today and throughout history.

This document discusses contemporary Jerusalem, the city and its people. It presents a socioeconomic profile of the population and describes the on-going development boom throughout the city. Statistical data, which forms the basis of the municipality's short- and long-term planning, is presented here in various tables, graphs, and maps, and accompanied by in-depth analyses. Sources for this information, which is collected at the national, municipal, and other levels, can be found in the Bibliography.

As Jerusalem's population fast approaches the 600,000 mark, the existing municipal service structure is faced with many challenges. The city's population is far from homogeneous: it is relatively young, with large concentrations of ultra-Orthodox Jews and a sizable non-Jewish population (29.5%). To accommodate this growing community of Jerusalemites, new neighborhoods must be developed and maintained, while the day-to-day problems of employment and a relatively high level of poverty must be addressed.

The municipality is charged with expanding and improving the services accorded to the population on a daily basis as well as on special occasions-as capital of the State of Israel, Jerusalem plays host to many special events and numerous tourists. It must respond to the specific needs of the city's diverse communities, many of which originate in their distinct religious or national identities. Over the past few years, these needs have sparked a vast array of development projects, planned and implemented throughout the city, and encompassing residential areas, transportation, industry, commerce, tourism, etc.

It is our hope that the material presented here provides an adequate understanding of the unique issues facing Jerusalem, and that our own experiences will assist the municipal and governmental authorities of other cities in formulating their own policies and implementing their own decisions at all levels.

Sara Hershkovitz, Ph.D.
Director of the Division for Strategic Planning and Research

Jerusalem - Map of Selected Neighborhoods (81 KB)