Urban Planning

Urban Planning Projec

The Urban Planning Project is one of the main project of the Clinic. In the Project, we work with local NGO's, communities and environmental activists on promoting sustainable development and environmental justice in the Israeli planning system. The clinic advocates for its partners in the local, regional and national Planning Committees.  
Exemples from our work:

Illegal construction: For 15 years an illegally constructed, four floors house stands on the coast beach of Ashdod. The Committee for the Protections of the Costal Area has retroactively approved the building. We submitted an appeal to the National Council for Planning and Construction in the name of the Environmental Forum in Ashdod. We were concerned that such decision would make it harder to fight illegal construction on coastal areas in the future and undermine their special position open public spaces. Our appeal was accepted. The Council's decision has emphasized the importance of protecting the "rule of law" in such cases. The building irregularities was demolished in November 2018.

Conservation in Mazkeret-Batya: The local authority of Mazkeret-Batya planned to turn an historical, 133 years old, residential zone to a commercial one. It is one of the last remaining areas from that time that maintained its unique characteristics. A group of residences of the neighborhood, opposing the change, came to us after their request to bring the case to the National Council for Planning and Construction was rejected. We believe that the guidelines for preservations of urban areas with an historical significance should be decided on the national level. After submitted and administrative petition in their name, the State has agreed the Council should hear their claim.