Conference | Urban Thinkers Campus - Day 1

The School of Architecture at Bezalel invites to the Urban Thinkers Campus Conference - Livable Neighborhoods in the Metropolis, The garden city in the 21st century. The conference is a collaboration of Bezalel, Liebling Haus and the Ministry of Construction and Housing, and takes place as part of UN Habitat's Urban Thinkers Campus events, to promote sustainable environmental and social settlement.

This two-day conference, part of the global UN-Habitat Urban Thinkers Campus, will be held in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. It aims to explore landscape heritage conservation principles in urban and metropolitan settings. The event will highlight cities’ cultural and natural heritage as key elements in sustainable public space development, emphasizing their contribution to community wellbeing and environmental health.

Like many nations, Israel faces population growth challenges, necessitating innovative housing solutions, urban density, and renewal. In the face of these needs, guidelines for preserving and developing open spaces in metropolitan and residential areas must be established urgently. The conference will focus on the heritage of garden cities, particularly the Geddes master plan for Tel Aviv and the Kaufman Garden Suburbs in Jeruslaem. Both plans connect human activity with nature in urban environments, and offer vital strategies for addressing climate change challenges in modern cities. Participants will examine conceptual, design and infrastructural approaches to create high-quality green spaces in Israeli urban landscapes.

Day 1:
Wednesday | 30.10.24 | 9:30-18:00
Liebling Haus
29 Idelson St, Tel Aviv-Yafo

Pre-registration required - Register here for Day 1.

As we approach 2025 and the centenary of the Geddes master plan for Tel Aviv, we invite you to participate in forming a vision and criteria for developing a sustainable public space, particularly open spaces and city gardens for livable neighborhoods. This day will focus on giving knowledge on the conservation of landscape heritage, especially the heritage of the garden city. At its center, a dialogue between the various municipality units and stakeholders - planners, architects, gardeners and the city residents - to broaden the tools for developing, maintaining and preserving the Geddes gardens (and other public spaces) according to the principles of the original plan, the challenges of the modern city, and the UN-Habitat’s My Neighborhood principles for developing a sustainable urban space. 

Schedule:
09:30-10:00 Gathering and Registration
10:00-10:20 Opening Session and Greetings, Urban Thinkers Campus (in English)
10:20-10:40 My Neighborhood Principles, UN-Habitat Keynote (in English)
10:40-11:10 The Garden and the Residential Block in the Garden City Legacy, Arch. Catherine Rochant, Shira Levy Benyamini (in English)
11:10-11:40 Transition and Departure to the Gardens
11:40-13:15 What’s Happening in the Garden? Practical Workshop in the Gardens
13:15-14:30 Lunch Break and Return to Liebling Haus
14:30-16:00 Challenges and Opportunities in Garden Renewal Panel – Case Studies from Israel and Abroad (in English)
16:00-16:30 Coffee Break
16:30-17:30 How Do We Do It in the Garden? Round Tables to Formulate Principles and Tools for Garden Development, Maintenance, and Preservation
17:30-18:00 Closing Session
18:00 Drinks

The second day of the conference will be held on Wednesday, 13.11.24, at Bezalel Academy. For more information.