Under the Boardwalk, Where the Beach Used to Be
by Jesse Fox, Tel Aviv, Israel on 01.27.08
Tel Aviv's boardwalk - today (left) and as envisioned by city planners (right).
Everyone loves the beach, and everyone loves walking on the boardwalk next to the sea. So what happens when the city comes up with plans to expand the boardwalk - at the expense of the beach? The residents panic. At least, that is what happened last week at planning hearing in Tel Aviv.
Tel Aviv's boardwalk is a piece of the city's history and a major landmark. Israelis from all walks of life and all over the country descend on the city's beaches and boardwalk in their masses during the summertime, especially on weekends. Sometimes it seems like the beach in Tel Aviv is the most crowded spot in an extremely crowded country - and the restaurants, table, lounge chairs and umbrellas scattered around the sand only add to the sardine-can feeling.
The beach in Tel Aviv: anyone see a good spot?!
So imagine the outrage when the city tried to approve a plan to shrink the sandy beach by expanding the boardwalk towards the sea, and allow more construction of "services for visitors" in that same shrunken area. Although city officials hid behind vague denials and technocratic jargon, the city's plans were clearly illustrated by artists' renderings of the new boardwalk, which appeared to eat up almost half of the beach.
One after another, angry residents and activists took the microphone one after another to assail the plan. City officials, not too impressed with the negative response to their plan, asserted that the drawings were nothing but "food for thought" and had nothing to do with actual building plans. The final decision, however, reflected the public pressure on decision-makers: a steering committee, with the participation of green groups, will draw up a new conceptual plan for the boardwalk, which will then be presented to the public for its comment and input.
See also:: Ha'aretz, Green Prophet
Image:: The New York Times
How nice, really impressive Efforts...you proved how environmentaly responsilbe Israeli people are....
You moved to Palestine, kicked out most of the original people there "The Palestinians" , you take away and use their water, land and all resources and you want to tell us now you are caring for the environment.
Please care for Human Beings ...Palestinians are part of the environment too.
Nalan - its great how you get politics into it. And when there will be an article about Israelies financing a great network of electric cars, will you praise or denounce?
Israelies didnt "kick out" the palestinians. The UN decided on an israeli country, surrounded by egypt and jordan. The arab people who remained in Israel have citizenship. Israel made many mistakes in the past, but lashing like you do - with no real historic referances is plain wrong.
Ishai, I can say you are lashing too, but I will try to reply by facts a lot of people now are realizing on how Israel was formed.
The western world helped Jewish people from around the world to immigrate to Palestine since early 1900...thats one hundred years ago.. some of them forming militias killed local Palestinians in massacres in some villages (some Palestinian villages do not exist now), horrifying the remaining to flee to neighboring Egypt and Jordan. Israel took the property of a lot of Palestinian land that way. This same strategy was used to scare natives in NA.
I lived there most of my life, and am pretty sure those Jewish immigrants killing Palestinians back then ,were not defending themselves, for one simple reason, Palestinians were unarmed tumbling poor nation at that time.
I am not against any environmental product or initiatives by any country, but I always believed people who care for the environment should care for its habitants also. I am just calling Israelis to show more humanity in stopping the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians; they should know better having experienced that in the past.
Stop killing Palestinians
Stop monopolizing the use of water and natural resources
Stop cutting Palestinians trees and taking their precious lands to make highways for your exclusive own use.
A small note; the Arab population in Israel being mostly non Jewish is treated as a second class citizens.