People Take Action to Get Back to Square One: Dizengoff Square Story

1.??????Introduction

“If it's ain't broken why fix it?” is a very well-known phrase, that is seldomly directed towards urban spaces. Mostly, when urban spaces go under renovation, they get improved. But sometimes alternative zero, meaning, leaving things the way they are, can be the best option.

“If it's ain't broken why fix it?” describes in a nut shell the story of Dizengoff Square, one of Tel-Aviv's (Israel) most central spots. In the following article I will describe how the square got back to square one: being built in 1938, being raised above ground in 1977 and being returned to the ground in 2018. Urban perceptions of each time period are reflected in these twists and turns.

2.??????The Creation, Deterioration and Rise of a Square

Dizengoff Square, located in the center of Tel Aviv, Israel, is one of those main focal points every city has. In a way, it is a feminist sight, named after Tzina Dizengoff, the wife of the first mayor of Tel Aviv, Meir Dizengoff, and was designed by architect Genia Auerbach. It was built in 1938, designed according to "international style" criteria that included not only the square itself, but also the houses surrounding it, which were similar in their appearance.

Originally, the square was planned a few meters above ground, so a parking lot would be built below it, but due to the high cost and a scarce amount of vehicles at that time, it was decided to postpone this plan for future implementation.

Almost immediately after its inauguration it became a vibrant urban center that gathered around it many visitors on weekdays, holidays and special events.

In the 60's and 70's of the 20th century, the square became obsolete, its level of maintenance deteriorated, and at the same time, traffic problems in the area worsened. In an attempt to mitigate that, a new design, by architect Zvi Lisher, was offered.

The construction work began in July 1976 and has ended a year later. The new scheme included an elevated square, that cars drove beneath it. Pedestrians, in the meantime, would have to climb to the square and cross it, cars drove right underneath the square.

3.??????Lowering The Square: The Campaign

Several decades later, during the early 2000’s, it became apparent that the scheme did not work well. The square was mostly deserted, and neglected. It was seen more as a main junction than the vibrant spot it used to be in its glory days. In order to make it lively again few alternatives have been examined. One of the alternatives that were on the decision makers table was getting the square back to its former design at the street level. ?

As in other cases that involve space changes related to the transport network, there are many players involved, including activists who want to bring their agenda to the decision-making table.

First discussions regarding the square future were taking place around 2007, when the Tel Aviv City Council approved a budget to examine the feasibility of returning the square to ground level, and as a result, changing traffic arrangements in the area. More than a year later, in 2009, the city leadership promised to examine the various alternatives regarding the square.

During the same period, Mor Gilboa, a resident of the neighborhood who had no experience leading public campaigns, began to envision returning the square to street level. With the assistance of Omar Cohen, a friend with extensive experience in leading public campaigns, they began signing people on a petition that would reflect public support for lowering the square. The initial founding activists group has grown slightly and named itself as "The Frontier for Lowering Dizengoff Square."

In the middle of 2010, the group's activity led to an architectural competition for planning alternatives for lowering the square. The competition attracted media attention, and it allowed the public to visualize a different reality in which the square regains its former glory at ground level.

After the exhibition, my brilliant colleague in the Tel Aviv-Yafo City Council, Prof. Noah Efron, and myself, joined "The Frontier". Noah then served as a council member (whom I replaced in a rotation two years later), and the concept that guided us was to join and support local campaigns that aligned with the vision of turning the mobility pyramid, focusing on pedestrians, walkability and reducing transport pollution.

In an article for a local newspaper, I said: "We all make mistakes, sometimes we admit them, and sometimes we have the opportunity to correct them. Tel Aviv is not free of unfortunate human mistakes. One of them was raising Dizengoff Square, by turning it into a bustling road junction with challenging slopes pedestrians have to climb. Necessary corrections to Dizengoff Square should be made so it can once again be an urban oasis."

The results of the survey conducted by the municipality showed that 60% of the city's public was in favor of lowering the square. Opinions were divided as to whether this square should be with or without underground parking lot. Thus, both alternatives were on the planners' table. In the middle of 2011, it was decided to move forward with the alternative without the underground parking lot.

For us, the people who took part in "The Frontier for Lowering Dizengoff Square", this decision was a sweet moment. Yet, it was still just a plan on paper and not a reality.

4.??????Lowering The Square: The Project

Only about five years later, in February 2016, the Tel Aviv Municipality made a decision to return Dizengoff Square to its original configuration.

Few reasons may have led to the decision to lower the square without a parking lot:

A. Data based decision - A survey conducted by "The Frontier" in 2010 showed that there is no shortage of parking spots in the area of the square.

B. Urban politics based decision - The construction of the square with a parking lot would have taken a significantly longer time than its construction without the parking lot and the local elections in 2018 were already around the corner. It is likely that the mayor was not interested in the image of a large pit in the city center and a queue of complaining merchants during his campaign.

The project included:

• demolition of the elevated square
• construction of a new square,
• restoration of underground systems, roads and sidewalks,
• paving of a bicycle path
• installation that was previously placed in the center of the elevated square.

The cost of the project was estimated at about NIS 60 million.

The demolition of the square took place in January 2017 and the project completed in September 2018. Returning the square to the street level took about a decade- from thought to completion, but finally the image we had in mind in "The Frontier" became a reality.

Today the squares area flourish, many new businesses have opened and the square itself again constitute a significant attraction.

Unlike tactical changes that are being made in the urban space in order to encourage walkability and put pedestrians first, lowering Dizengoff Square involved an investment of a significant budget. Without the "magic square" of: vision, optimism, determination and patience of dedicated urban activists, along with our assistance as council members in obtaining needed information, there is a very high chance Dizengoff Square would remain elevated, perpetuating the perception of cars before people and sends pedestrians to climb on a deserted square.

Resources:

Dizengoff Square goes down to the street, Tel Aviv municipality,

https://www.tel-aviv.gov.il/Pages/ItemPage.aspx?webId=3af57d92-807c-43c5-8d5f-6fd455eb2776&listId=5a9823a9-22cf-40a3-8a59-e9f3305db983&itemId=1385&utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=++++++++++++++++-++++-++++(1)&utm_content=&spMailingID=25873944&spUserID=OTkyODUyMTY3NDQS1&spJobID=824600090&spReportId=ODI0NjAwMDkwS0

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Tzina Dizengoff Square, Wikipidia,

https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%9B%D7%99%D7%9B%D7%A8_%D7%A6%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%94_%D7%93%D7%99%D7%96%D7%A0%D7%92%D7%95%D7%A3

Hchi Tel Aviv, local newspaper, ?8/2011