Visiting Talks by Prof. Nir Mualam and Dr. Gabriela Debrunner (PLPR)

In this talk, Dr. Debrunner will argue that the question of property and landownership is the most fundamental to planning. Notions of property, property rights and duties, their allocation, and distribution are at the center of current political, economic, and socio-environmental debates throughout the world. These issues are evident not only in global urbanization and resource scarcity struggles, but also, for example, in the acute geopolitical difficulties of Russia and Eastern Europe, where conflicts over property rights, and their control over land have resulted in actions of war and suffering for millions of people.

One method of increasing urban population density is to weave a variety of uses, infrastructure, and amenities in compact development. Mixing private and public uses on one plot, let alone in a vertical environment, presents numerous obstacles. This type of mixed-use development is extremely difficult to build, finance, and operate. To explore, this talk examines Tel Aviv’s current efforts to reach higher densities by embedding public institutions and infrastructure within primarily private development. We review the nature and scope of this phenomenon during the last two decades, as well as its prospects and outcomes.

Back