Tel Aviv
(still writing as it comes and not really editing)
"This is an ugly city, I don't get the concept." Lilia half whispers to me as we squish together on a small grimy sidewalk made even smaller by thick posts meant to keep Israeli drivers from parking on the sidewalk.
And its true that Tel Aviv is very ugly, having never recovered fully from growing pains. After the state was founded a flood of jewish refugees poured into city with no housing or facilities to contain them. Builders constructed (ugly) bauhaus houses that were quick to construct and functional. There seemed to be little planning put into the process; One of the famous head engineers of the city was quoted saying: "Build first, then measure."
Once a year Tel Aviv has a very lovely event called "Houses From Within" (בתים מבפנים) where a bunch of houses open up or conduct tours free to the public. Its a great opportunity to tour the mansions of the rich, learn about urban green living from hippies that open their house, or hear about city planning.
This year I went on one tour that particularly stuck out. Nitzan Horovitz (homosexual leftist from the Knesset) gave a tour of several spots in Tel Aviv that he thought exemplified correct and incorrect construction. Some of the sites were ridiculous:
1. An elementary school situated on top of a city parking lot. A huge colorful chimney was built in the center of the school to direct toxic fumes from the parking lot away from the children. However nothing can change the strangקness of seeing a huge chimney (no matter how cutely decorated) in the center of the play-yard.
2. The construction of a 26 story tower on the corner of Frishman/Dizengoff. All the buildings around the tower are no more than 7 stories and in need off repair. The tower will have apartments that are 400 m^2 (fucking enormous most apartments range from 40 - 100 m^2) that only the ultra-rich will be able to afford. The disparity between the tower and its surroundings are undeniable and the list of problems that will arise from thrusting this massive penis in the center instead of slowly building up and repairing surrounding buildings is retarded.
We also saw lovely designs like buildings arranged in a square with many small apartments as the frame and a very large open garden in the center for the community.
"This is an ugly city, I don't get the concept." Lilia half whispers to me as we squish together on a small grimy sidewalk made even smaller by thick posts meant to keep Israeli drivers from parking on the sidewalk.
And its true that Tel Aviv is very ugly, having never recovered fully from growing pains. After the state was founded a flood of jewish refugees poured into city with no housing or facilities to contain them. Builders constructed (ugly) bauhaus houses that were quick to construct and functional. There seemed to be little planning put into the process; One of the famous head engineers of the city was quoted saying: "Build first, then measure."
Once a year Tel Aviv has a very lovely event called "Houses From Within" (בתים מבפנים) where a bunch of houses open up or conduct tours free to the public. Its a great opportunity to tour the mansions of the rich, learn about urban green living from hippies that open their house, or hear about city planning.
This year I went on one tour that particularly stuck out. Nitzan Horovitz (homosexual leftist from the Knesset) gave a tour of several spots in Tel Aviv that he thought exemplified correct and incorrect construction. Some of the sites were ridiculous:
1. An elementary school situated on top of a city parking lot. A huge colorful chimney was built in the center of the school to direct toxic fumes from the parking lot away from the children. However nothing can change the strangקness of seeing a huge chimney (no matter how cutely decorated) in the center of the play-yard.
2. The construction of a 26 story tower on the corner of Frishman/Dizengoff. All the buildings around the tower are no more than 7 stories and in need off repair. The tower will have apartments that are 400 m^2 (fucking enormous most apartments range from 40 - 100 m^2) that only the ultra-rich will be able to afford. The disparity between the tower and its surroundings are undeniable and the list of problems that will arise from thrusting this massive penis in the center instead of slowly building up and repairing surrounding buildings is retarded.
We also saw lovely designs like buildings arranged in a square with many small apartments as the frame and a very large open garden in the center for the community.