Israel's Central District Planning and Building Commission yesterday approved for deposit an outline plan for Modi'in-Maccabim-Reut. The plan was designed by architect Naama Melis, who was responsible for the Dimona outline plan, Givatayim Mall, and Orchos Torah Yeshiva in Bnei Brak. She was assisted by a team of advisors from various disciplines. The Modi'in municipality professional staff and people from the public also helped out. The plan's target year is 2040. The plan will add 43,000 housing units to the city, which will increase its population from 93,000 to 240,000.
The team that worked on the plan realized that Modi'in has a number of problems: homogenous and non-distinctive neighborhoods, the absence of urban living, and a lack of variety in institutions and services. In addition, 75% of the city's residents work elsewhere, while the shopping potential in the city itself is small. Public transportation is little used in Modi'in; mobility is based on private cars. Modi'in has a surplus of open public space.
The main goals of the plan are therefore to strengthen the city by creating commercial streets or multi-use zones, improve connections between neighborhoods by redesigning some of the streets to include bicycle paths, to restrain the use of private vehicles, and encourage the use of public transportation.
The plan zones the northern part of the city for new residential neighborhoods that will bring residential areas closer to the existing business center (Ispro Center). This area will feature a new urban center and metropolitan anchor institutions, such as a regional medical institution, a higher education institution, and selected state services. The planners say that their aim is to make the city into an important regional business center. The plans include an additional underground branch of the railway from the town center to the new municipal business center.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on August 29, 2019
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