The “Yediot Ahronot” Hebrew daily reports that 70,000 foreign workers, mostly illegal, are currently residing in south Tel Aviv neighborhoods abandoned by veteran city residents. The Tel Aviv municipality plans to shortly begin urban renovations in the neighborhoods to turn them into a kind of “Chinatown” similar their US counterparts.
The area around the new Tel Aviv central bus station head the municipality’s plans to create commercial and entertainment districts for foreign workers, taking into account their differing cultures, including, but not limited to, China.
The initiator of the project, city councilman Igal Haim, said yesterday that the idea is to create facades through the use of paint, partitions, street lamps, trees and other plants, benches and signs in the languages of the local foreign residents. The municipality will periodically organize cultural parades and events.
Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai said that the compounds are part of the municipality’s comprehensive handling of resident foreign workers.
Published by Israel's Business Arena on 26 December 2000