From an Aging Industrial Zone to an Open Urban Quarter With Mixed Uses

The Challenge

Eilat’s old industrial zone is a flexible and active space, which serves the local population; it has adapted itself to the needs of the city and its residents over the years. Entertainment and commercial places, employment opportunities, and even workers’ residences at various times co-existed in the industrial zone and lent it its uniqueness in the eyes of the locals. A master plan for the area was considered to enable its continued development, but its lack of economic feasibility led to a standstill. How can we ensure that the industrial zone continues to be the anchor that it has always been?

Our Role

The leading principle with which we approached the project was to preserve the existing charming and flexible nature of the industrial zone. We formulated a strategic plan to turn the industrial zone into an integral quarter of the city by connecting its sides to the adjacent areas as relevant, and by promoting building rights that will enable economic viability for developers and landowners. For the sake of the complex’s flexibility, we defined flexible baskets of building rights and also allowed developers to leverage up to 20% of the rights for “open” uses – that is, functions that the developers can propose for the complex without them being determined in advance in the strategy. In order to advance the process and make the strategy accessible, we have developed a digital tool that easily calculates for property owners and professionals the scope of the rights granted to them under the strategic plan, so that they can quickly understand what can be included within the boundaries of the strategy.