The Community Center of Tomorrow – Magid Center Get an Overhaul

The Challenge

Over the years, the Magid Community Center on Nordau Boulevard in Tel Aviv has become obsolete and unsuitable for the needs of the residents living in its vicinity. The local population is diverse in terms of age, interests, and lifestyle, so our main challenge was identifying needs for which there is a broad consensus, in order to provide an offering that will yield maximum value to those living in the neighborhood.

Our Role

The Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality has decided to build a brand new community center to replace the old one. To this end, we embarked on a participatory public information collection process, which will define, together with the residents of the neighborhood, the role and use of the future community center that will be designed and run to match their lifestyle. The process included field observations, dozens of interviews with residents, focus groups, a roundtable event, and a digital public participation system. It culminated in a festive and creative event, as part of “Civic Engagement Week,”  for cooperative planning and “making space” on Nordau Boulevard, opposite the old community center. The information collected was processed into insights and planning principles were identified. The conclusions were based on priorities that residents emphasized, such as connection and accessibility to the boulevard, openness and public spaces, green and sustainable building, and a variety of uses for different audiences around the clock. Through all of these, we determined the future program for the Center. And, of course, at the end of the process, we presented the finished product to the residents of the neighborhood.