A Transportation Border-Zone, Jerusalem | Final project in the department of Architecture and Town Planning, Technion, Haifa, Israel, 2003-4.

The project illustrates a detailed segment of a possible Israeli-Palestinian border within Jerusalem, based on the “Geneva Accord” (2003). It was developed to explore the possibility of creating border zones of mutual infrastructure and use along a future division line.

The chosen location faces the Old City Damascus gate, and is “no man’s land” along the former demarcation line between east and west Jerusalem. It is proposed to be transformed into a binational transportation terminal serving the Palestinian and Israeli sides. Connecting the two transportation nets provides a symbolic as well as a real opportunity to share common interests in urban infrastructure, well grounded in the daily lives of both communities. Moreover, it allows separation to be implemented within a function which naturally accommodates it.

This proposal aims to offer a solution suitable to various political scenarios (a united city, or a divided one). This need for flexibility determined the urban scheme, as well as the design itself. The project blends into the open landscape and urban space of the city, thereby maintaining visual contiguity of conurbation as a whole.

The project was awarded one of the Reiskin prizes, given annually to outstanding final projects in the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, Technion (May 2005)