A Vision for the Next Century from Israel's National Planning Commission
Israel is unique. It is the only developed country in which population growth is continuing against a backdrop of population density. With the
exclusion of the Negev (encompassing 60% of the land area but only 7% of
the population), average population density in Israel is 50% higher than
in the most densely populated developed countries, such as Holland and
Japan. Yet unlike these countries, where population growth is way below
the average 0.8% for developed countries, Israel's population continues to
grow faster than any developed country -- at a rate of 2% annually.
According to the team currently preparing Israel's masterplan for the 21st
century, Israel, north of Beersheba, will be the most densely populated
country in the world within thirty years -- if present trends continue.
The so-called 2020 master plan team is only due to present its report next
year, but preliminary conclusions are already emerging. Clearly, the
challenge of coming years will be the conservation of Israel's scarce land
resources as Israel's population of 5.5 million burgeons to 8 million in
2020, as its built-up space trebles. Over the coming thirty years, 360
million square meters will be built in Israel, some 20 times the existing
floor space in today's Tel Aviv-Jaffa area. The number of motor vehicles
will also treble, reaching 3.6 million, while the country's inadequate
road network will undergo major expansion to keep pace with Western
standards. Clearly, without proper planning, the Israel of tomorrow
threatens to resemble a never ending field of asphalt and concrete,
unadorned by natural landscapes, unbroken by wide-open vistas.
Continue to ....A Reversal of Priorities
For more information about Israel's planning for 2020 write to: viener@bgumail.bgu.ac.il
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