Plan for Israel 2050: Country to be divided into 28 small regions

The Planning Administration has released Israel's first-ever strategic plan.

This plan, set to transform the country in the coming years, addresses key issues in Israel including population growth preparation, strengthening the periphery, promoting quality urbanism, preserving open spaces, dealing with climate change, leveraging space-altering technologies, and preparing for emergency events. The plan offers a variety of planning tools, policies, and follow-up measures to achieve the defined goals.

Rafi Elimelech, Director General of the Planning Administration, explained the essence of the plan, "The new plan aligns with the emerging trend of making things more accessible and nearby: from the café below the house to the workplace. Therefore, we have outlined new spaces that include all the services a citizen needs: education, health, leisure, and recreation, relying on an advanced transportation system.

"As part of this, the plan revolutionizes infrastructure by optimally planning its distribution. Another focus is the distribution of employment areas, moving away from the practice that led to irrelevant employment zones. Additionally, the plan preserves the ways of life in the village and the city; the village provides open spaces while services are provided in the city. I thank Interior Minister Moshe Arbel for understanding the importance of advancing this plan and giving it strong support."

The plan, advanced by the Strategic Planning Division and the Spatial Planning Division in the Planning Administration, led by Shahar Soler and Dr. Roni Bar, is based on research conducted over the past two years. This research examined movements and interactions between different regions in the country, some of which had no existing connection. Based on the conclusions and the process, the plan outlines new functional areas that will provide residents with all the services they need.

The plan's formation involved public participation and consultation with a wide range of partners and experts. Each chapter was developed with the help of field experts. After defining the topics, extensive public engagement was conducted via a digital platform to understand various patterns and the most important issues for residents.

Key topics addressed in the plan

Revolutionary Planning Concept: The core of the plan is a shift to regional-functional planning, focusing on individuals, their needs, and daily lives. To address current and future challenges and improve residents' quality of life while reducing disparities, the planning paradigm in this field needs updating. Regional planning, as presented in the plan, is not another bureaucratic layer but an opportunity to create genuine synergy between neighboring local authorities, leverage each area's relative advantages, and promote productive cooperation. Such planning will lead to significant results, including improved quality of life for residents through infrastructure development and enhanced access to services, employment, and quality public spaces. Additionally, it aims to reduce disparities between the center and the periphery by strengthening the local economy, promoting new growth centers, and increasing opportunities nationwide.

Strengthening the North and South: The plan emphasizes strengthening the North and South, proposing regional planning as a tool to bolster these areas. A regional plan allows for increased cooperation in the space while reducing barriers resulting from competition between neighboring local authorities, pooling resources, leveraging size advantages, and improving the ability to implement government decisions. According to the new concept, planning will transform the north and south into attractive areas with a living environment no less than that of the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area. For example, promoting regional infrastructure instead of individual infrastructure for each settlement, advancing joint employment complexes, education, etc. Currently, each authority tries to draw the budget to itself but there is not enough for everyone, and things do not materialize, such as employment areas. Identifying shared opportunities and challenges can enable targeted investments that will improve demand and the likelihood that things will materialize and not "remain on paper."

Urbanism: Another pillar of the plan is increasing urbanism in cities. Urbanism is a strategic issue significant for Israel's continued development, creating resilience, innovation, and economic opportunities, addressing population growth, and enhancing the attractiveness of urban environments. Additional benefits include increased accessibility to opportunities, creating local identity and a sense of belonging, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and improving public health. Good urbanism is also essential for strengthening the north and south, as revitalizing and building urban centers is crucial to encouraging residential demand outside the center. For example, planning neighborhoods with few private cars and adapted to cope with climate change, a mix of apartments including small ones, increasing urban renewal in total housing construction, affordable housing, and integrating rental housing in new plans.

Addressing Climate Change: Climate change has extensive impacts on people, essential infrastructure, and terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Like the rest of the world, Israel experiences climate changes, some extreme due to its geographic location. This change will occur throughout the region, including neighboring countries, potentially having planning and geopolitical significance. Properly addressing the phenomenon involves prevention and risk reduction. For example, preventing development too close to the sea or in flood plains, promoting new neighborhoods adapted to heat, and more.

Space-Altering Technologies: In the coming decades, new technological developments will change living spaces globally and in Israel. Technologies evolve faster than the planning system's pace of change, requiring the system to adapt and incorporate flexibility to allow innovative and beneficial technologies to develop while minimizing negative impacts. As part of this preparation, improving the transportation of deliveries and light cargo, streamlining and reducing supply chain costs, even in areas with dispersed land use, will enhance businesses' economic efficiency and improve the ability to deliver shipments to customers from metropolitan distribution centers to peripheral areas, all while reducing traffic. Additionally, AI systems can be crucial in planning, better mapping shortages in specific areas like kindergartens and schools.

Open Spaces: Due to population growth and climate change, the importance of open spaces is becoming more pronounced. Proper planning of these spaces, improving responses to various needs, and preserving ecological corridors will achieve social, planning, and environmental benefits while addressing the needs of the population and ecological systems in the era of climate change.