NIS 150 million will be spent to upgrade the 88-year-old market to an attractive tourist site.
By MIRIAM BULWAR DAVID-HAY (TRANSLATED)shuk hacarmel 88 224(photo credit: Jerusalem Post Archives)
Tel Aviv is planning to spend NIS 150 million to give the historic Carmel market (Shuk Hacarmel) a complete renovation and upgrade that will turn it into a major tourist attraction, reports the Hebrew weekly Yediot Tel Aviv. The city plans to replace the rotting infrastructure at the 88-year-old market, remove the old stalls and put up new ones that will have a uniform appearance, and create an adjoining car park with 600 parking spaces for visitors.
According to the report, the city plans to begin work on the renovations in about one year, and is adopting Barcelona's famed La Boqueria market as its model. Senior municipal officials met with market representatives and with residents of surrounding neighborhoods last week to discuss the plans. A residents' spokesman said residents had "waited for years" for a plan such as this, with the market's neglected appearance long bothering residents, stall-holders and visitors.
The Carmel market opened in 1920 and today contains some 350 stalls, plus a similar number of nearby shops. Its growth over the years has created notorious traffic, parking and hygiene problems in the surrounding neighborhood, and representatives of the market and the residents have long called for a comprehensive plan to rehabilitate the area.
A municipal spokesman said the upgraded market would be much more orderly and attractive, with information centers, toilet facilities and signs for visitors.
"This is a place with history and with roots," the spokesman said. "Our aim is to turn the market into a leading tourist center. We want to make the market a place that is fun to visit."
