Public space has gained new status in the past year. With the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis, the common areas in Israel and around the world became areas designated for leisure and culture as well as areas that meet the basic needs of the city’s residents; where it was possible to meet, study and work outdoors safely.
In recent weeks, in some cities in Israel, the same public spaces have become threatened. In the blink of an eye, the feeling of security on the Israeli street disappeared. Riots and violence, political and religious tensions have led us to feel less safe in some areas. Serious damage was caused to public space in the affected cities.
The silent presence of burned vehicles in the streets is like a wound in the body. Benches, signs, damaged public places of entertainment and a sense of insecurity still permeate the atmosphere. Precisely after a year of living in the shadow of the COVID-19 plague – when open public areas were a lifeline for many of us during lockdown periods – it is important to act quickly to repair the damage.
The speed of response is extremely important in returning the space to the public and in restoring the sense of security for residents to walk around in public. The recent riots not only caused physical damage to the public space but, more importantly, also damaged the delicate social fabric that formed around them. This remains a bleeding scar.
It is highly important and urgent to rehabilitate those areas as part of restoring trust between the residents. In order to feel safe in our homes and with our neighbors, we must feel safe – together – in open urban space.
The genetic code of modern cities holds the promise of pluralism, inclusion, acceptance and the freedom to be as you are. A city open to all is necessarily a vibrant and progressive one. And the public space in it must reflect exactly that.
PUBLIC SPACE, first of all, is where we are all equal. Whether it’s the beach, the public garden, or the bench on the boulevard. Space is an equalizer giving all the ability to use it freely and equally. It must be open and inviting to anyone and everyone.
To produce change, adequate lighting must be provided on city streets, parks, gardens and trails. Technology can be mobilized to create a safe space – through making a combination of municipal distress buttons, which will transmit to a dispatch center or to the police. Installing street cameras and providing powerful wireless internet in every area of the city are other steps that can be taken. Every effort should be made to beautify the common areas of the city, to ensure proper cleaning, and attractive landscaping – necessary tools that will engender a sense of personal security among the residents.
Furthermore, the city should be designed so that commercial areas are accessible and open, day and night, so the streets do not feel deserted. Municipal parks need to be more pleasant and accessible, with networks of trails, open landscape planning and more “protected” areas where everyone will feel safe. But most of all, the city should be designed so that any public space in it will be welcoming and can be a classroom, living room, office, or meeting place where you can momentarily rest safely.
After the violence in recent weeks, the spotlight and resources must be directed toward the affected neighborhoods and create open common space that invites all. In recent days, we have seen independent initiatives of the residents of various cities, whose purpose is to join and unite – marches, community meetings, joint activities, all connecting the various communities within the urban space open to all.
With the right quick response, those spaces in which conflict erupted, can be an alternative meeting place that meets our daily needs as residents, as citizens, as human beings, equal to each other. A clean space where we can once again meet safely, a space that can help us heal the wounds.
In 2008, architect and city planner Jan Gehl said in an interview: “It is more and more important to make the cities inviting, so we can meet our fellow citizens face-to-face and experience directly through our senses. Public life in good quality public space is an important part of democratic life and a full life.”
In 2021, nothing is truer.
The writer is the CEO of The Tel-Aviv Foundation.