from old to new israel the technion role

Technion - Israel Institute of Technology

From Old to New Israel

The Technion Role

Naomi Carmon

Professor of Sociology and Urban Planning

Head, Center for Urban and Regional Studies

Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning

April 2005


Technion -

Israel Institute of Technology


Founding the Nation

At the turn of the twentieth century many dreamed of

establishing a home for the Jews in their ancestral

homeland

To realize the hope, Jews would need technical skills

denied them by European universities

◼ 1901 – Fifth Zionist Congress calls for a Jewish university

◼ 1912 – Cornerstone is laid on slope of Mount Carmel

◼ 1924 – Technion opens its doors

Technion becomes Israel’s first university


Realizing the Dream

➢ 1924 - The Technion enrolls first class of

17 engineering students

➢ 1938 - Civil engineering, architecture,

industrial engineering, 11 labs,

nautical school

➢ 1940s - Technion develops technologies

for Jewish underground forces

Dr. Albert Einstein, Pres. of first Technion Society on visit to Technion, 1923

“Israel can win

the battle for

survival only by

developing expert

knowledge in

technology.”

Albert Einstein


Technion Then and Now

300 wooded acres campus

Buildings on campus - 85

Built-up area - 417,216m

<< Technion historic

building

Technion today >>


Vision and Pioneering

❑ 1953 - Aeronautical Engineering faculty opened

Result: Modern Aerospace Industry

❑ 1960s - Microelectronics research

Result: Modern High-Tech Industry

❑ 1969 - Medicine and Computer Science faculties opened

❑ 1980s-90s - Technion grads found and lead

Israel’s high-tech boom

❑ 2000s - Technion develops new frontiers: nanotechnology,

robotics, futuristic defense and anti terror techniques,

life sciences/engineering, stem cells, environmental

engineering.

Up until the late 1970’s Technion was the only

university in Israel teaching and researching

in engineering. Also, now it is the leading

Technological university in Israel.


Impact on Israeli Economy

➢ 70% of Israeli educated engineers are

Technion graduates

➢ Israel has the highest number of

companies traded on the NASDAQ

after the USA and Canada

➢ 85% of Israeli NASDAQ companies

have Technion graduates as CEO or CTO

Technion Graduates have transformed Israel’s economy

from an agriculturally-based economy to a modern

technology-based economy


Protecting the Homeland

➢Biological Terror – Testing the water, new technology based on DNA

➢3D Face Recognition – Patent pending

➢Anticipating Israel’s Security Needs –Interdisciplinary research center for defense

➢Underground Security – Equipment to locate and monitor tunnels


Ziv-Lempel Algorithm

Used to condense information in almost every computer

and for sending information on the Internet.

The discovery was recognized as an IEEE Milestone.

“Shechtmanite”

A new form of matter: quasi-periodic crystals.

A breakthrough in our understanding of matter.

Landmark Achievements



Nanotechnology

• Researchers create electrical circuits

based on biological molecules (DNA)

using their encoded information

Stem Cell Research

• Breakthrough in using human

embryonic stem cells in formation

of human heart cells, natural pacemaker

and pancreatic cells for insulin production

TechSat

• Technion research satellite launched in 1998,

designed and built by faculty and students



Ubiquitin System – won the 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

The system that controls protein decomposition in every living cell.

A breakthrough in cancer and degenerative disease research.

The first Nobel Prize to Israeli scientists.


Technion Shapes the State of Israel

❑ Physical Infrastructure, Construction and Roads

❑ Architecture and Urban Planning

❑ The National Water Carrier, Irrigation technology

❑ Development of traditional industries

❑ Exploitation of Natural Resources, the Chemical Industry

❑ Defense Industries, Aviation and Space Research

❑ Micro-Electronics, IT and Communications,

High-Tech industry

❑ Medicine, Bioengineering and Life Sciences

❑ Development of Futuristic Technologies


There is no other university in the world

that had such an enormous impact

on its country

as did the Technion

on the State of Israel


Technion Today

The Heart of the Campus


The Technion Planning Team

Architects Lawyers

Economists Geographers

Sociologists Civil Engineers

Psychologists Environmentalists

A multidisciplinary group of


The Technion Planning Team

Leads from Old to New Israel

Being a planner requires:

Optimism

Professional knowledge

Professional ethics


The Mission of the Planning Team

▪ Study and teach issues of land use

planning and development

▪Act as Israel's “think tank”, serving

decision-makers responsible for allocation

of land and for the development of the

built environment and open spaces


Land Valuable and scarce resource in Israel

Strong pressure on the limited land

resources in the State of Israel, because of:

▪ natural population increase

▪ immigration (Aliya)

▪ rapidly developing economy


Between 1948 to 2000,

in 52 years, Israel’s

population grew by a

factor of 8.

The population growth

was due to:

▪ Natural increase,

accounting for 58%.

▪ Positive balance of

migration accounting

for 42%.

Natural

Increase

Balance of

Migration

1948 806

1990 4822

1980 3922

1960 2150

1970 3022

2000 6364

90002020

76002010

Forecast


1948-2000

Within 52 years

▪ Israel’s population grew by about 5.6

million people Israel’s population grew

by a factor of 8

▪ The population density grew from 38

capita per sq. km. to 300 capita per

sq. km.

▪ The built up area grew by a factor of 17


Urban and regional planning

is the key for coping successfully

with these pressures


Israel 2020 - A Master Plan for

Israel in the 21st Century

“Israel 2020” is an integrated economic, social and environmental plan for the development of Israel in the 21st century, including implementation policies for its realization

National Planning


Israel 2020

Prepared for and funded by:

PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE MINISTRY OF INTERIOR

ISRAEL LAND AUTHORITY THE JEWISH AGENCY

MINISTRY OF FINANCE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE

MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATION MINISTRY OF DEFENSE

MINISTRY OF ENERGY & INFRASTRUCTURE

MINISTRY OF HOUSING & CONSTRUCTION

WATER COMMISSION


Planning Workshops

“ISRAEL 2020” is the Largest and the Most

Comprehensive Planning Research Ever

Carried Out in Israel:

Over 250 Participates; 13 Ministries involve;

About 7 Years; About 100 Years of Man’s Work

Technion - Israel Institute of TechnologyIsrael in the Middle East

Israel as a Case StudyCountry’s area: 21,500 sq. km. Population (2002):

6.7 millions Density: 312 capita/sq. km.

40% of the Area

6.2 million Inhabitants

Density: 720 capita/sq. km.

60% of the Area

0.5 million Inhabitants

Density: 39 capita/sq. km.


1948

107Capita/Skm

1Capita/Skm

GederaAshdodRishon Le’Zion

The Tel Aviv Metropolis

2000

640Capita/Skm

38Capita/Skm

Israel’s Main Planning IssuesSpatial Density


2000

640Capita/Skm

38Capita/Skm

2020

900Capita/Skm

50Capita/Skm

“Business as usual” 2000-2020


2020Underdevelopment

Congestion

Underdevelopment

From CONFLICT to SYNERGY

National Dispersal - Regional Concentration

2000

640

38Capita/Skm

Capita/Skm


Shaping the National Space

▪ Concentrating 80% of the country’s

population in 3 urban areas with 20%

of it’s area

▪ Preserving large open spaces between

intensively built regions

▪ Direct connection between the urbanized

regions by highways & mass transportation


District Outline Plan No. 9/2

Development Plan for the Northern Region in Israel

The Galilee Region


Galilee

Northern Region of Israel

• Jews and Arabs

• Urban and Rural

• Unique Landscape

One million in 2000

1.8 Million inhabitants


The Challenge

Creating new opportunities for a rapid

development of the region, for its current

population, Jews and Arabs, and for the large

wave of immigrants from the former USSR

http://www.atpm.com/7.09/israel/images/tiberius-sea-galilee.jpg


Balanced development

Balance between new construction and preservation of land and open spaces

Balance between population groups

Balance between public and private investments

http://www.atpm.com/7.09/israel/images/tiberius-sea-galilee.jpg


AkkoTel Aviv

Balance Between the Open & the Built Area


The future is probably beyond

the horizon of our vision, but

not beyond the range of our

control.

Thank You

Robert F. Kennedy


World-Class Research Team

International Recognition / Awards

International Association for Design Research

Professor Arza Churchman, Career Achievement Award

International Policy Studies Organization

Professor Naomi Carmon, Best Book of the Year

American Planning Association

Professor Rachelle Alterman, Best Paper of the Year

Association of Town Planners and Architects in Israel

Professor Adam Mazor, Distinguished Planner,

Appreciation for Contribution to City planning on the

occasion of Israel’s Jubilee


Examples of Innovative Contributions

of the Research team on Land Use

Planning & Development

▪ National Planning

Israel 2020 – A Master Plan for Israel of the Early 2000s

▪ Housing and urban renewal

The Phoenix Strategy for "Updating" Older Housing

▪ Economic Development

Technological Incubators as carriers of Development in

Peripheral Regions

▪ Social Planning

Culture-Sensitive Housing for Arab Citizens of Israel

▪ Environmental Policy and Planning

Water-Sensitive Urban Planning


The Phoenix Strategy for

“Updating” Older Housing

The problem: A large share about a third of the

housing stock in the country is far below current

standards

A discovery by Technion researchers: Houses

and buildings of all types, serving lower- and higher-

class residents, in low-rise and high-rise buildings, can be

“updated”, without heavy public investment

Housing and Urban Renewal


Acre East

Self-Help Enlargement

in a low income neighborhood

Original size: 43 m2 Expanded unit: 114 m2


Why Phoenix?

The Phoenix is the legendary bird who lives a

long life repeatedly rising anew from its ashes

to live another long period

In our case, the body of the Phoenix is a housing

unit and its soul is a household

Following one period of life, the housing unit

goes through extensive transformation, initiated

and managed by the household, and rises anew

to serve its occupants for yet another long period


Ramat Aviv

A middle-class neighborhood in Tel-Aviv

Before

After


Ramat Aviv

Before: 3 rooms + 1 bathroom

After: 4 rooms + 2 bathrooms + elevator

Enlargement Plan

Original size: 65 m2

Enlargement: 35m2

Total: 100m2


The Phoenix Strategy

User-controlled process of

changing, expanding and

renovating housing

units and buildings


Benefits of the Phoenix Strategy

▪ Halting deterioration and encouraging

neighborhoods regeneration

▪ Improved affordable living conditions for the

residents

▪ Higher satisfaction with one's dwelling unit

▪ Saving huge amounts of new resources,

especially open space and energy, which are

required for new construction, where housing

updating processes do not take place


Impact on IsraelGovernmental and municipal plans and

procedures were changed to facilitate the

Phoenix Strategy; more than a hundred

thousands housing units were updated

International recognitionEuropean colleagues, especially in the UK,

Sweden ,Hungary, Italy and the Netherlands, are

implementing the Phoenix Strategy for updating

the housing stock in their countries



Water is a scarce resource in Israel

The Technion researchers faced a challenge:

How to enable urban development in Israel,

without harming its water resources

Collaboration between experts in water

management, urban planning, and landscape

architecture created an innovative strategy of


Environmental Policy and Planning


WaSUP, Technion innovative strategy, requires

integration of water considerations at all levels

of urban planning:

▪ Level of the single house – Very simple facilities

make runoff infiltrate into the ground and enrich

groundwater: enclosing wall, 10 inches high; rainspout

to garden/loan

▪ Level of the neighborhood, city – Slowing down

runoff by topography of streets, by planning infiltration

areas and constructing small reservoirs for rainwater

▪ National level – Larger infiltration areas and

reservoirs instead of huge and very expensive

drainage systems


WaSUP in a residential area


Benefits of WaSUP

Innovative Strategy

▪ Large Addition to Israel's groundwater

~150,000,000 cubic meters a year

▪ Greener environments due to use of

rainwater for urban irrigation

▪ Far less damage by flooding and cheaper

drainage systems

from old to new israel the technion role

Documents