Implementing Trump’s vision for Gaza

Trump’s Gaza “Riviera” plan, shocking to many, for transforming Gaza into a tourist attraction, hopefully on the model of Nice, France and not Las Vegas, must of course be preceded by agreements with countries willing to accept and resettle almost two million Gazans, thus insuring Israel’s security. Assuming that President Trump, an experienced real estate magnate, succeeds in taking over Gaza for the United States, under his plan, the Palestinians, who fully supported Hamas all these years, will not be permitted to return.

The following outlines the planning process for the creation of this extremely large and complex project, if it is designed through a comprehensive. long-range and three-dimensional approach.

1. Setting up an advisory committee, among its tasks insuring design unity.

2. Programming for reasonable economic density, tourism, an airport and seaport, commercial and office space, health, education and religious facilities, agriculture, etc.

3. The selection of planning teams, consultants and project managers, architects and urban designers, landscape architects, movement and road engineers, water and waste, electrical and communication engineers.

4. Documentation of the existing situation on the ground: land ownership, built and natural elements for preservation, buildings to be destroyed.

5. Development of a master plan outlining and breaking down the project for detailed development. Planning teams assigned for the design of areas broken down by the master plan.

6. Plans must fully and sensitively exploit Gaza’s 40 kilometer long coastline on the Mediterranean Sea, walkways and bikeways adjacent to its beaches with active termination points, an airport for example. Hotels, restaurants and cafes and probably a casino or two would be situated opposite the beach along with a series of public open spaces. Accessing the coastline is of great importance. Many buildings might be situated perpendicular to it thus enabling transparency in consideration of those landlocked behind, including the Israeli communities to the Southeast. Building lines and height limitations would be specified for the entire project.

7. The main public roads and transportation corridors will extend horizontally, tying together cities and towns along its length, each with their own centers.

8. Walkability, mixed-use, travel by car minimized.

9. The whole having variety, all planning systems- land use, transportation, open space, pedestrian ways and buildings – continuous.

10. Preparation of all necessary legal documents and their approval.

The project would be executed through staged development tied to the project’s main roads and public transportation system.

No one knows today if President Trump’s plan, for Gaza, for the moment the only such plan, will be realized as it would mean a most dramatic change in the history of the Middle East. Arab nations, led by Saudi Arabia and Egypt are now scrambling frantically to propose alternatives. In any case, Hamas, the perpetrator of the October 7th massacre will no longer govern or be a military force in Gaza.

Gerard Heumann – Architect and Urban Designer, Jerusalem