The social mission of architecture

Architects have the responsibility not only to create physical forms but also to serve as advocates for improving social conditions, especially at this time when Israel is rapidly being transformed by a tidal wave of residential towers inappropriate to its way of life. A great many building projects lacking human scale are oblivious to their pre-existing physical environmental context and our architectural heritage. Building projects are on an ever- larger scale. The pace of change has been greatly accelerated.

An important question which till now has surprisingly received little attention is what has happened to the once close connection between public social policy, architecture and planning? To give but one example, Park Hayarkon’s first section, Tel-Aviv’s breathing space, today comprising close to 400 acres, was conceived by the city’s first Mayor – Meir Dizengoff, later backed by Ben-Gurion, first opened to the public in 1951.

Enlightened political leadership, is of course critically important. Today, short-term political concerns by over confident decision-makers having no previous education or experience whatever in architecture, urban design and planning, and real estate markets without morals have become the rule. An extreme case in point is the gargantuan project for decking Begin Boulevard (there is no boulevard) between century-old Beit Hakerem and Hebrew University’s Givat-Ram’s campus, backed by Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, an accountant.

Architecture, nothing if not collaborative, has also been hobbled by a culture of egotistical global starchitects, too many of them in Israel, not just impeding the development of Israeli architecture but also stripping the profession of its social purpose. Public participation in the planning process must again be seen as all-important, ensuring that community voices not only be heard but be seriously respected.

Fundamental social values fostering community bonds need urgently to be restored. Public life must again, in the words of Danish Architect Jan Gehl, be the driver of urban design. People need contact and stimulation, empathy, inclusivity, accessibility and spatial equity, Allow children to be children. Accommodate our expanding elderly population. Safety. Needed are more places for congregation – parks and well-placed public buildings alongside efficient public transportation. More roads mean more cars.

Without the creation of a new social agenda that incorporates long – term sustainability, identification and social interaction, Israeli society will sooner or later find itself in danger.