Presenting Ligat Gat, a city-wide sports league. Who participates? Different types of communities (schools, industry, businesses, neighborhoods, etc.) and different age groups can create teams for a variety of sports. At what scale? The city could repurpose a variety of small vacant lots for league use throughout the city. The city could create a web-based platform for connecting teams, scheduling, and reserving time. How does it improve the city’s image? This would be cheap and easily implementable, and it would further our goals of stitching the city together into a compact unit by fostering interaction between groups and encouraging group recreation within the city. We anticipate a fierce soccer rivalry between Intel and Glickson.
Immediately Implementable Tactic:
Ligat Gat
Wireless hot-spots for digital access across the city. Who participates? Everyone, with digital literacy programs for elderly and marginalized communities. Who benefits? Everyone, particularly government through civic feedback, local business through increased patronage, students through increased/mobile education, and marginalized communities through provision of information access. At what scale? City-wide (Possibly start with immediate hotspots in public areas such as parks, government buildings, and commercial areas; second phase: ubiquity) How does it improve the city’s image? Contributes to new identity of KG as “Israel’s First Digital Smart City,” and allows for development of future smart technologies and the pop-up platform.
Immediately Implementable Tactic:
City-Wide WiFi
Who participates? Residents would be directed to plant trees within city limits, along major pedestrian corridors.
Laying roots for an urban forest.
Who benefits? This program provides a direct benefit to citizens throughout Kiryat Gat, spanning age groups from children to the elderly. It can be implemented in every neighborhood and engage community organizations that represent the many cultures of Kiryat Gat. The unique event will bring positive publicity to the city, which will benefit everyone, including private industry. Residents will enjoy neighborhoods better connected to nature, and will receive direct benefits from trees, including shaded walkways and positive aesthetics. By planting trees within city limits, Kiryat Gat will effectively multiply the benefits of reforestation. The trees will improve air quality, filter and divert storm water, and encourage community building. On a system level, they will even reduce the need for expansion of grey infrastructure, including wastewater treatment facilities.
Immediately Implementable Tactic:
A Tree for Every Family
How is it implemented? This proposal can be implemented immediately, following the procurement of appropriate street trees. The next step would be to identify the corridors of the city that would most benefit from new plantings, building upon existing assets (such as connections to the linear park on the western side of the city).
The first car-free street days in the Middle East. Who participates? All residents of the city who wish to can attend, plus any visitors. Who benefits? The residents who enjoy the event will benefit, as will the city in generating business as well as an image enhancing / PR type event. At what scale? The city could close any number of streets, but also connect to plans for city-wide bike paths and regional paths.
“Lighter, Faster, Cheaper”
Using temporary examples to support long term interventions
Immediately Implementable Tactic:
Ciclovia
How does it improve the city’s image? It would be the first such event in the Middle East, ideally attracting visitors from Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Be’er Sheva.. and would begin presenting Qiryat Gat as a place for excitement, change, and sustainability.