TEL AVIV AS A GARDEN CITY: THE VISION OF PATRICK GEDDES Summary of a paper presented to Drexel University, 2021*
Petrick Geddes was a famous urban planner who was brought from the UK by the British Mandate to PalestineLand of Israel (Eretz Israel), In order to plan the growing Jewish city of Tel Aviv, and introduced the Garden City idea. This paper reviews the work of Geddes and its development over the years in Tel Aviv, the turn into the concept of the White City, the fading of the last, and the growth of the new-green concept in the 21st century. In the last section of the paper, I examine carefully whether the latest architectural developments in Tel Aviv are, in fact, a renaissance of the Green City of Geddes. Tel Aviv, founded in 1909 as a neighborhood near Jaffa the old Port City of Israel - was developed rapidly, among the rest, because of waves of violence against Jews in Jaffa. The British Mandate which took over the country in 1917, quickly realized the necessity of urban planning and appointed Geddes as a leader of a group of planners. His plan, designed in 1927 and approved in 1929, contained four components: The grid of streets - major streets running from south to north, intersected by widely spaced east-west secondary roads, and wide green boulevards. Next, the design of large city blocks for domestic dwellings: each block was designed around a central open space, and the creation of a concentration of cultural institutes to function as a civic center. This plan was implemented and drew the shape of the old north of Tel Aviv to this day. During the years of Geddes's planning of Tel Aviv, the significant population growth due to mass immigration led to Tel Aviv becoming an overcrowded commercial center
of the Land of Israel. The Zionist dream of the first Hebrew town as unique model of a Garden City was obsolete. Instead, the idea of a White City was promoted by a new generation of architects who studied from the father's of modern architecture and were inspired by the visions of the Bauhaus and the international style. These young architects adjusted the international style to the culture, needs, and climate conditions, such as harsh sunlight, available building materials, and culture and needs in the Land of Israel. They employed the concept of form and function into concrete structures with high ceilings and flat roofs that split into recessed balconies with no ornamentations. The establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 and the mass immigration to the new Jewish state, following the freedom to come to the homeland without limitation of the Mandate, caused a vital need for housing solutions for massive population growth. So, the White City Movement ended, leaving behind unique, preserved buildings in the heart of Tel Aviv. The steady moderate growth of population in the 21st century creates opportunities for a new green city concept that is integrated with the global trends. In my opinion, this trend which, among the rest, manifests the ground gardens in Geddes's plan on top of buildings rooftops, is gaining momentum, and going to stay with us for a long time, realizing the vision of Patrick Geddes in its own way. *This paper is nominated for an award by Drexel university. The paper can be sent upon request. 33
