New Contest Seeks to Bring Shade to Too-Sunny Tel Aviv

After a dramatic decision by the local Tel Aviv planning council that requires planners to ensure that new neighborhoods have sufficient shade, the Tel Aviv municipality is running a contest for architects and designers, who are being asked to make suggestions for ways to provide more shade for Tel Aviv residents, visitors, and pedestrians. The contest will run through the end of September, and winners will receive prizes of between NIS 3,000 and NIS 8,000.

According to the planning council’s decision, Tel Aviv – where the weather is hot and humid at least half of the year – needs more shade, to make things more comfortable for pedestrians. According to the decision, sidewalks need to be covered to keep out at least 80 percent of direct sunlight, parks and open spaces should be 20 percent covered, and paved squares are to keep out 40 percent of direct sunlight. School playgrounds and open spaces need 50 percent covering, and outdoor sitting areas in parks need to keep 80 percent of direct sunlight out. Children’s playgrounds need to be completely covered. Covering these areas can be accomplished in any number of ways, according to the council’s decision – with trees, pergolas, sculptures or structures.

The contest is a good way to bring about an important change, said Gabby Lasky, a member of the planning council. “After years in which city planners ignored the local climate when planning neighborhoods, the time has come to change direction and plan properly for a city where shade is necessary. I am very happy that Tel Aviv, a city which sees itself as an innovator, is adopting an approach I have advocated for years.” Commenting on the contest, Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai said that “we are working to increase the amount of shade in public spaces in order to enable people to better enjoy those public spaces.