Beersheva Looks at 400,000 Population

The city of Beersheva, the largest in the Negev and fourth largest in the country, has officially entered on a track for reaching a population of 400,000, Globes reported on Sunday.

The District Planning and Building Committee – Southern District announced the approval of the general outline plan which calls for the construction of over 34,000 housing units to add its estimated population of around 377,000.

Beersheva is considered to be relatively thinly populated. Whereas the government seeks a minimum density of eight housing units per dunam (quarter acre), the current net urban density is only 1.5 housing units per dunam. That allows ample room for growth.

The plan being advanced aims to bridge the disconnections created by the city’s modernist planning. Beersheva is currently made up of a jumble of isolated neighborhoods. The plan envisages a continuous network of streets, adapted to the climate, and shaded, with preference given to public transport and pedestrians over private vehicles.

Construction is to take place in the city center, where the municipality, the District Court, the government offices complex, and the transport hub are situated.

The main avenue, Rager Boulevard, is slated for a makeover from a multi-lane road to an urban avenue, and expanding and renewing the residential areas along it.