SAYA - Design for Change
II. The Old City special regime, gates and access A. Urban Setting The suggested working model for this case study assumes two capitals in greater Jerusalem’s area based, at large, on the principals of demographic separation. Situated in-between the two parts of the city, will lay the Old City with its Special Regime. B. The boundaries of the special regime The historical walls surrounding the Old City offer a natural border for the jurisdiction of the Old City’s special regime. Nevertheless, the need to accommodate security means and facilities might require the allocation of additional spaces to the regime. It is suggested here to situate these within the “green belt” surrounding the Old City. This act would require an extension of the special regime beyond the walls in the immediate area outside the gates, though their official status may remain under Israeli or Palestinian jurisdiction. Such an expansion will allow to: 1. Merge the new facilities in the surrounding landscape in the most natural and respectful
manner. 2. Maintain the appearance of the gates as it is today. 3. Prevent clogging the gates and the access through them by relocating the security
measures to more operable spaces.
C. Gates and access There are eight gates in the Old City’s historical walls. Nowadays, seven out of eight gates are opened and used to enter and exit the Old City, as the Golden Gate (on the eastern slope of temple mount/ Haram El Sharif) has been blocked for centuries and is located within a Muslim cemetery. Five of these gates have some access to vehicles and all of them are used widely during the year. Illustration 1 presents the access available through the seven active gates, whether for pedestrians or vehicles. As it shows, vehicle access is mainly restricted to the western and southern parts of the Old City, creating an uneven balance of access between the gates. This issue is key in dealing with the transformation of the Old City, yet was beyond the scope of this work. This study focuses only on the specific arrangements required for Jaffa Gate. A broader transportation plan throughout the Old City and Historic Basin would have to be developed upon implementation of the Special Regime.
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