How will Jerusalem look in 2050? According to plans presented to a special hearing of the Jerusalem District Planning and Building there will be a Metro (underground railway) operating in the city, 220,000 new homes would have been built and the population of the metropolitan region would have doubled to 5 million.
The committee's hearing was held to present and discuss two interrelated issues: firstly plans for construction of the metro in Jerusalem; secondly, development plans needed for the city to adapt to the new transport era with the population expected to almost double by 2050 within the same city boundaries.
"Plans approved within 15 years"
As Globes reported in July, a tender to conduct an economic and engineering feasibility study for construction of the Jerusalem Metro has been issued, with the project costing several tens of billions of shekels. Work will begin between 2040 and 2050. At the committee hearing, one of the leaders of the planning team, architect Ari Cohen, presented his own forecast that sounds more optimistic: "Within 15 years there will be approved plans," he claims. "This is a system that will come into existence in the 2040s, and will serve Jerusalem from the mid-2040s."
During the hearing, four potential options for the Metro were presented. The most expensive option costing NIS 70 billion encompasses three lines. But currently the preference of the decision makers is to build a cheaper option of only two lines in the first phase, and to examine the addition of a third line later. Jerusalem District Plsnning and Building Committee director general Rafi Elimelech supported the option of two lines that meet at one point and include 29 stations over 28 kilometers. Estimates presented believe this option will cost just over NIS 50 billion.
Elimelech noted that construction of the Jerusalem Metro will use the knowhow and experience gained in planning of the Tel Aviv Metro. He said, "Failures we found in the planning process in the central district will not be repeated here. We can do the planning in Jerusalem faster than we did in the center."
The strategic plan will be revised
As part of preparations for integrating the Jerusalem Metro, the city's development plans were also presented on the assumption that the city will continue to grow while creating more transport solutions. Jerusalem's strategic plan, which has not been revised since 2014, will be updated. Estimates are that the city's population will increase by about 800,000 by 2050, to about 1.8 million.
This growth will see Jerusalem become much more densely populated. Currently 7,662 people live in the city per square kilometer, and according to growth projections for the coming years, this density will almost double to 14,220 people per square kilometer. It is estimated that the city will need to add 220,000 housing units — the vast majority through urban renewal: 130,000 units for the general Jewish population, 50,000 units for the Arab population and 40,000 units for the haredi population. According to estimates, the Jerusalem metropolitan region, which includes Beit Shemesh, Ma'ale Adumim, Givat Ze'ev, and more — is also expected to almost double by 2050: today about 2.7 million people live in the metropolitan region, and by 2050 it is expected the population will be 4.8 million.