Hillel Schocken, "Architecture in Israel," The Jerusalem Post, 11 August 1989

The proposed “City Square” project for Jerusalem includes plans for a piazza, intended to become a focal point of city life. But does the architectural concept meet the requirements for this?

On a recent visit to New York I was taken around the World Trade Center by a person who was deeply involved in its construction. I was not surprised to hear that the designer of the piazza at the foot of the two gigantic 110 story towers, the Japanese architect Minouro Yamasaki, was inspired by Piazza San Marco in Venice. However, when we passed by a makeshift cafe which was “temporarily” located on the large piazza, my guide added that they are now trying to introduce new activities to the piazza which remains lifeless and largly unused by the thousends of people working in this huge complex.

Why do most 20th century architects fail in attempting to achieve similar success to that so obviously achieved in Piazza San Marco which was the source of their inspiration? What are the ingredients that make Piazza San Marco such a success? What is relevant in these questions for Jerusalem today?

The answer to the last of these questions is that a new Piazza is proposed for Jerusalem as part of the “City Square” project. “City Square” is a large office development into which all municipal offices will move from their currently scattered locations, together with the district offices of the Ministry of the Interior. Located between Jaffa road in the west, Shivtei Israel road in the east, Tsahal Square in the south and the Russian Compound in the north, the new civic center will also include some commercial activities. Central to this ambitious project is a large Piazza.

As there are no other large open spaces in the city, this piazza is loaded with great hopes of becoming the city‘s main urban public space.

The project has been recently the subject of opposition by the Israel Association Of Architects and Planners which submitted its objections to the District Committee for Planning and Construction. The Association felt that the piazza, as planned, will not live up to the expectations of becoming Jerusalem‘s center of urban life. Why? What makes urban spaces like Piazza San Marco work and why might “City Square” fail just like Yamasaki‘s piazza did?

There are numerous studies by architects which attempt to understand and define the ingredients which are necessary for a successful piazza. The Belgian architect Rob Krier presents in his book, “Urban Space”, an admirable study of all possible shapes and variations of urban spaces and piazzas. All of these variations deal with the physical aspects of the piazza, such as its general layout (plan) and the scale of the surrounding buildings. However, there are other aspects of urban space which are largely ignored by Krier, as well as by many architects and planners who try to deal with this subject. I argue that in order to be central to urban life, a piazza, or any other urban space, must attract many people for as great a variety of reasons as possible.

In order to do so, a piazza must be located on main public routes, it must be the center of a large variety of activities, and its space must be clearly defined, well proportioned, and beautifully detailed. If so planned, the piazza will become a focus for a large variety of people who may be either accidentaly passing by on the way from one point to another or coming especially for one or more of the many surrounding activities.

If you ask a person on Piazza San Marco “what are you doing here?”, you can not anticipate his answer. He may be just passing by on the way from the Doge`s Palace to the Rialto bridge, he may be on his way to tour St. Mark`s Basilica, or he may be after a cup of capucino at Cafe Florian. If you ask a person you meet on Yamasaki`s piazza at the World Trade Center where is he going, the answer is obvious. He is either coming or going to one of the offices in this huge complex. Thus, the piazza became merely an extended entrance lobby of the World Trade Center. It plays no part in New York‘s urban life.

The Architects‘ Association felt that the new piazza, designed by the Canadian architect Jack Diamond in collaboration with three local architectural offices, lacks all three aspects. It is removed from the main public route, Jaffa Road, there are very few public activities arround it, and it lacks spacial definition as only one building relates to it directly - the Municipality building.

The Association argued that instead of trying to create a new piazza, the designers should have tried to use Daniel Oster Garden as the focus of the new complex thus creating a piazza which is part of the much used Jaffa Road route. This piazza would enjoy a variety of activities around it as new public and commercial activities are introduced into the row of existing buildings which formerly belonged to the Hebrew University along with the existing mixed uses along Jaffa road.

Although the District Committee chose largely to ignore the architects‘ association‘s criticism, it is hoped that both municipality officials and project architects will take it into consideration. Jerusalem deserves a lively and beautiful piazza, and this is the best, if not the last, opportunity to achieve it.