In 2003, in the midst of the Second Intifada, five Hebrew University students and business representatives came together to create an organization dedicated to preserving the plurality of Jerusalem. Faced with a situation where the "creative class" of young professionals, students and artists were leaving in record numbers, they began looking for ways to reverse this trend in the hopes of keeping their city "thousands of years young".
After over a decade of work, their organization - known as "New Spirit" (Ruach Hadasha in Hebrew) - has expanded to include 25,000 people working with local communities and other organizations - such as The Jerusalem Foundation. And back in April, they came together with HeroX to launch the Jerusalem Challenge, an incentive-based competition designed to spur ideas as to how the city can be improved.
The aim of this challenge was to encourage input from residents of the city that would draw young, modern and secular Israelis back to its ancient capitol. But more than simply encouraging people to stay, New Spirit is also focused on creating communities that settle young people in various areas of the city, providing work and opportunities for such people to flourish and improve the lives of others around them.
New Spirit was formed in 2003, in the wake of the Second Intifada, to encourage young people to stay in Jerusalem. Credit: HeroX
And on Sunday, May 17th, the Challenge wrapped up with the declaration of a winner. According to New Spirit, the $5000 award for the most original idea that would have a viable impact on the social, cultural, artistic and economic life of the city went to Eli Shai - a doctor and resident of Jerusalem who proposed repurposing the city's many rooftop spaces.
As Ariel Markose, the creator of the Jerusalem Challenge, told HeroX via email: "Eli's idea focuses on all the wasted space in Jerusalem that can be found on the rooftops. Eli states that, like other cities who suffer from lack of space, the Jerusalem rooftops could be put to good use. He then proceeded to lay out several plans for the different uses, such as vegetable and herb gardens, studios for yoga and sunbathing, cultural events, sports and more."
Essentially, Shai's idea won the competition because of the way it was both unique and implementable. In addition to offering many possibilities for cultural activities, agricultural operations, gardening, social activities, and opportunities for rest and relaxation, it was believed that his proposal would also vastly improve the general appearance of the buidlings and neighborhoods that implented it.
The rooftops of Jerusalem, according to Eli Shai, are an ideal place to start sprucing up the city. Credit: Barry D. Kass/imagesofanthropology.com
It was also the winner because of he way it takes into account a major issue facing Jerusalem, which is the lack of public space. In a city that houses more than 890,000 residents, but who's greater metropolitan area measures only 125 km2 (48.323 sq mi), every meter counts. In fact, Jerusalem has a population density that is even greater than metropolis' like Tokyo and Mexico City - 6,400 people per km2 (17,000/sqr mi) compared to 6000.
"We believe in utilizing and improving the public space and turning it into a center for community interaction as this is something that is in short supply in Jerusalem,' Markosy adds. "Moreover we believe that we can provide this young innovator the connections and relevant contacts in the municipality and the community centers in order to implement this on a citywide level and into the different neighborhoods."
But perhaps most importantly is the fact that nothing of this nature has been in the city before. As one of the world's oldest cities, Jerusalem has seen just about everything and has been at the center of some of the greatest events in history. However, when it comes to development and encouraging growth, the implementation of new ideas is key.
"The goal of the challenge was to crowdsource interesting initiatives from local Jerusalem stakeholders that we could help promote in the city." said Markosy. "This idea is not only original in that nothing of its kind has been implemented in the city until now, it also alines with New Spirits values."
