Although it may seem that public participation
is a given in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, residents are not informed
of the construction projects planned for their immediate neighborhoods,
nor do they take part in any aspects of the planning process.
Moreover, even the largest, wide-scale construction proposals have been shoved through the approval process with absolutely NO public notice or opportunity to comment..
Despite the fact that city council meetings are open to the
public by law, the dates of the meetings and their
agendas are not made public. Neighborhood committees
have no clear framework within which they can operate, nor
the financial means that will enable them to work within their
communities. The decision-making process within the city government
is not sufficiently transparent so as to create the necessary
trust between the public and its public servants in the municipality.
To increase Public Participation in Planning SPNI is urging:
>the Municipality to publicize dates of its City Council meetings and their agendas in advance, in the press and on the city's website, to enable the public to better trust their representatives' activities and take a greater part in the city's decision-making process
>one date for all city neighborhood committee elections should be set
>an overall operating framework for relations between city residents and their elected representatives should be formulated
Now is the time to establish
a citywide strategic plan that will specify rules by which
public hearings will be held and through which complete public
participation in the entire planning and decision-making processes
will be carried out.
