Social Impact Assessment of Rebuilding an Urban Neighborhood: A Case Study of a Demolition and Reconstruction Project in Petah Tikva, Israel

Tamar Trop

doi:10.3390/su9061076

Abstract

The rebuilding of deteriorating residential areas is being replicated rapidly throughout Israeli cities despite limited assessment of the social consequences. This paper presents the findings of a social impact assessment (SIA) applied to a demolition and reconstruction case study carried out in a low-income neighborhood in Petah Tikva. The project represents a typical example of developer-led removal of low-rise, mixed tenure housing replaced by privately owned high-rise housing. A mixed-methods approach was used to explore the actual and potential social implications from different points of view held by the various public and private actors in the project. The research was based on the analysis of official documents, field observations, and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders involved in the rebuilding process, and with affected community representatives. The case study was analyzed with regard to three components: the public engagement process, financial well-being, and community cohesion and stability. The assessment revealed insufficient public and municipal involvement, the displacement of the majority of low-income households, disregard for the provision of community infrastructure, and the weakening of community stability. The paper suggests various ways to improve the outcomes of the project for all the affected parties, and argues that incorporating the SIA mechanism in this particular form of urban renewal might improve strategic decision-making and promote urban sustainability.

Highlights

In all of Israel’s largest cities, inner-city revitalization and housing rebuilding associated with urban renewal has proceeded swiftly throughout the 1990s and the 2000s
Environmental and transportation concerns were taken into account, but the social consequences of urban renewal projects at large, and the impacts associated with the demolition of derelict residential areas and the reconstruction of high-rise housing, have not been widely studied
No formal requirement exists for conducting Social impact assessment (SIA) in Israel, and studies of the specific social effects of the demolition of derelict low-rise residential areas and the reconstruction of high-rise buildings are lacking

Summary

Introduction

In all of Israel’s largest cities, inner-city revitalization and housing rebuilding associated with urban renewal has proceeded swiftly throughout the 1990s and the 2000s. Much of the existing knowledge about social impacts is based on social ‘follow ups’ and ex-post facto studies of existing projects and policies. In accordance with this second view, this paper presents the results of an ex-post evaluation, which demonstrates how conducting SIA before launching a demolition and high-rise reconstruction project could have alleviated potential undesirable social impacts on affected communities. This paper briefly reviews the characteristics of housing renewal and high-rise projects to clarify the need to perform a specific SIA for each project

Methods

Results

Conclusion