The JDA is leading the promotion of the plan for the City Entrance project in Jerusalem, including the development of the entrance area as a thriving and active business center that will revive the gate to the city.
In cooperation with the Jerusalem Municipality, the Israel Lands Authority, and the Architects Association, an open architectural competition was launched in 2008 under the JDA’s management for the planning of the area. Following the declaration of the winning bid, the JDA worked to pool resources and structure the planning proceedings for the approval of the statutory plan. The plan provides the formal infrastructure for the establishment of Jerusalem’s future business center, which will function as one of the most important areas of the city, combining functions in the fields of commerce, hotels, employment, culture, leisure, vacationing, and a main transportation hub for the city.
The compound has key strategic importance due to its location at the western entrance to the city, and at the beginning of the Jaffa Road axis, which connects this point to the Old City. The area is also close to the Government Campus, the International Convention Center,
the central bus station, and the rapid rail station.
The unique location of the compound at the western entrance to the city means that it is free of constraints resulting from proximity to historical sites, thereby creating an opportunity to create a modern center. The planning emphasizes the shaping of an active commercial center that will be busy and thriving at all hours of the day.
The compound combines intensive construction for mixed uses in employment, commerce, hostelry, tourism, and culture, with an emphasis on designing a high-quality public space in an area with a strong public transportation orientation. The planning provides for contiguous construction at a height of 6-10 stories, along with 36-story towers.
The location of the compound is accessible to the Old City, the city center, and the Museums Campus.
The compound is characterized by a high level of transportation access, including an Israel Railways station, central bus station, and light rail station (the First Line). The City entrance plan is situated adjacent to Calatrava’s Chords Bridge, which provides a focal point of interest, and also includes the Jerusalem Convention Center complex – an existing congress center that will be developed in the future to include extensive additional conference areas, hotel functions, and commerce.
The compound also includes areas for future cultural uses exploiting the many advantages
of the compound.
The City Entrance project is currently in the construction phase.
