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VISTA
FROM HIGH ABOVE
ON THE FIFTH ELEVATION
Dr. Hillit
Mazor
Visitors to Israel receive an early warning of the country's
visual diversity when their aircraft prepares for descent at Ben Gurion
airport. The first sighting of Tel Aviv is a chain of hotel tower
blocks guarding the shoreline, and then the rooftops of the city are
revealed, exposing all that is best hidden from passing eyes. Heaps
of depressing junk, improvised shading devices, and innovative patching
of leaky ceilings, a veritable yard sale not intended for public display.
Here and there one may spot a World War Two-vintage bicycle, abandoned
plastic inflatable pools from long-forgotten Independence Day celebrations,
and old furniture that just might "come in handy" but is
always in the way®
"Tel Aviv has a thousand faces", goes the saying, "and
no one knows which is true". But the city's rooftops really are
the country's gateway, and this time, no one can blame the architects.
A tour of the roofs of the new skyscrapers is ample evidence of serious
attention to the fifth elevation. Tel Aviv's sorry skyward appearance
is the fault of the dwellers of the city's apartment blocks. And the
municipal department for "improvement of the city's appearance",
reluctant to lift its head above the green garbage bins that litter
the city streets, is equally guilty.
Elsewhere in the world, the dilemma of the fifth elevation is given
due attention. The Australian city of Adelaide, founded in 1837, is
known for its flourishing gardens. A year ago, Dr. Jean Gary of the
Faculty of Geography of Adelaide University, led the drive for cleaning
up the city's rooftops, with support and encouragement from officials.
Enthusiasm rapidly spread beyond the borders of the university, and
the Adelaide initiative became a model for other cities.
In Russia, a drive to encourage citizens to groom their roof gardens
was launched mainly as a means of broadening the limited range of
vegetables available in the market. In Toronto, Canada, an experimental
project led to vegetable gardens on the roofs of buildings in the
old port. Here the initiative came from a commercial company's public
relations gimmick. Its success not only enriched the choice of vegetables
available in the city, but also greatly increased awareness among
residents of the city's appearance.
Manhattan, in contrast, is already blessed with penthouse gardens
that fulfill the fantasies of the city's wealthiest residents. These
roof-top "secret gardens" are not without problems, often
placing a strain on the building's skeleton, and accumulating moisture
caused by continuous watering. Appropriate construction, use of soil
alternatives, light-weight containers, and proper drainage systems,
are ready remedies. These gardens may be intended only for the private
use of a small elite, but they contribute significantly to the face
of the city, whether viewed from the air or from high-up windows.
Here in Israel, we suffer a great shortage of water,
enjoy a wide variety of vegetables, and often neglect our plants and
gardens. The main focus is on the real estate value of the assets,
although it is strange that the city leaders, having now decided to
permit roof-top construction, are not smart enough to capitalize on
it. Those who want and can affor their own private place in the Tel
Aviv skies should at least be compelled to clean-up, renovate and
refurbish the public areas of their building's Fifth Elevation. For
the sake of those who live here, as well as for the airborne visitor.
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