Shared Spaces in Jerusalem

Recognizing that Jerusalem is a mixed city means thinking about and taking care of the varied needs of all groups and also requires thinking about the shared spaces. Shared spaces are where different population groups meet organically. In a mixed city, we must understand how populations make joint use of public spaces in a positive manner. The goal of this project is to generate horizontal municipal thinking regarding the daily interactions between populations. Information regarding the potential and risks of shared spaces in the city must be gathered consistently. At the same time,
a master plan for shared spaces must be developed in order to enhance the probability of non-violent, and even positive encounters between the populations.

The shared spaces workshop aims to view Jerusalem as a social laboratory in which different communities live side-by-side with points of contact and conflict. In the workshop we discuss theories of conflict and contact and we learn about the psychological aspects of social conflicts, social identity, social interactions, and patterns of dialog.

The workshop was created in order to develop knowledge and capabilities for the management and operation of meeting places among professionals in the Jerusalem Municipality who are engaged in community work and urban planning, with an eye toward working in the communities on this issue.
In the workshop, we aim to turn theory into practice that can be applied in a mixed and polarized city such as Jerusalem. Therefore, we deal with the questions of how to create an inclusive and accessible space for diverse populations, how to work toward community development in a global world that is undergoing accelerated urbanization processes, and how to build trust between residents and the establishment.