הדרך אל הים

Walking is an anchor — a space of quiet within a noisy reality. For me, open space has always been associated with freedom, breath, and slowing down. Yet with the outbreak of the war, that same openness also became a source of exposure and insecurity. The tension between freedom and protection became the starting point of the project. The project focuses on Haifa’s coastline and on the relationship between the city and the sea. The city and the coast are separated by a continuous sequence of infrastructure — the railway, the coastal highway, fences, and changes in elevation. Within this system, the way to the sea is neither direct nor intuitive, but is reduced to a sequence of crossings and passages. The space between the city and the coast functions largely as a transitional zone — a place one passes through on the way to another destination, rather than a space that invites pause and stay. Examining the existing barriers revealed the urban drainage system — a network of passages that already cross beneath the railway and the highway, carrying stream water from the city toward the sea. These passages, currently narrow, dark, and perceived as technical infrastructure alone, became the basis for the design proposal and a starting point for rethinking the way to the sea. The choice to work with these passages stems not only from their ability to create a physical connection between the city and the coast. Their sunken form, enclosing walls, and opening toward light and landscape evoke the image of a cave — one of the earliest forms of shelter. A cave allows a person to feel enclosed and protected while still looking outward and remaining connected to the surrounding environment. Building on this spatial quality, the project proposes expanding the passages and transforming them from a hidden technical system into an active, illuminated, and accessible urban network connecting the neighborhoods, Hecht Park, and the coast. The way to the sea is transformed from a route of crossing into a space in its own right — a space of movement, pause, and safety.