שכונת א-טור | פתיחת הקצה

Located on the slopes of the Mount of Olives, A-Tur is shaped by the tension between its historic landscape and modern urban restrictions. For decades, the Green Belt—a planning policy rooted in the British Mandate—has limited the neighborhood’s expansion, prioritizing the Old City’s skyline over local development needs. This has led to inward growth, extreme density, a shortage of housing, and a growing disconnection from the western slopes that once shaped the village’s identity, diminishing its presence on the mountain. The project identifies the neglected edge between the urban fabric and the restricted green space as a liminal zone, reimagined as an active connective layer. It transforms the elements that have contributed to the neighborhood’s disconnection into opportunities for reconnection. Through a network of east–west paths, new residential units, and public cultural spaces, the project reactivates the landscape through an architectural approach rooted in the site’s topography and the spatial character of A-Tur. The positioning of buildings, the development of architectural typologies, and the selection of materials are conceived as interconnected design strategies that respond to the terrain, reinterpret the neighborhood’s cultural identity, and reinforce its presence on the slopes. Together, these interventions support community life, restore movement and visual continuity, and reconnect A-Tur to its surroundings. Ultimately, the proposal transforms the Green Belt from a wall of restriction into a spatial mediator between preservation and growth. By building upon this edge, the project restores A-Tur’s presence on the mountain and establishes a unified framework for social, cultural, and urban connection.