אדם - אדמה

In an era of globalization and digitization, the place-based community is steadily eroding, along with the physical and cultural connection between residents and the land they inhabit. In the early days of physical planning in Israel (as described by architect Arieh Sharon), agriculture served not merely as an economic system, but as the foundational social engine and community framework of settlement typologies. However, accelerated urbanization processes in the second half of the twentieth century displaced agricultural land from city centers in favor of densification, vehicular infrastructure, and residential blocks. Kfar Saba serves as a clear case study for this transformation: evolving from an agricultural colony founded in 1903 on the ideology of working the land, to a municipality declared a city in 1962, shifting its focus from agriculture to industrialization and urban development. This design research identifies an opportunity for intervention within an existing urban infrastructure—the "Green Network" designed by Yosef Kolodny in the 1970s as a pedestrian movement network linking public gardens and civic institutions. Centered in the heart of Kfar Saba, the project proposes an architectural intervention within the existing residential fabric and urban grid, aiming to restore the public realm to its role as a community engine. At the core of the proposal is the liberation of the ground plane: surface parking lots scattered across private building plots are submerged underground, reclaiming urban space for environmental enhancement and resident well-being. The pathways of the "Green Network" are expanded to integrate agricultural and civic programs—including leisure gardens, an ecological pond, outdoor fitness amenities, and a community library. At the center of the block stands a hybrid public building combining a physical and mental rehabilitation center with a specialized elementary school, both sharing a therapeutic citrus orchard wrapped around and embedded within the structure. This encounter-driven design fosters the integration of diverse demographics within the residential block, strengthening local community cohesion. Operating from the urban scale down to the detailed architectural resolution, this intervention outlines a planning methodology (a master plan framework) for transforming existing urban fabrics: identifying spatial deficiencies and reintroducing agrarian-community values into the urban core.