Saturday, March 12, 2016

Pedestrian Again.....Residents' Victory




Apropo round shape (my previous post 'Rotunda'), and women (the Woman's Day celebrated on the 8th of March last week) :


The round Dizengoff square in the heart of Tel-Aviv, originally named Zina square (Zina, the name of the mayor's wife) in honor and praise of all the women of the city - is currently in the news -  and that made me re-read my post "Fire and Water" from February 4, 2011 regarding the above square.

The big News is that the square (unveiled in 1938) is going to return to street level ( in 1978 it was elevated above street level, to allow flow of car traffic at the lower level;  this layout was very unpopular with the residents of the city who expressed their opinion on the topic,  in the 2011 survey initiated by the Municipality).  After the planned restoration, the place will belong only to pedestrians and their activities. 

Dizengoff is the name of the first mayor of Tel Aviv, the name of the most iconic street in this city , the name of the square  (the meeting point of this street with six  lateral streets), and the name of what is known as Dizengoff Center which includes a mall and an oudoor vintage market.

The square is round, and so is the main attraction in the middle of it - the fountain named by its famous designer Agam - 'fire and water'. The regular visitors  of  the square are: kids (playing and feeding the pigeons), bicycle riders, dog owners walking their dogs, seniors resting on benches, joggers, and many others.

she looks good and so does the dog

Dad is watching boy feeding the pigeons

having a chat while sitting on blue (ugly) benches

mobility



16 comments:

  1. A nice place, round buildings always draw my attention!

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  2. OLA,

    Even in its present condition, the round square is a nice, popular place for both locals and tourists. It's a place with great potential for pedestrians.

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  3. Had no idea Tel-aviv had so many interesting places.
    Duta have you seen the TV series House of Cards.
    I watched it again 50 chapters on a binge watch.
    It is so true to life it's scary. Have a great weekend yvonne

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  4. La Petite Gallery,

    So, now you do have some idea.
    House of Cards? I'm afraid not. However I've heard about it; it's an american political drama series involving a congressman and his wife. Have a great weekend too!

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  5. Daliana Pacuraru,

    Thank you for stopping by. Hopefully, after the square will be restored, it will be even a nicer place.

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  6. Beautiful place... but you're right the blue benches are ugly shaped! :(

    Beside, I think they should rename it Zina again, it's a beautiful name, and a female to start with...

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  7. PinkPanthress,

    The name 'Zina' is still on the sign, still the official name of the circle. In daily life though ,it's probably easier for people to call the whole area (street, square, center) by one name -'Dizengoff'.

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  8. Nice to share your part of the world, ....and I do agree about those horrid blue benches!

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  9. I like the blue benches!!! The scooter is a hoot!
    (ツ) from Cottage Country Ontario , ON, Canada!

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  10. Vera,

    It's not the colour, it's the shape, or, more precisely, lack of shape. Benches are an important item in a place like this, and more consideration should be given to their shape and placement.

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  11. Jennifer A.Jilks,

    I remember the man on the scooter has made my day at that spot. Indeed, a hoot, as you say. As for the benches, "each one to his own taste". In the picture, they don't look bad, in reality that's something else.

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  12. I was a little confused as to how they raised it, but in looking at the photos I could see the street down below. It's a very pretty place but yes, those blue benches need cleaning and re-painting! Hopefully that will be part of the makeover!

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  13. Alicia,

    In my post "fire and water" from feb.2011, you can clearly see in the pictures, both levels: the upper and the lower. I suppose the raising of the square was quite a difficult engineering job, but that's how things are nowadays; everything will be done for the car traffic and parking, even if it is at the expense of weak pedestrians (mothers, kids, elderly), and even if it spoils the general view.

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  14. Once again, a lovely post. I was just thinking about large squares in other countries and why we don't have them in my country. It is indeed a focal point for many different sorts of people to gather and relax. I am thinking the blue benches must be an attempt to add colour of water or sea in the the area. Unfortunately, it fails.

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  15. Angelina Pratt,

    I agree with you about both the role of squares, and the blue colour of the benches. Thanks for the comment.

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