Urban Renewal (Pinuy-Binuy)

 

Urban renewal is a widely discussed and controversial program. It is a process intended to improve specific areas of a city. There are several terms related to urban renewal, the most known being 'Clearing and Building' (Pinuy-Binuy in hebrew), 'Tama 38'.

It's usually a slow process (it may take years) that involves getting permission from the residents, from the local and regional authorities, proper planning and consulting. If all goes well, the result is one of economic, social and environmental area revival.

The buildings in my neighborhood are about 60 years old. The plan is to demolish the old structures and build new ones, more spacious and with a promise of increase in market value. I would have preferred renovation, not demolition, as the basic construction is of good quality. Moreover I've got 3 air exposures and it's street faced (quiet inner street).

 In Pinuy-Binuy the apartment has to be evacuated for two-three years, and the resident displaced until the new building is finished. Not convenient to my age. I think, however, that according to the law the contractor has to offer a person of my age the option of an immediate new apartment in one of his other buildings, if available.. We shall see.

Lately, I've noticed some action which means the process is approaching and I'm quite apprehensive. There is always local corruption, conflicting interests, poor planning, and above all, the need to start downsizing towards the evacuation of the apartment.  Just the thought of it gives me a headache.

Urban Renewal And Facebook

 

I'm active on Blogger only, no Facebook or other such platforms.

However, several years ago, I opened a Facebook account  for the sole purpose of following online city council debates on various topics. At that time what was especially of interest to me was the 'hot'  topic of 'urban renewal',  as my building was part of an area designated by the municipality for  a big project of demolition and rebuilding. I soon became tired  with these debate meetings. 

Urban Renewal is a long, complex journey involving a lot of factors: apartment owners, entrepreneurs, contractors, neighbors, various local authorities, lawyers. Funding and Bureaucracy dominate the entire process.

The renewal plan for my neighborhood area didn't work out, but I kept the Facebook account as it enabled me to locate people in my past with whom I lost  contact over the years.

I had no intention of reconnecting with those people, just  curious to know about their whereabouts, and whether they were alive and well. Sometimes, my search didn't get any results. If I happened to know the name of  their son / daughter, I would enter their public page trying to find out something about the parent/s. 

Well,  I was surprised to note that in most cases the off-springs did not mention their parents at all , at least not on the  page to which I had access.They did refer ,though, to ... critters.

A few months ago, an 87 year old relative of mine , died in Bucharest (RIP). During her last years she was very ill, with Alzheimer and other health problems. Sadly, her  only son (a fairly intelligent person, an engineer by profession), didn't even bother  to mention  her death on his FB  page - no mention, no obituary, no tribute, no memories, no photos.  Nothing. (I was informed of her passing by her sister -in-law).
I don't know much about Facebook and how it works, but I do know , that this kind of attitude is not acceptable to me.