Place Making- Neve Paz (2018- today)

Neve Paz

The group was established in 2018 as an outcome of EDC course. During the course Israeli, Ethiopian and International students started the process of appraisal and analysis with the community of Neve Paz neighborhood. Those students continued the work as they become Neve Paz group.

This is EwB’s first urban partnership that brought new opportunities and challenges working with variety of partners and stakeholders. Luckily the community members include activists and the work is supported by Haifa municipality and is done hand in hand with the community worker of the neighborhood.

Partners; the community of Neve Paz, Haifa municipality, Beit Magnetsa community center and Yefe Nof company.

Where: Neve Paz, Haifa, Israel.

The group is working today with the community on the issue of lack in public space for the community members to interact and create relationships and strength the community feeling .

As part of EDC course the students and partners mapped the community’s needs and presented few possible relevant projects. This information continued to lead the group work with the new volunteers who joined. After identifying few issues related to lack of community feeling, personal safety, accessibility, poor neighborhood infrastructure (roads, lightening, drainage, etc.) and visibility. The group used method for decision making with the community and agreed that the first project will address few of the issues by encouraging the creation of a community within the neighborhood.

The Place Making project is trying to address that issue. Neve Paz neighborhood is characterized by low socio-economic level with a very ‘Israeli’ population composition caused by years of different Aliyah (immigration). That causes the alienation between people from different ethnic and even between same ethnic, but between ages and levels of ability to integrate into the Israeli society.

The project is creating a clean, accessible and pleasant public spaces that will provide facilities that fit the diverse community needs. A place where all can meet and get to know each other. This will encourage the feeling of belonging and allow the community to grow closer and stronger. This can directly influence personal safety, visibility, etc. and indirectly, it can create a group of people that will work with the municipality toward a better future for the neighborhood.

The main aim of this project is to improve the feeling of belonging and community for the residents of Neve Paz neighborhood as a way to improve their quality of life

Status: Initiation

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