Reading the City: Materiality, Architecture, and Jerusalem's Urban Heritage

The image of Jerusalem and its beauty have been world renowned since ancient times. Its sacredness and significance have driven planning and design interventions in its spatial urban environment. Its built heritage was first defined during the British Mandate, when the Old City walls were designated for conservation and their surroundings established as a protective buffer zone. At the same time, ordinances mandated “Jerusalem Stone” as the primary building material, and master plans outlined urban development. These interventions took a substantial turn in 1967 with the connection of the city's east and west and the expansion of its municipal boundaries. Today, Jerusalem faces accelerated densification under intense urban renewal. Yet, it remains unique: simultaneously a historic walled city, the Umbilicus mundi for the three monotheistic religions, and a modern, vibrant capital.

The course offers a spatial reading of Jerusalem based on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach, viewing the city as a multi-layered fabric where natural and cultural values intertwine. We will examine the setting and contexts shaping the urban space: from its geographic, topographic, and material foundations, through the built environment, the ancient, historic, and contemporary, the infrastructure and open spaces, land-use patterns, visual relationships, and the intangible dimensions of identity and cultural heritage. Guided by questions of our responsibility toward the city, the course bridges theoretical discussion with practical on-site learning. The course is structured around three modules of different scales: material, architecture, and urban heritage. It includes theoretical sessions and tours providing tools to understand the attributes that construct urban space and shape its values.