'This Crisis Will Reshape the Way We Understand City Living'

Tel Aviv Foundation’s CEO says city leaders need to listen and be patient to learn from the current crisis. Also, large events, festivals, tourists, and crowds won’t be back for some time, but that could be a good thing

2 minute read

April 23, 2020, 11:00 AM PDT

By PabloValerio @pabl0valerio


Tel Aviv Foundation

Dr. Hila Oren, CEO of the Tel Aviv Foundation. | Cities of the Future

The Tel Aviv Foundation, a non-profit organization under the umbrella of Tel Aviv’s municipality, is promoting Tel Aviv technology and forming partnerships with other cities around the world.

As a popular destination for international tourism, Tel Aviv, as many other Mediterranean cities, is facing a significant challenge to its economy.

Nowadays, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the foundation has put all its efforts into helping the city, the mayor, and the community to minimize the effects of the current crisis.

Samples from an interview with Dr. Hila Oren, CEO of the Tel Aviv Foundation, follow. More is available at the source article.

  • "We need not have meetings, we can have a short 30 minute meeting on zoom. We don’t need two hours meetings around a table. We need not go so much out of our houses and build more roads. Look, the roads are clean now. Not everything is good, but some of it has improved."
  • "If we go back to 100% the way we were before, then we miss the whole lesson that we need to learn from this. The COVID-19 came to us to give us a lesson. And we have to listen to it. And I’m saying that now, being quiet, we can listen."
  • "I’m not so sure if next year we will build as many schools, or as many kindergartens, or as many community centers as we built before, maybe we will understand better, and we can use them in a multifunctional system. And, things that are much more needed are open public spaces. I think those will be in demand and we must have more."

Wednesday, April 22, 2020 in Cities of the Future

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

Black and white photo of San Francisco city hall neoclassical dome with person walking across crosswalk in foreground.

San Francisco Mayor Backtracks on Homelessness Goal

Mayor Dan Lurie ran on a promise to build 1,500 additional shelter beds in the city, complete with supportive services. Now, his office says they are “shifting strategy” to focus on prevention and mental health treatment.

5 hours ago - The San Francisco Standard

Brutalist grey department of housing and urban development building in Washington DC.

How Trump's HUD Budget Proposal Would Harm Homelessness Response

Experts say the change to the HUD budget would make it more difficult to identify people who are homeless and connect them with services, and to prevent homelessness.

6 hours ago - Shelterforce Magazine

Lancaster Boulevard with tree-lined median and wide sidewalks in Lancaster, California.

The Vast Potential of the Right-of-Way

One writer argues that the space between two building faces is the most important element of the built environment.

7 hours ago - Streetsblog USA