Do Good Fences Make Good Neighbors?

Israel's planned 452-mile fence is certainly controversial -- but it will likely be an interesting experiment in how cities evolve.

1 minute read

February 23, 2004, 7:00 AM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen


At an estimated cost of $3 million per mile, the expected barrier's planned 452 miles is likely to be Israel's most expensive public works project. The wall/fence is daunting to examine: "[M]iles of electronically monitored fencing punctuated by a maze of watchtowers, entrenchments and rolls of razor wire, with patrol roads whose surfaces will be kept carefully swept so the footprints of intruders can be spotted... In Israeli towns and cities near the Green Line, the barrier's steady advance has been accompanied by a palpable sense of relief. Kfar Saba, a Tel Aviv bedroom community, was hit by repeated suicide bombings before the barrier was built but has had none since the neighboring West Bank city of Kalkilya was sealed off from it last year by a seemingly impenetrable concrete wall."

Thanks to Laura Kranz

Sunday, February 22, 2004 in The Los Angeles Times

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