The most important construction enterprise of the 50s was the housing projects. Between the years 1948 and the late 50s the State of Israel has tripled its population (in 1948 there were 650,000 Jewish residents, in 1960 – 1,850,000). At the end of the 1950s, almost all the transit camps were liquidated – the new immigrants were absorbed into permanent apartments in all parts of the country. The location of the housing projects played a crucial security and social role in the early years of the state. The issue of housing projects is not just a historical document, rather it is a topical issue. These projects today constitute a large reservoir of housing that must be addressed and adapted to the 2000s. The intention of the exhibition and the book is to present those housing projects against the background of time and place and to offer a critical and topical reading alike.

Image: Gilad Ophir
The exhibition was produced by the Art Museums Forum

Less Reading...