An analysis into East Jerusalem’s housing environment: from social and climatic perspective

Abstract

The demographic growth in East-Jerusalem and limited land availability due to Israeli planning policies have led to the emergance of haphazardly designed housing developments that prioritize profit over culturally and climatically responsive design solutions. As a result, traditional values are lost, and the impact of climate change is exacerbated. This study evaluates the housing environment in Jerusalem from social and climatic perspectives, using locally produced architectural design solutions to identify sustainable indicators. The study emphasizes the importance of building layouts and design principles that were developed by Jerusalemites in their early attempts to modernize while rooted in traditional values. Field and ethnographic research provides a comprehensive understanding of layout designs, decisions related to thermal comfort, and cultural values associated with the living environment during the early modernity phase. Morphological analysis of plan layouts identifies common design principles frequently employed in relation to climatic, social, and environmental factors. Additionally, the study conducts a systematic literature review of previous research to identify the approaches and methodologies used in detecting indicators of climate-responsive architectural design. These indicators are used alongside field analysis to evaluate and compare cases and identify problematic issues in contemporary housing development designs. The study presents guidelines for future sustainable developments based on locality.