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Welcome to our Lab!

Because policy matters

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Our Vision

The lab focuses on policy studies that can inform and inspire change in Israel and abroad. The lab’s research focuses on policies in a range of fields in order to inquire what works and what does not and to assess the impact of land use policies.

Our team comprises of expert researchers in the fields of policy studies, law, urban design, political science, and sociology. The lab is headed by Assoc. Professor Nir Mualam, who is a seasoned lawyer, and planner.

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Recent Projects

Vertical Urbanism

We study tall buildings, their maintenance, and how public and private amenities can be co-located in densely populated and vertical environs

Heritage Conflicts

We study how heritage protection might create tensions and conflicts and, in turn, how these affect planning and policy

Murals & Street Art Policies

We study how murals and street art are governed by local governments; the mechanisms that enable their creation, funding tools, and long term upkeep

Housing

We study a range of housing policies, gentrification, urban renewal, and the relationship between urban protests and housing

Local Government

We study urban autonomy, cross-local knowledge transfers, local taxation, finance, and specifically value capture

Participatory Planning

We study how ICT and other measures can impact planning processes and outcomes.

Recent Publications

Murals & NFT

Eynat Mendelson-Shwartz, Offir Shwartz, & Nir Mualam. “Protecting Street Art Rights Using an NFT-based system”. Journal of Urban Technology. 30(3), 81-100.  

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Online Planning and the Pandemic

Nir Mualam, Emil Israel, David Max. “Moving to online planning during the COVID-19 pandemic: The perspectives of incumbents and Stakeholders”. J. Planning Education & Research June 2022.

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World Heritage & Land Values

Eyal Salinger, Daniel Shefer, Nir Mualam. “World heritage designation and property: The impact of preservation on the price of historic assets”. International Journal of Strategic Property Management, 26(5), 397-409 (December 2022).

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Recent Talks

Bunkers, Shelters, and Safe Room Policies

T.U. Berlin Talk (January 11, 2024).

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Upkeep of Apartment Buildings

“Maintenance and management of residential buildings: Technology and its impact on condominium living”. 7th International Academic Conference on Places and Technologies, Belgrade, Serbia [Online]. October 29, 2020.

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Murals & Street Art

Eynat Mendelson Shwartz & Nir Mualam How Much Control Do Cities Want over their Public Spaces?. European Sociological Association, IV Midterm Conference.. Online Conference. January 21, 2021 (oral presentation).

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Watch us in action!

Recent Press

Protests and Planning

“The protests of 2011 were effective but did not manage to reassert welfare policies to the housing market”. Davar online, October 5, 2023.

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COVID and Planning

The cities of Modi’in, Kfar Sava, and Hod Hasharon obeyed social distancing COVID-19 regulations. Ma’ariv, July 8, 2021

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Housing Shortage

“If there is a shortage in housing units, where do people live?” Calcalist, November 30, 2022.

 

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Recent ebooks

For several years lab members have been intrigued by a strong wave of urban protests that emerged around the world (Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street, etc). The Lab’s new publication on the subject summarizes a two-year project designed to investigate whether social movements and urban protests make a difference.

A shorter version of the booklet was published as an article here

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Recent Exhibitions

Does World Heritage create urban tensions? how do these look like? A collaborative effort of lab members, the Liebling Haus in Tel Aviv, and local artists explore this question in a new arts exhibition, relating to the World Heritage of Tel Aviv, and its impact on urban policy, and the urban environment.

We would love to hear from you.

+972-547-309430 • nirm@technion.ac.il

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