Dr. Mualam was invited by the Israeli Urban Renewal Authority to discuss the difficulties of maintaining high-rise apartment buildings. Mualam highlighted the challenges of urban renewal and the problems in the current land legislation in Israel. Being a former practitioner, Mualam emphasized the significance of joint academic and practitioners attempts to address daily, so-called mundane, challenges such as the long-term maintenance of massive structures constructed in Israel. Mualam outlined several ‘off the shelf’ solutions that practitioners, developers, and municipal officials could apply. Mocking the snail pace at which proven solutions were being adopted by government, Mualam brought with him a bag containing pieces from his own crumbling apartment building.
