The Bat Galim neighborhood is located on a peninsula at the western end of the city of Haifa, south of the port. The railway line forms its eastern border. Unlike most neighborhoods of the city of Haifa, which are built on a mountainous topography, it is built in a flat area and enjoys a direct and rare interface in the State of Israel with the seashore. In recent years, the population of the neighborhood has changed a lot and it has become younger. Alongside this, new cafes have also opened there and real estate prices have soared. Now, they are now higher than the prices of apartments in the Carmel neighborhoods. There are quite a few signs of localized and complex renewal projects in Bat Galim, which may change its appearance in the coming decade.
Bat Galim is one of Haifa’s first Jewish neighborhoods, and was designed in the 1920s by the architect Richard Kaufman (Nahlel, Hadar neighborhood in Haifa and Rehavia neighborhood in Jerusalem) according to the principles of the Garden City. The neighborhood was the first Jewish outpost in this part of the city. This means that the entire area passing west of the second Aliyah street is the main traffic axis in the neighborhood. It is characterized by the construction of relatively low buildings surrounded by gardens. The area to the east of the second Aliya street developed after the establishment of the state and is characterized by housing complexes – such as the brigade housing and the IDF housing.
Within the boundaries of the neighborhood are the Rambam Hospital, the Technion’s Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, and also the Navy Training Base. In the neighborhood there are also the “Aliya” Elementary School, the “Zur-Yam” Navy Technical School, and the “Shaham” Vocational Technological High School “. There are two bathing beaches in the neighborhood – the quiet beach and the Bat Galim beach, between which there is no crossing due to the existence of the navy base. On the other hand, there is a 1.2 km long promenade along the beach.
According to Haifa municipality data, the neighborhood has 4,729 residents, of which 453 are Arabs and the rest are Jews. According to the municipality’s property tax data, the area of the neighborhood is 1,060 dunams, and it has 2,659 units. It also has 290 businesses (shops and offices, including government offices), in a total area of 444 thousand square meters. The socio-economic index of the residents of the neighborhood according to the CBS is 4.5 out of 10.
The average price per square meter in the neighborhood today is NIS 19,700. For comparison, in the nearby Kiryat Eliezer neighborhood, the average price is NIS 15,175 per square meter, and in the Azoza neighborhood in Carmel it is NIS 16,042 per square meter. Among all Haifa neighborhoods, only in the Dania Villas neighborhood are the prices The square meters are higher and stand at NIS 25,252 per square meter. In the last year, 47 transactions were made in the Bat Galim neighborhood.
Despite the relatively high price, many regeneration programs are being promoted in the neighborhood that may boost it even more. In the western part of the neighborhood, the renewal is mainly spot-on (through TMA 38), but in other parts it is expected that there will be complex renewal. Last August, the local planning and construction committee approved a building evacuation plan in a 31-dunam complex between Milson, Aliya 2nd and Charl Lutz streets. The plan offers Demolition of 17 residential buildings, including 178 housing units, and construction of 725 housing units in approximately 9-story buildings, alongside towers of 31-34 stories. In addition, the plan includes commercial areas and areas for public buildings. The plan is an initiative of the Municipality of Haifa and the Governmental Authority for Urban Renewal. The company Chosen to promote the project is the settlement training.
Another significant plan is the plan to evacuate the naval base. The plan, which is promoted by Rami, proposes to establish on the base site, an area of 185 dunams, 1,300 housing units, 250 hotel rooms, 250 special units (protected housing), 9,000 square meters of commerce and employment and about 25 thousand square meters for public uses. The construction includes buildings with a height of 7 floors near the old neighborhood, which gradually rises to 10 floors. Towers of 18 to 25 stories will be built near the Rambam Hospital, where there are currently tall buildings. The importance of this plan, which will allow, among other things, urban continuity and access to the sea should not be overstated.
1 Viewing the gallery
At the same time, last August, the local Planning and Construction Committee approved a construction evacuation plan in the 31 dunam complex between Milson, Aliyah II and Charles Lutz streets, which will increase the number of housing units from 178 to 725. Recently, a discussion was held to build 1,550 new units at the site of the Navy base, in an area of 185 dunams.
At the Propedo company, which deals with artificial intelligence forecasts for the development of apartment prices, it is estimated that in the next ten years apartment prices in the neighborhood will rise by about 30%.
There is no doubt that a moderate process of gentrification and rising prices is taking place in the Bat Galim neighborhood, which may benefit it greatly. On the other hand, it must be remembered that this is the city of Haifa, which has been mismanaged in regards to infrastructure strengthening for many years.
For example, there is no concern for basic infrastructure, from road maintenance to educational institutions. In addition, there is neglect of the public space, there is no enforcement of construction violations and there is crime. The urban planning and also the architectural products are poor, both conceptually and in execution.
In addition to all these, the Bat Galim neighborhood is not disconnected from what is happening in the rest of the city, which has been suffering for years from negative migration to the surrounding cities. It seems that the plan to evacuate the naval base is critical to the development of the neighborhood, but at the moment there is no indication of when it will be implemented.