The “democratic space”

The “democratic space” is a conceptual and practical public space, which can be changed to enable mass gatherings and diverse activities, culture and democracy. In Haifa, there is no space where it is possible to hold a mass gathering to exercise the democratic right to mass demonstration. The project focuses on the Memorial Garden, whose physical size allows for such gatherings, as it constitutes the civic center of the city, located in the seam between the Lower City and the Hadar neighborhood, and overlooking the government compound, and contemplating the ruined Wadi Salib neighborhood.  The garden is part of the Haifa axis connecting the “mountain to sea”, along which the city’s public institutions are located, in an estranged and alienating environment that is uninviting to the general public. The democratic space addresses the basic needs of culture and democracy, allowing for true freedom of expression.