Venice (Agencies): The plan to rebuild Gaza brings an opportunity for fresh ideas but raises controversies among pro-Palestinian and Israeli students.
Last month, the United Nations signed a deal with IUAV University of Venice, designating the university as responsible for rebuilding postwar Gaza. Sufian Mushasha, head of development policy and advisory services for the United Nations Development Program, traveled to Venice to meet with IUAV Dean Benno Albrecht.
The UN chose IUAV in part due to its long experience in postwar reconstruction and its ties to the Middle East. In 2017, the university developed a plan for reconstructing Syria and graduated five Palestinian architects, including Sandi Hilal, a recipient of the prestigious Golden Lion Architecture Award.
Rebuilding Gaza will be a massive undertaking since the ongoing war has destroyed 60% of the buildings in Gaza, produced 1.2 billion cubic feet of rubble, and caused an economic loss of $7 billion, according to IUAV’s data.
“Since there is nothing left in Gaza, we propose a bottom-up approach,” Albrecht told The Media Line. “We will start from a constellation of tiny cells to work better from the basis and create, afterward, a bigger urban plan.”
He said that local businesses will take part in the reconstruction, providing good jobs for Palestinians in Gaza. After the project is complete, locals who worked on it will also have cutting-edge job experience they can use to find work abroad.
“We could use off-grid and waterless materials, and if this works smoothly, it could be an example for the entire world since Gaza will be the first model,” Albrecht said.
The reconstruction is meant to be self-sustaining financially, he noted, but it will require time and money upfront. The UN is currently assembling a list of donor countries, which may include Israel.
“This won’t be a Marshall Plan with a lot of money to be invested since the goal is to create a self-improving process that will rely on locals and their factories to reach autonomous economic growth,” Albrecht said.
He said that the first stage of the plan is ready to be implemented immediately.
IUAV’s plan describes itself as part of a peaceful solution of “two states for two peoples.” However, some students and professors have criticized the plan, claiming that it ignores the role of Israel in causing Gaza’s destruction.