Revson’s long interest in affordable housing has focused increasingly on the unique planning issues of Arab locales. Arab citizens constitute 20% of Israel’s population; their cultural and economic contributions are essential to Israel’s future. 

70% of Israel’s 2.1 million Arab citizens live in Arab towns and municipalities and more than 90% of Arab towns receive low rankings for socio-economic outcomes by Israel’s Ministry of the Economy. Poor infrastructure is a driver of those outcomes, which also impedes efforts to contain the rising rate of violent crime in Arab society.

Since 2015, the Government of Israel has passed two large-scale investment initiatives in Arab and Bedouin society, offering opportunities to improve quality of life significantly. A lack of planning capacity, however, has been an ongoing barrier to unlocking government funds and taking full advantage of these opportunities. Revson has invested just over  $4 million since 2017 to improve planning capacity and urban regeneration of Arab towns and other municipalities on Israel’s economic and geographic periphery, pursuing the following strategies:

• Aiding Local governments. Local governments, particularly on Israel’s economic and geographic periphery, are often understaffed and lack planning expertise. The Arab Center for Alternative Planning (ACAP) has increased the planning capacity of local Arab municipalities by working closely with young professionals on specific projects that drive development and build knowledge. It has advanced plans for new housing and public space by guiding work to map needs, identify priorities, and submit applications for permits and funding.
  
  ACAP works with both municipal engineers and with Revson grantee Cadets for Local Government: talented young people committed to public service who serve on local government teams as part of a program of the Rothschild Partnerships with Israel’s Ministries of the Interior and Education. Revson funding provides Cadets in Arab and Jewish towns with professional enrichments that focus on best planning practices not widely taught in Israel and include an annual conference and study delegation to the United States.

  National wartime budget cuts have disproportionately hit Arab municipalities and resulted in service reductions like after school programs, leaving youth at risk and reducing informal education opportunities that help prepare students to enter employment and higher education. Shaar Shivion is an education organization working in partnership with schools and local governments that uses sports as a vehicle to bridge social gaps and provide leadership and other skills. In 2024, Revson funds helped Shaar Shivion restore programming to Arab schools in the Triangle region and to Bedouin schools in Israel’s south. Revson has invested $2.57 million aiding local government since 2017.

• Policy and advocacy. Government agencies often overlook characteristics of Arab society when formulating guidelines and regulations, undermining best efforts for urban regeneration. Revson supports civil society organizations Sikkuy-Aufoq and ACAP to address this situation with research, advocacy, and policy work. For example, Sikkuy-Aufoq’s  attention to regulatory design and implementation has successfully expanded access to government resources and budget allocations for Arab municipalities. Its research into government approval of town master plans, for example, found that Arab towns typically wait eight years for approval: twice the wait for Jewish towns. Sikkuy-Aufoq has put forward recommendations for a streamlined process that would significantly reduce that time. 

• Building a pipeline of professionals.  There is a shortage of Arab planning professionals not only at the local but also at the regional and national levels of government, as well as in the private sector. Civil society organizations can provide some planning functions, but over time Israel will need more planners with understanding of both government regulations and the realities of Arab life.  Revson has committed five years toward a pipeline of planning professionals at the Urban Planning Clinic at the Hebrew University. Students come from fields that include law, planning, architecture, government, engineering,  preservation, and journalism to earn a master’s degree and receive tuition scholarships, academic enrichments, research opportunities, and internships. A partnership with Ben Gurion University focuses on Bedouin students and planning in Bedouin towns. Other funders in this work include the Moelis Family and Lucius Littauer foundations in North America and the Savrin Family Foundation in Israel.

• Philanthropic partnership.  Bringing sustainable planning to scale requires cooperation among government, civil society, and philanthropy. Revson participates in the Round Table to Promote Sustainable Social and Communal Urban Renewal that brings together members from central government offices, local municipalities, civil society organizations, philanthropic foundations, private development companies and universities. Housed at Eretz-ir and started in 2023, the Round Table identifies promising strategies to pilot. Israel’s need to rebuild towns along its northern and southern borders has given this work renewed urgency. Revson is also a member of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues, a professional resource center on Arab citizens of Israel.

Photo credit: Inna Branzburg, Sikkuy-Aufoq