When you think of business, high-tech, and medicine within Israel, you think of Tel Aviv, and when you think of Jerusalem you think of culture, tourism and religion. Well the Jerusalem Municipality is trying to change all that, and the wheels are most certainly already in motion.
High-tech and start-ups are booming in the Israeli capital. Over the past two years, Jerusalem has gone from 14,000 to 18,000 employees in these fields. Jerusalem is home to companies such as Mobileye which now has a total of 700 employees in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is now considered as one of the world’s fastest-growing cities in high tech.
To compensate demand, the Jerusalem Municipality is building one of the largest infrastructure projects the city has ever seen, a new business district at the entrance to the city. The new business district, starting from the Chords Bridge and right up to Ben Zvi Boulevard, will contain a staggering 24 buildings including 14 skyscrapers of at least 24 floors each and nine buildings with 36 floors.
Included in the new business district is the newly renovated International Convention Center, which is largest convention center in the Middle East. The new business district will also feature the largest integrated transportation hub in Israel, including a high-speed train to Tel Aviv which will take just 28 minutes, two light-rail lines connecting it with the rest of Jerusalem, as well as the Jerusalem Central Bus Station.
The new business district will create over 40,000 jobs, and when complete will be the most prominent business district in the country, even more so than the Azrieli Center in Tel Aviv.
Though there is still a long way to go until completion, Jerusalem is slowly starting to diversify into a city incredibly attractive for young professionals.
Contributed by Daniel Kosky, CAMERA Intern.