Tel Aviv 50th in number of skyscrapers

Tel Aviv has 59 skyscrapers more than 100 meters tall and ranks no. 50 in terms of high-rises among world cities, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, an international organization.

The leading urban center in terms of high-rise construction is Hong Kong, which has 2,354 skyscrapers 100 meters tall or more, followed by New York, with 794.

The Israel Engineers Association for Construction and Infrastructure concludes that even as land inventories dwindle, high-rise construction in Israel is lagging.

The association's acting chairman, Israel David, notes that no less than 16 Chinese cities are included on the list, compared with 10 in the United States and only three in Europe (Moscow, Paris and Istanbul).

Asia contributed 26 cities to the list, representing 52% of the 50 highest-built cities in the world. But the differences among the top 50 cities is dramatic: The three European cities with the largest number of tall buildings have fewer high-rises in total than a single city in China, Guangzhou.

Dan Marian, chairman of the Israel Engineers Association for Construction and Infrastructure, says that high-rise construction has become accepted everywhere in the world, including in Israel. Such construction is no longer seen as the exception from the architectural or technological point of view, even in the layman's eyes. But popular perceptions aside, Marian says there are still not enough high-rises in Israel.

The association is well represented internationally. Israeli engineers are involved in the planning of high-rise buildings both at home and abroad, and take part in international conferences. In terms of their expertise, there is nothing to prevent the planning or building of 150-story buildings in Israel.

David says the problem lies with mayors and municipal engineers who in some places balk at approving skyscrapers out of environmental concerns - neighbors tend to want keep the population density down. They say, for example, that tall buildings cast a shadow over the neighborhood.

And city mayors seeking reelection don't want to raise the ire of residents. "In the past six months alone we have witnessed the results of neighbors battling the Assuta Tower and at Kikar Hamedina," David says, referring to two sites in Tel Aviv.

"The right way to do it is to evacuate and rebuild old structures, improve construction quality and build towers while developing parking areas. Leaders' policy is always populist, and as long as it is not popular to build towers, they won't be built," he said.