Design
Developers in This Palestine City Are Destroying Historic Homes
A construction boom that begun under Salam Fayyad has claimed much of the historic architecture in Ramallah. Some locals are trying to save what is left.
RAMALLAH—On a cold evening in November, several concerned citizens, architects, and engineers gathered outside city hall to discuss a phenomenon that has taken the city by storm: the destruction of Ramallah’s historic buildings. Driven by the recent demolition of a 77-year old traditional stone home to make way for a seven-story building, these Palestinians want to safeguard the historic and architectural heritage sites threatened with destruction for development.
In the past decade, the West Bank city of Ramallah, which is the hub of Palestinian political institutions, has experienced a construction boom that has taken some of its inhabitants by surprise.