What we do

‘Planning rights’ refers to the civil, political, economic, social, cultural, and environmental human rights that are expressed through, and affected by, land use and planning laws. These rights apply to both individuals and communities. The built environment is the primary arena in which human rights are realized, and all who inhabit it—citizens, residents, and anyone living under state authority—are rights holders.

Spatial planning shapes the environment in which we live. Planning policies determine our access to housing, schools, health clinics, parks, employment and industrial zones, as well as essential infrastructure such as water, electricity, sewage systems, and roads. Planning therefore plays a central role in determining environmental quality, opportunities for socio-economic development, and the overall well-being of communities and individuals. When planning is flawed or discriminatory, it deepens inequalities between different groups in society and can lead to severe violations of human, civil, and social rights.

In Israel, the planning system is highly centralized and largely insulated from public scrutiny and debate. Planning processes rely on professional and technical terminology that is often inaccessible to the public. As a result, residents lack the knowledge and tools needed to challenge planning policies that are discriminatory, or to participate meaningfully in the few mechanisms for public input, which generally only offer residents the opportunity to submit objections or propose changes at a late stage of the planning process.

Planning rights have been at the heart of Bimkom’s work since its establishment. They are the thread connecting the issues, arenas of action, and communities with whom we engage, and the means for advancing equal rights and social and distributive justice in the fields of planning and development.

'Israel’s planning system still tends to regard professional planning and expert knowledge as “objective,” while local knowledge, community needs, and lived experience are often dismissed as subjective or problematic. This perception has begun to shift in recent decades, thanks to the work of Bimkom and others. Still, public participation within Israeli planning processes remains limited. Planning with communities does not replace institutional planning; rather, it guides, strengthens, and improves it.

Bimkom works with communities to identify their planning needs and aspirations and to formulate these in professional planning terms that can be advanced within formal planning processes.

We collaborate with communities to produce alternative community-led planning principles; objections to harmful plans; and planning documents that serve as the basis for negotiations with planning authorities. In some cases, these efforts lead to changes in state-led plans.

Spatial Planning Policy

Planning-related ideas often evolve over many years before they become formal plans or legislation. Bimkom helps shape ideas that advance spatial, social, and environmental justice and equality within the planning system, thereby influencing government policy. For example, following the state’s decision to invest in infrastructure and planning for Palestinian citizens of Israel and to reduce social inequalities and budgetary gaps, Bimkom evaluated the policy and monitored its implementation. Another example is the rapid expansion of market-driven urban regeneration projects. Bimkom worked to incorporate social considerations into these plans, regulate developers’ activities, and protect the rights of residents living in affected neighborhoods.

Law and Legislation

‘Bimkom monitors legislative and regulatory changes that affect human rights in the field of planning and responds by submitting comments on draft bills; initiating and promoting socially oriented planning legislation; participating in Knesset committee deliberations; organizing conferences; preparing position and policy papers; and leading public campaigns to advance our positions.

The Planning and Building Law establishes the rules for preparing master plans and defines the hierarchy of plans—from national master plans to local detailed plans. It also outlines the role of the planning system and sets out rights and obligations of every citizen or resident when engaging with it. The law is amended periodically as different policymakers come into office.

For example: When the Knesset sought to address the phenomenon of aggressive brokers who persuaded uninformed residents to consent to urban regeneration initiatives, Bimkom worked to improve the law and influence the legislative process to protect residents’ rights.

When the Knesset attempted to tighten enforcement measures against unlicensed construction through amendments to the Planning and Building Law, Bimkom intervened to warn against harming innocent residents whose right to adequate housing is already compromised by discriminatory planning.

Distributive Justice

Distributive justice is a principle that ensures public resources are allocated equitably and managed in a democratic and transparent manner, safeguarding the public’s rights and preventing discrimination. A fair distribution of resources is essential to guarantee equal opportunities across all areas of life. Land is one of the most significant public resources, carrying substantial social and economic value—particularly in Israel, where land is scarce. Land rights include access to the resources found within the land (such as water, gravel, gas, and minerals) as well as planning rights, which determine how land may be used and what may be built on it. Policies governing land rights have far-reaching implications for planning, the environment, the economy, and—most importantly—people and society.

In Israel, policies that determine the allocation of land rights often favor powerful sectors and affluent stakeholders, rather than serving the broader public interest.

Association for Distributive Justice

The Association for Distributive Justice (ADJ) was founded by Prof. Alexandre (Sandy) Kedar, together with legal experts and specialists in land issues and public law, following the landmark “New Discourse” Supreme Court case (HCJ 244/00), in which three decisions of the Israel Land Authority (ILA) were annulled. These decisions had permitted the rezoning of agricultural land for residential use, granting enormous benefits to the agricultural sector. The Court ruled that the decisions were unreasonable because they were discriminatory and allocated valuable public lands to a single sector.

ADJ worked to promote fair, transparent, and equitable management and allocation of land and environmental resources in Israel; to safeguard the public interest in public assets from private economic interests; to defend the right to housing; and to advance reforms within the Israeli Land Authority.

ADJ operated for 20 years, from 2004 to 2024. The work to secure the fair allocation of land and environmental resources now continues at Bimkom.

Alternative planning principles

Community-driven planning lies at the core of Bimkom’s work, and the formulation of community-led alternative planning principles is central to this process. For communities to shape their future, they must participate in planning from its earliest stages. Only then can planning grow from the ground up and genuinely reflect community needs and aspirations.

The formulation of alternative planning principles includes working with a community to identify planning-related needs, aspirations, opportunities, and constraints; shaping its planning-related vision; and translating that vision into planning terms. Alternative planning principles are used by communities, and by the organizations supporting them, to demand that the planning authorities take into consideration community aspirations, the right to planning, and fair land distribution. They also enable communities to present planning institutions with alternatives to harmful plans that overlook existing communities and their needs.

Objections and appeals

The objections process is effectively the only stage in which planning authorities are legally required to allow public participation. Although this stage takes place late in the planning process, after a planning authority has already determined that a plan may move forward toward approval, it remains the sole statutory point for public involvement and is therefore a central part of Bimkom’s work.

According to the Planning and Building Law, any person with an interest in the land, in a building, or in any other planning detail who considers themselves harmed by a plan, is entitled to submit an objection to the plan. In addition, public bodies such as local authorities, government ministries, professional, environmental, and social organizations that have received approval from the Ministry of the Interior, are also permitted to object to plans.

Bimkom holds the legal status of a “public objector,” granted by the Interior Minister. This status recognizes that Bimkom represents the public interest in its engagement with planning authorities and may therefore submit objections to any plan within the jurisdiction of the National Planning Administration.

Since its founding, Bimkom has submitted objections to hundreds of plans. Most objections were submitted together with communities, either following deep, long-term engagement that led to the formulation of community-led alternative planning principles, or as targeted interventions in response to community requests. A small number of objections have been submitted solely by Bimkom in the name of public interests.

Often, objections submitted by the public, including those filed together with Bimkom, are rejected or only partially accepted by the planning committees. In such cases, objectors may file an appeal to a higher planning body. Bimkom has frequently had to request permission to appeal, and in some instances the sole way to obtain such permission is by petitioning the courts..

Legal petitions

Planning in Israel operates under the authority of the National Planning Administration, through national, district, and local planning committees. Courts do not handle planning matters directly and generally do not intervene in planning decisions made by these committees. They do, however, address the Planning and Building Law, related legislation, and violations of these laws.

Many of the communities Bimkom works with are ultimately compelled to turn to the courts to protect their rights. Bimkom files or supports legal proceedings by preparing professional expert opinions, presenting alternative planning principles and proposals for inclusive and appropriate planning, joining residents as a petitioner when necessary, and in some cases leading petitions on fundamental issues independently.

Research and publications

To deepen awareness of human rights in the field of planning among professionals, decision-makers, and the public, Bimkom regularly publishes research, policy papers, and reports addressing planning and human rights.

Land Watch

In the Land Watch project, we monitor Israel’s land administration policies and decisions of the Israel Land Authority (ILA), while promoting fair and equitable policy grounded in the principles of distributive justice.

In Israel, 93% of land is publicly owned—by the state, the Development Authority, and the Jewish National Fund—and is managed by the ILA. Yet land allocation policy is made in non-transparent and non-democratic means, largely inaccessible to the public. As a result, land and environmental resources, which are valuable public assets, are at times transferred to wealthy individuals or interest groups, and discriminatory policies are adopted.

The goal of Land Watch is to promote and safeguard more just and equitable land policy.

Maps and mapping

Maps, spatial analyses, and planning documents are essential tools for conveying ideas and presenting information in the field of planning.  Bimkom specializes in transforming geographic information (GIS) into spatial data and maps.

Bimkom analyzes planning at all levels and monitors changes in the areas where we work with local communities. We track spatial developments using updated aerial imagery and introduce communities to mapping tools as part of creating alternative planning approaches.

Maps are a central part of nearly every objection, appeal, petition, policy paper, and research report, helping to present problems and visualize possible solutions. In addition, we have developed several map-based websites that highlight specific issues and make vital information, which is often hidden from the public, accessible to communities and decision-makers.