Scenario Building for the Future of the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area and Its Transportation System Using the Delphi Method

Tel Aviv is the largest metropolitan area in Israel and serves as the country’s main financial and cultural centre. The Tel Aviv Metropolitan Areal stretches over 1,475 square kilometres and is inhabited by 2.6 million people, of which 90 percent are living in urban areas. Data from 1999 show that the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area produced 50 percent of the GDP and was responsible for 46.4 percent of the jobs in Israel. Because of its geographical position and for historical reasons, the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area is a transportation focal point. All traffic between the north and the south of Israel, as well as traffic connecting the main cities (Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa and Beer Sheba) to each other, must pass through the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area. Thus, the metropolitan transportation infrastructure must fulfil two major functions: a) supply the demand for transportation on the national level; and b) supply the demand for transportation within the metropolitan area on the regional and local levels.