The Elef Park

The Elef Park

At the southern edge of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, “The Elef” (meaning “one thousand” in Hebrew) is emerging as a vibrant mixed-use district, blending work, life, and nature. At its heart lies a unique urban park shaped by water - by seasons, lakes, and wetlands - forming an ecological and experimental landscape. Before becoming a park, the site was a degraded landscape of semi-stabilized sand dunes - scarred by uncontrolled sand mining, invasive vegetation, and neglect. Transformed into a wholly new, man-made landscape, the recently finished park was designed to reconnect nature, ecology, and urban life.

The park incorporates a regional drainage basin, treating runoff through expansive constructed wetlands that serve as biological filters before returning the water to a central lake. Designed as a flexible “bowl,” the landscape is capable of adapting to extreme conditions, with vast lawns and meadows functioning as seasonal floodplains. Operating on the principle of communicating vessels, the park's water system links to surrounding reservoirs, improving regional water quality and enriching biodiversity — supporting a growing presence of pollinating insects, waterfowl, and small mammals that thrive in this restored habitat. Even before opening to the public, the park had already begun functioning as a living system, stabilizing new ecosystems and attracting wildlife, demonstrating its ecological resilience and readiness.

Yet the park is not only functional - it’s inviting. Landscaped zones of native vegetation host play areas, quiet corners, and spaces for spontaneous gathering. Towering eucalyptus trees, remnants of the site’s sandy past, are carefully preserved, even forming a small island in the lake.

Accessibility is central to the park’s design. Elevated walkways through the wetlands and interconnected trails for walking, running, and cycling ensure inclusive movement throughout the site and beyond, seamlessly connecting the neighborhood to the wider city. With shaded seating and planned cafés and pavilions, the park supports a broad spectrum of users - from local residents and workers to regional visitors arriving by public transport.

The Elef Park reshapes the urban fabric as a resilient, inclusive green core - where ecology, accessibility, and community come together to inspire a new way of living with water in the face of climate change.