The survey was conducted by Professor Yigal Tzamir for the Raanana Municipality
 as part of the master plan for the development of the city’s Hi-Tech Park

The Raanana Municipality is currently formulating a new master plan for the development of the Kiryat Etgarim industrial park.  Heading up the planning team is architect, Professor Yigal Tzamir.  The purpose of the master plan, which constitutes part of the city’s vision and is integrated in the municipal development for the next two decades, is to create a planning framework that will determine the future character of the employment centers and will organize their physical space in employment, commercial and leisure fields.

As part of the master plan for Kiryat Etgarim, the municipality conducted a survey of the attitudes of the employees of ten hi-tech companies in Kiryat Etgarim.  The survey, answered by 130 employees and managers, was conducted in order to learn about the needs, desires and wishes of the Kiryat Etgarim employees, and to also learn of the difficulties and obstacles characteristics of the environment in which they work.

The survey included both closed and open ended questions, relating to the daily functioning of the Kiryat Etgarim employees and the municipality’s functioning in the field as a supplier of various services.  The survey let the employees list their priories in a variety of fields and it included closed and open ended questions that allowed the employees to answer freely, such as:  “Which services are desirable for Kiryat Etgarim,” “Would you be prepared to travel to work by public transportation,” “What are the present environmental hazards at your place of employment and its environs”, “Do you prefer the industrial zone to only serve as a work environment?”, Is there a need for public parks in the area,”, etc.  The data gathered will serve the Raanana Municipality and the team of consultants and professional planners that are part of the process of creating a master plan. 

The survey also indicated that over 90% of the employees in Kiryat Etgarim are interested in leisure and entertainment services (restaurants, cafés and banks), over 60% of employees are interested in commercial services (food chains, book stores, clothing shops, etc.) nearby to their place of work and on the ground floors of the office buildings facing the street, over 70% of employees are interested in building a business hotel and conference center in the area and over 80% are interested in parks and public gardens for landscape and sports activities, both during their work day and on the weekend.

Mayor Nahum Hofree:  “The goal of the master plan being formulated is to supply a suitable solution to the needs of the city’s residents and employees, also in the long run.  I wish to thank the hi-tech company employees who took part and gave of their time for this survey.  The survey results strengthen the need for advanced transportation infrastructure, to encourage green transportation in the city, to reduce air pollution and to implement financial efficiency , in light of the global and national economic crisis that dictates a reduction in the use of fuel and other costs.”