Today , Tel Aviv-Yafo is the business , financial and commercial hub of Israel ’ s economy and the heart of its booming high-tech industry . Its most unique economic phenomenon is the large concentration of startup companies – more than 700 – making it one of the leading “ startup cities ” in the European sphere . It is also the nation ’ s center of culture , and home to most of Israel ’ s artistic institutions . It enjoys 300 days of sun a year , 14 kilometers of beach , one of the world ’ s most vibrant nightlife scenes , and an extremely young population : one of every three Tel Avivis is between the ages of 18 -35 . All these attributes led The New York Times to declare the city “ The Capital of Mediterranean Cool ”.
Equally important are the city ’ s values . Tel Aviv-Yafo is a city of tolerance and pluralism , science and progressive thought . The city has an open atmosphere and warmly embraces everyone – Muslims , Christians and Jews , secular and religious , young and old , legal and illegal immigrants .
Tel Aviv-Yafo is currently leading the Global City Initiative – an economic strategy aimed at positioning the city as a global center of business and culture , focusing on technology and innovation . The program includes attracting foreign startup entrepreneurs , doubling the number of international students in the city ’ s universities , attracting international film and television productions , enhancing the city ’ s cultural and artistic assets , and promoting Tel Aviv ’ s unique energy and ecosystem around the globe .
The White City
Tel Aviv is also known as the White City . In 2003 , the United Nations Educational , Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO ), proclaimed the historic zone of Tel Aviv known as The White City , as a World Cultural Heritage site . By this proclamation , UNESCO recognized the special architectural qualities of the buildings , streets , squares and avenues of this zone . The White City area was built in an innovative style , tailored to the needs of its residents , to their life styles , and to the climate of the region . This area is the world ’ s largest grouping of buildings designed in the International Style - also known as Bauhaus .
Between the 1930s and the 1950s , about 4,000 buildings of the International Style were constructed in Tel Aviv . The buildings of The White City were designed by Jewish architects , who had studied in the Bauhaus School in Germany ( or were influenced by it ). Following the rise to power of the Nazi regime these architects fled Europe ; many came to Tel Aviv , where they developed a new architectural language , characterized by its functionality and simplicity . At first look , houses in the International Style seem like white cubic buildings with little ornamentation . Yet , a close observation of the fine details reveals the characteristics of the style : walls used only as shells and not connected to the skeleton , pillars , flat roofs , white walls , strip windows , facades
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