What if you could circle the entire Old City of Jerusalem - comfortably, accessibly, and beautifully? In this episode of Brainstreams, we explore a future-facing vision for a dedicated light rail line that loops around the Old City walls. From smart routing and grade calculations to archaeological sensitivity and pedestrian flow, this Brainstream dives deep into a generative design sprint born from both data and lived experience.

TL;DR:

A Jerusalem city loop light rail around all seven gates could transform access, beauty, and spiritual flow - this is the design pitch.

We discuss multi-line integration (red, brown, yellow), how to preserve archaeology while opening new paths, grading challenges, and why a humble footpath + rail combo might be the most transformative layer Jerusalem’s had in decades.

🎧 Listen now on ⁠Spotify⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠, or ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠

→ More at ⁠avrahamraskin.com/podcast⁠

Timestamps:

• 00:00 | Intro: What is the Old City Loop?

• 00:43 | Green space, walking path, and rail: the triple-ring vision

• 01:58 | The gaps in Jerusalem’s current light rail access

• 03:06 | Seven gates, one loop: walking through the plan

• 05:01 | Grades, curvature, and optimal timing

• 06:13 | Integrating with existing and future lines (Red, Yellow, Brown)

• 07:30 | One-way loop + second-direction bus support

• 09:23 | Accessibility at Shaar Tzion & other grading concerns

• 10:00 | Park & Ride potential near Damascus and Dung Gates

• 12:04 | New Gate tradeoffs & archaeological bridge ideas

• 13:06 | Solving steep terrain with design sensitivity

• 14:39 | Closing thoughts: Could this really happen?