Prof. Itzhak Omer

Itzhak Omer is the Head of the Urban Space Analysis Laboratory where he and his students work on the relationship between the urban environment and the spatial behavior of individuals and development of spatial analysis method and simulation models, modeling urban movement and spatial behavior and studying the formation of functional and social areas in the city. He is a full Professor in the Department of Geography and Human Environment at Tel Aviv University. The areas of his academic interest include: urban modeling, urban morphology, spatial behavior and cognition, urban movement, urban complex systems and social geography of the city. 

Dr. Orna Zafrir Reuven

Orna Zafrir Reuven is a lecturer in the Department of Geography and the Human Environment and a researcher at  the Urban Space Analysis Laboratory. Her research interests are urban morphology, urban morphogenetics, models of urban structure and their connection to planning approaches and socio-cultural processes. Her researches deals mainly with the morphology and structure of Israeli cities.

Adva Sahar

Adva Sahar is a PhD student in the Department of Geography and Human Environment at the School of Geosciences, Tel-Aviv University. She studies the cognitive and psychological aspects of human spatial behavior. Her research focuses on the role of body movement and vision in learning and memory processes of urban and built environments. Her interests also include physiology, ergonomics and human factor, environmental design and architecture.

Ruth Fliss

Ruth Fliss is a PhD student at the Porter School of Environmental Studies at Tel Aviv University. Her research deals with the connection between walkability of children and climate in urban spaces. The aim of the study is to develop an educational planning framework that supports healthy, sustainable, and child-friendly cities. Ruth holds an M.A. cum laude in urban planning and design and a B.A. In education and humanities, focused on environmental studies and geography. Alongside her academic activities, Ruth serves as the director of the Environmental Education Department at the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality's Environmental Quality and Sustainability Authority, combining research and practice.

Amit Goldberg-Klein

Amit Goldberg-Klein graduated cum laude from Tel Aviv University, where she completed degrees in Geography, Environment, and Planning. She is currently a PhD student at the Porter School of Environmental Studies at Tel Aviv University.  Her research focuses on urban climate and urban morphology, Developing applied knowledge for data-based urban planning. Her work is dedicated to apply evidence-based insights to urban planning and improve quality of life for city residents.

Noa Cohen

Noa Cohen is an MA student at the Department of Geography and Human Environment, Tel Aviv University. Her research explores how street characteristics shape pedestrian movement patterns in urban environments. Using quantitative methods, she examines the relationship between the built environment and the ways pedestrians navigate through space. Her interests center on the interaction between the built environment and spatial behavior.

Dr. Rina Magen

Rina Magen completed her PhD in 2025, at the Porter School of Environmental Studies, Tel Aviv University. The topic of her research is the location and characterization of open green spaces in the city's spatial system and their impact on urban vitality. The areas of her academic interest include: Urban sustainability, urban morphology and spatial behavior (especially pedestrian movement).

Dr. Nir Kaplan

Nir Kaplan completed his PhD in 2023 at the Porter School of Environmental Studies, Tel Aviv University. In his dissertation, he examines the influence of urban planning approaches on the relationship between movement volume distribution (especially pedestrians) in the city, land use pattern and street network structure. The areas of his academic interest include: pedestrian movement, urban morphology, agent based models, GIS and spatial analysis methods.

Lior Wolpert

Lior Wolpert is an MA student at the Department of Geography and Human Environment, Tel Aviv University, through the Adi Lautman interdisciplinary program for outstanding students. His research interests include spatial cognition, walkability and pedestrian behaviour in the city, and the relationship between street network configuration, spatial perception and movement behaviour.

Michal Ferenz

Michal Ferenz is a MA Student at the Department of Geography and Human Environment, Tel Aviv University. Her research examines the climate impact in the urban space, and how it effects on the walkability index. My area of interest includes pedestrian movement, urban morphology, urban planning and climate, walkability.

Dr. Hagar Spiro-Tal

Hagar Spiro-Tal has completed her PhD in 2013 at the Department of Geography and Human Environment, Tel-Aviv University. The research examines the impact of urban morphology on the social residential distribution in Tel Aviv-Jaffa from the point of view which concentrates on the differential perception of the residential space from the perspective of various social groups. The research deals with the connection between the morphological form of 7 neighborhoods and the way they are perceived by the social groups inhabiting them. 

Dr. Ran Goldblatt 

Ran Goldblatt is a Post-Doctoral researcher and a lecturer at the School of Global Policy and Strategy, UC San Diego. He earned his B.A., M.A. and PhD degrees at Tel-Aviv University. In his PhD studies (adviser: Itzhak Omer), he investigated the relationship between the built environment and segregation of Arabs and Jews in Israeli mixed cities. Currently, his research focuses on remote sensing analysis and processing of multispectral satellite imagery at scale. Ran teaches an advanced GIS and Remote Sensing course at UCSD.

Dr. Yoav Lerman 

Yoav Lerman is a leader in analytical evidence-based planning, tackling the myriad facets of urban complexity.  Dr. Lerman is a geographer specializing in the connection between the built environment and urban mobility. Dr. Lerman has published several papers in international academic journals on urban planning, transport planning and space syntax. In addition, he taught urban planning at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Ben Gurion University of the Negev. Planet