Modi'in Hebrew: מודיעין is a relatively new Israeli city and located in the Shephelah, half way between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The city was established in 1997 and by now there are approximately 70,000 residents. It has been planned to become the 4th largest city in Israel within a few years. There are some archaeological sites in the city as well as popular tourist attractions near by.
The cornerstone for present-day Modi'in was laid in 1993. It is a modern planned city, and the highest standards of urban planning, environmental concern and planning for future growth were taken into consideration during its design. Large greenspaces were incorporated into the city's layout and comprise 50% of the area within the city limits. The long term projection of the ministry of housing is for the city to be home to about a quarter million residents, thus becoming one of the largest localities in Israel. However, plans approved for the city thus far are for only 120,000 residents.
The city was planned by the well-known architect Moshe Safdie. Its design was supervised by the Ministry of Building and Housing's main architect Carlos Drimberg and the City Engineer-Architect Daniel Senerman.
