The comprehensive master plan of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council is a pioneering model for comprehensive master plans for regional councils throughout the country. The plan is being prepared according to the Council’s strategic vision to lead and encourage agricultural-rural-tourism initiatives, while defining the relationship between the open areas and the development centers. The planning process is being carried out in practice on two levels of detail: Planning 57 communities in the area of the Council while defining residential unit capacity, communal public needs, rural tourism and employment, as well as planning the open areas outside the boundaries of the settlements, the majority of which have high scenic and environmental values and are protected by various national master plans (forests, nature reserves, national parks, etc.). In spite of the differing levels of detail and areas of concern, the master plan will serve as a holistic document, outlining the development and conservation directions of the regional council for years to come, both within and outside the different settlements of the regional council