Just Jerusalem is the name given to the competition, launched by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to solve the Arab-Israeli conflict by focusing on issues that divide the holy city of Jerusalem. As incentive, the university is offering five $50,000 fellowships to the best idea in four categories, with the fifth going the best overall second place idea. The four categories are physical, economic as well as civic and symbolic infrastructure. Proposals must be submitted by December 31 of this year.

The competition seeks suggestions to make Jerusalem “a peaceful, just, humane, livable, sustainable city,” said Diane Davis, the director of Jerusalem 2050.

The group, comprised of MIT faculty members, is organizing the competition, which hopes that suggestions for Jerusalem will translate to compromise in the Middle East.

“There’s a direct connection between the conflicts in the city… and the wider regional conflict,” Davis said.

The contest is specifically targeted toward academic teams of students and faculty, non-governmental organizations, think tanks and “anybody who has a good idea,” she said.

“We want to cast a wide net,” she added.

The program is not without its critics:

Still, some Middle East experts are not as optimistic about the project’s ability to come up with useful solutions.

“It’s a good idea, if you believe imagination is what lacks in this conflict,” said Meyrav Wurmser, director of the Hudson Institute’s Center for Middle East Policy: “I don’t think imagination lacks at all.”

“It’s not a wrong approach; it’s a naive approach,” she said. “The problem is too serious, and it’s much too deep.”