Premium
When contradicting public space regimes collide: The case of Palestinian Israeli towns
Author(s) -
TotryFakhoury Maisa,
Alfasi Nurit
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
the geographical journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.071
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1475-4959
pISSN - 0016-7398
DOI - 10.1111/geoj.12265
Subject(s) - westernization , public space , democracy , politics , meaning (existential) , political economy , sociology , space (punctuation) , political science , economic growth , geography , modernization theory , economics , law , epistemology , architectural engineering , engineering , philosophy , linguistics
The logic, meaning, and functioning of public spaces differ substantially between cultures and places. While Western public spaces are affected by democratic urban regimes and enhanced commercialisation, public spaces in traditional Muslim, Middle Eastern cities that were originally supervised by the community according to cultural norms are not easily adapted to contemporary changes. This paper thus analyses the unique case of Palestinian Israeli towns, reflecting the coexistence of these two sets of ruling public spaces, also affected by global economic changes and national political complexities. These towns consist of two different built environments: old neighbourhoods based on hierarchic, socially affiliated public spaces and new neighbourhoods created by the Israeli modern planning system, strictly dividing public spaces from private ones. The analysis provides a comparative framework discussing how this emerging urban condition affects the performance of public spaces. In addition, it enables a new perspective on Palestinian society, torn between tradition and Westernisation.