Global Realities – Local Initiations : Urban Planning in the 21st Century - financed by the Israeli Academy for Science ( $120,000) Together with Prof. Juval Portugali

Research Objectives:

1. To analyze the effects of globalization on the built environment in Israel. The research project assesses the weakening of the Israeli nation state apparatus and the way it influences urban regeneration and redevelopment at the national, regional and local level.



2. To examine the rise of local power in Israel focusing on local economic, social and political forces and their role in shaping the built environment vis-a-vis the nation state. Two elements of local forces are highlighted: the rise of local, ethnic and national identities among communities and individuals (such as the Shas Mizrahi political party or the Islamic Party) and the increasing significance of 'private' investors in the shaping of physical spaces.



3. To suggest a new conceptual framework for urban management and planning in the light of these global- local changes looking at new forms of belongings within globalized urban spaces.

Research Themes and Researchers

• The National City and the Global City: Tel Aviv and Jerusalem –Nurit Alfasi and Tovi Fenster



• City – State Relationships ; Tel Aviv and Jerusalem –Nurit Alfasi and Tovi Fenster



• Planning in the Age of Globalization – The Strategic Plan of the Central Bus Station Tel Aviv – Suzi Sherez- M.A. Thesis



• Local Initiations and the Construction of Belonging among African Immigrants in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem – Ilan Vizel – M. A. Thesis



• The Construction of Civil Society in the Age of Globalization: The Case of the Planning of the Deer Valley , Jerusalem – Michal Shoob, M.A. Thesis
• The Role of Multi-National Organizations in the Construction of Urban Spaces in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem- Orly Ronen- Rotem- Ph.D. Thesis



• Perservation of Heritage for What? Dilemmas and Debates on preservation and conservation in the Age of Globalization: The Case of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem- Schachar Rozen- Ph.D. Thesis



• Living in the Edge of Globalization: Palestinian Women in Tel Aviv – Jaffa, Hana Hamdan, Ph.D. Thesis