Of Village and City: Ideology in Israeli Public Planning

This paper examines Israeli planning historically through the ideological prism of Zionism. Urban planning in Israel, studied over the years of statehood, is shown to reflect the ideological changes that have occurred in Israeli society since 1948, the year of the establishment of the state of Israel. The opening section examines the connections between urban planning and ideology, in general. This is followed by the explication of the symbolic importance attached to land ownership and settlement in Zionist theory. The main body of the paper follows this theoretical introduction by way of a review of national urban planning policies and practices in Israel. It demonstrates the influence of Zionist values and their integration with the body of Western planning precedents that inspired the planners. Illustrating this research thesis on ideology and planning practice are examples taken from the desert city of Be'er Sheva.