Development Peculiarities of Peripheral Desert Settlements: The Case of Israel

Selected statistical time-series covering the 30-year period from 1965–94 were studied to determine general trends of both economic development and population growth of urban settlements in the Negev desert of Israel. The research indicated that in comparison with urban settlements located in central ‘non-desert’ districts of the country, peripheral desert localities tend to exhibit wider fluctuations of economic activity, unstable population growth, and an attenuation of general urbanization trends that manifest themselves elsewhere across the country. The research led to a set of analytical models designed to explain development peculiarities of peripheral desert settlements. In addition, several planning strategies were proposed, aimed at enhancing the socio-economic sustainability of existing settlements in peripheral desert areas and facilitating prospective urban development there. These include: (1) the establishment of development clusters consisting of urban settlements which share some essential interregional functions such as employment, educational, cultural, and recreational services and facilities; (2) the adoption of a system of progressive economic incentives to promote private investment in peripheral desert areas; and (3) stricter regulation of land use in the central, non-desert regions of the country. Although the present analysis was restricted to small and medium urban settlements in Israel, the mode of analysis and its practical applications can be useful for urban and regional planning elsewhere. Certaines périodes, sélectionnées par le moyen de statistiques et couvrant une tranche de 30 ans de 1965 à 1994, ont étéétudiées afin de déterminer les tendances générales du développement économique et de l'augmentation démographique des installations urbaines dans le désert du Negev en Israël. Cette recherche indique que, par rapport aux centres urbains situés dans les régions centrales ‘non-désert’ du pays, les localités désertiques périphériques ont tendance à faire preuve de changements d'activités économiques plus prononcés, d'une croissance démographique instable et d'une atténuation de la tendance vers l'urbanisation générale qui se révélent ailleurs dans le pays. Cette recherche a conduit à une série de modéles analytiques créés afin d'expliquer les particularités du développement des installations périphériques du désert. De plus, plusieurs stratégies de planification ont été proposées, dans le but d'augmenter la viabilité socio-économique des installations existantes dans les régions périphériques du désert et d'y faciliter le développement urbain futur. Celles-ci comprennent: (1) l'établissement de groupes de développement composés d'installations urbaines partageant certaines fonctions inter-régionales essentielles comme les services et aménagements pour l'emploi, l'éducation, la culture et les loisirs; (2) l'adoption d'un systéme d'encouragements économiques progressifs pour promouvoir les investissements privés dans les régions périphériques du désert; et (3) des réglementations plus strictes quant à l'utilisation des terres dans les régions centrales non désertiques du pays. Bien que l'analyse actuelle ait été limitée aux installations urbaines de petite et moyenne tailles en Israël, la méthode d'analyse et ses applications pratiques peuvent ? tre utiles pour la planification urbaine et régionale dans d'autres régions.     

Interregional inequalities in Israel, 1948–1995: divergence or convergence?

A model is proposed which explains the spatial distribution of different income groups in terms of the relation between the cost of living in a particular geographic area and the income of its inhabitants. The applicability of this model to spatial inequalities in Israel is investigated, using data from five subsequent censuses of population and housing. The analysis indicates that changes in the spatial variation of various indicators of development do not follow a uniform pattern: the extent of interregional disparity differs with the indicator selected for measuring it. Furthermore, whereas development in the central part of Israel has tended to become more uniform over time, the country's peripheral regions have become more polarized. Several strategies are proposed for reducing the extent of interregional disparities.     

CLUSTERING OF THE URBAN FIELD AS A PRECONDITION FOR SUSTAINABLE POPULATION GROWTH IN PERIPHERAL AREAS: THE CASE OF ISRAEL

Analysis of the development of urban communities suggests that sustainable population growth is based on a settlement's ability to attract and retain residents, rather than on natural causes (birth-death rates). In the special case of small, peripheral urban communities, sustained growth was found to be related to the location of the settlement, and in particular to the spatial characteristics of a cluster of urban settlements of which it may be a part. An index of clustering was defined, which allows an analysis of the combined effect on population growth of spatial isolation and distance from major metropolitan centers of the country. Although the present analysis was restricted to urban settlements in Israel, the mode of analysis and its applications for planning policy may be applicable to regional and urban physical planning elsewhere.