The seminar will introduce current theories dealing with the politics of urban planning, urban design and development, and use their tools to examine urban development in Israel from the 19th century onwards. The first sessions will introduce concepts of urban politics and it's association with local society, national ideologies, planning and architectural theories and shifting accumulation regimes. Then, we will trace local history to identify the main factors in successive developmental periods: relations between governments, markets and citizens, ethnic and ideological struggles, management of assets and of housing before and after the initiation of the state, and more. To sum-up we will define continuity and change in local development patterns, and evaluate main achievements and failures. The students' papers will add to the discussion based on a research of issue, text case or question in current Israeli planning.
