Yehuda Gradus

Changing Strategies of Development: Toward a Regiopolis in the Negev Desert

Abstract In this paper, the evolution of the Negev urban system in the light of planning strategies applied for promoting growth and development is examined, taking into account both Zionist planning ideology and the frontier arid environment of the region. Central place theory, adopted by the Zionist planners in the early stages of development, had to be modified in order to be appropriate for arid zone development. A polarized planning concept more appropriate to the Negev and other similar arid zones is introduced, unifying center and periphery within a single regiopolis. It is functioning as one integrated metropolis; but rather than a continuity of built up areas there are “islands” of urban communities and industrial complexes, separated by arid vacant land within a commuting growth region.

The Emergence of Regionalism in a Centralized System: The Case of Israel

In Israel, government and polities reflect a highly centralized system of operation, This situation, in combination with existing ethnic conflicts between European and Oriental Jews, has contributed to an increased consciousness of the asymmetry of core-periphery relations, thus precipitating a growth in political regionalism, The emergence of regionalism is viewed as a form of protest and rebellion within Israeli society. In this study, regional development policies in Israel arc examined, and a new approach to such activity is proposed—a synthesis between the centralized top-down system and the complementary system of participation from below. It is argued that bottom-up and territorially integrated policies can case the regional crisis in Israel.

Desert development : man and technology in sparselands

I: Viewpoints.- Arid Zone Development: An Appraisal towards the End of the Twentieth Century.- Social Theory Environmental Degradation.- The Political Burden of Spareseland Development: Some International Consistencies.- II: The Built Environment.- From Preconceived to Responsive Planning: Cases of Settlement Design in Arid Environments.- Planning for Comfort in Hot Dry Climatic Regions.- Desert Architecture - The Architecture of the Extremes.- III: Provision of Services in Sparselands.- The Provision of Public Transit Services in the Arid Environment.- Health Services in Sparsely Settled Areas.- Delivering Essential Public Services to Arid Zone Nomads.- High Technology Alternatives for Educational Systems in Sparsely Settled Zones: The Case of the IsraeliDesert.- IV: High Technology In Desert Areas.- Desert Agriculture - Past and Future.- Desert Dune Sand and Its Potential for Modern Agricultural Development.- Remote Sensing for Arid Zone Development.- Potential Impacts of Telecommunications on the Economic Activities in Sparsely Populated Regions.- V: Economic Potential and Development.- The Development of Sparsely Populated Arid Regions: An Integrative Analysis with Application to the Negev.- The Dynamics of Agricultural Development in Sparsely Populated Areas: The Case of the Arava.- Development of Tourism Resort Areas in Arid Regions.- VI: Towards The Future.- New Frontiers in Desert Research.- About the Authors.

From Preconceived to Responsive Planning: Cases of Settlement Design in Arid Environments

The present paper deals with one of the basic concepts of geography — man’s interaction with the physical environment. Our concern will focus on the man-built environment and its relationship to the desert environment. Various desert cultures have formed their settlements and houses in appropriate ways, and these have evolved through a process of adaptation lasting for generations. By trial and error, man has succeeded in creating in various deserts an environment in a form that articulates the various constraints of the natural environment. These man-built environments are a reflection of environmental stresses and therefore may provide better living conditions.

Is Eilat-Aqaba a bi-national city? Can economic opportunities overcome the barriers of politics and psychology?

Unlike other bi-national cities, Eilat and Aqaba constitute a special case in which the interaction between the two cities is dependent upon external factors, mainly of a political nature. Eilat in Israel and Aqaba in Jordan straddle each side of the Gulf of Aqaba. Both are similar from a functional aspect: they are port and tourism towns and both constitute a gateway to east Africa and the Far East. They are both situated in a desert region near a sea. The Oslo Accords and subsequently the peace agreement between Jordan and Israel, have opened up many possibilities for cooperation and joint development activity. A number of projects have been put forward, including a joint airport aimed at serving both cities, as well as the shared use of the seaports. Tour packages from Europe to both cities are another feature that holds a substantial economic potential, as do connecting roads and joint plans for the preservation of the unique landscape in this region. A border-crossing point between the two countries has been opened up and tens of thousands of tourists have flocked (mostly from Israel) to visit nearby Petra and Wadi Ram. Laborers from Jordan have begun to be seen in Eilat, working mostly in construction. The long history of the Arab-Israeli conflict is still casting a heavy shadow on the great possibilities for cooperation. The signing of a peace treaty is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for the bringing about of cooperation in the field. The enmity and the military activity between Israel and the Palestinians, especially during recent months since the outbreak the intifada for the second time, have resulted in a drastic decline in cooperation that started initially at a slow and hesitant pace following the signing of the peace treaty with Jordan (1994). The fact that about 60% of the Jordanian population is of Palestinian origin, causes the Jordanian government to maintain a cautious stance in promoting cooperation with Israel. Thus, the development of Eilat and Aqaba as a bi-national city is, to a great extent, dependent on the advancement of the peace process between Israel and all its Arab neighbors, and especially on the outcome of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Is the Israeli Negev a viable alternative to the Suez Canal

Abstract The cargo movement over the continental bridge annually since 1970 is shown in Table 2. These figures should be compared with the (dry) volume of trade via Eilat annually (see third column of the same table) and they include the traffic via the continental bridge. From this table it is clear that the amount of cargo in transit over the bridge was not a major component of the total traffic through Eilat.

The Policy impact of universities in developing regions

Part 1 Theoretical issues: potential university contributions to development policymaking, Y.Dror academic involvement in developing areas - small efforts for a huge task, J.Romanowski new technologies, old universities and democratic societies, I.L.Horowitz specialization and the problem of communication within and across academic disciplines, R.Hollingsworth. Part 2 Universities and the Urban Environment: Indian universities and the urban environment, P.T.Mahadev and T.Vasantha Kumaran an urban university wrestles with its environment - the case of Columbia University in the City of New York, P.Marcus information, development and the urban university - redistributive power in a developed nation, M.Rosentraub and R.Warren. Part 3 Universities and professional development: developing a university policy studies programme, S.S.Nagel public service education and the universitys role in development management, C.Lewis and M.J.Tenzer the Negev primary care project - a meeting of medical education and health services in the community, B.Poter. Part 4 National case studies: cosmopolitanism and indigenization in Third World higher education - a case study of the University of Kebangsaan, Malaysia, S.Gopinathan international transfers of educational forms - the case of the Peoples Republic of China, J.Hawkins the development role of the University of Norland, J.E.Lane universities, politics and development - the case of Northern Ontario, G.R.Weller the sociology for work and life on the Canadian resource frontier - a uranium mining community, N.T.Nguyen the role of a university in a peripheral region - the case of the Ben Gurion University of the Negev, F.Lazin and Y.Gradus.

Priority Conflicts in a New University: The Case of Ben Gurion University of the Negev

Many less developed countries (LDCs) as well as post-industrial societies use universities to further their economic, industrial and societal growth. Israel is no exception. Even before independence institutions of higher education were perceived as part of the nation building process by the Zionist movement providing cadres of well-educated scientists, engineers, educators and technicians. After independence in 1948, higher education became a major instrument for economic growth as well as national survival in a hostile environment. While the government invested heavily in primary and secondary education to insure a more egalitarian society and the absorption of new immigrants, it allocated even more resources to establish new and expand existing institutes of higher learning.1 Today Israel has seven such institutes: the Technion, the Hebrew University, the Weitzman Institute of Science, Tel Aviv University, Haifa University, Bar Ilan University and Ben Gurion University of The Negev.2

The med-dead sea project — A vision or reality?

Abstract The dramatic proposal to link the Mediterranean Sea to the Dead Sea by a canal or tunnel, for the purpose of power generation, is currently being investigated in Israel. This paper examines the various route alignments which have been advocated and suggests that the two Southern routes present the potentially greatest advantages. These are then discussed at greater detail, and attention directed to outlining the range of possible economic advantages as well as potential ecological impacts.

New perspectives on the Negev continental bridge

Abstract In a paper written immediately after the reopening of the Suez Canal in 1975, a question was raised: is the Israeli Negev a viable alternative to the Suez Canal? (Geoforum, 8, 29–32, 1977). The answer posted then was pessimistic — the continental land bridge was seen as having failed to function as a real alternative. Now, two years after the reopening of the Canal, it appears that the land bridge seems to be a more economically viable venture than previously suggested. The amount of cargo in transit over the land bridge and its percentage of the total port of Eilat traffic is increasing despite competition from the Canal. This phenomenon and new perspectives on the Negev land bridge are discussed in this follow-up paper.