Emerging trends in urbanizing Palestine: neglected city-builders beyond the occupation

Abstract

In this article, we draw attention to trends in land transformation in the West Bank since the Second Intifada, after which a surge of investment from Gulf countries entered Palestine, almost exclusively in the West Bank. The occupied Palestinian territories have attracted a great deal of attention from media and academics, yet the vast majority of scholarship has focused on the conflict and the variety of social, economic, and political repercussions of the on-going Israeli occupation. While the occupation has undeniably serious impacts on every aspect of life for Palestinians, the near-exclusive focus on the conflict means that significant new trends that have emerged over the past decade in Palestine, such as urban mega-developments and emerging market-based urbanisation processes, have been largely overlooked. This article provides a preliminary overview of urban changes underway in the West Bank, with a particular focus on urban megadevelopments and major projects in Area A, the only territory controlled exclusively by the Palestinian Authority. We outline three directions for future research: the assemblage of local and international "neglected city-builders" shaping current urbanization processes in Palestine; the domestic and international ideas, policies, and norms circulating in the West Bank; and the social, spatial, economic, and other impacts of these new urban developments.

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