Struggle over space is at the core of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. Different actors are 
involved in this struggle. The Israeli occupation with its planning system, and the Israeli settlers, 
since the beginning of the occupation, has been enforcing different policies of using space to 
achieve control over the Palestinians. The Palestinian authority with its planning system under 
the Israeli policies of control does not have enough power to deal with the different spatial 
problems that face planning endeavor. Palestinian planners find their autonomy challenged and 
abilities limited under Israeli policies of control. Among different actors in the spatial struggle in 
the Palestinian Territories (PT) are Palestinian people who despite their deep suffering from the 
Israeli policies of control continue making claim to their rights to use space through their spatial 
practices.  
Within this complexity of struggle over space in the context of occupation, between actors 
seeking control and those who resist that control and groups claiming their conflicting rights to 
the same space, I aim to understand whether and how spatial planning could play a role by 
understanding the relationship between space, power, and planning. Existing literature is limited 
in its ability to explain this role. For example, post colonial planning literature, theoretically, 
addresses the problem of planning as becoming a tool to achieve control. Additionally, radical 
planning and insurgent planning approaches discuss how in authoritarian political contexts, 
transformation can be achieved by the engagement of populace in a kind of covert radical or 
insurgent planning. However, existing literature is mostly focused on conflict between 
authoritarian state and its citizens, not a state of occupation that involves an occupation of 
indigenous state and citizens. 
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In order to achieve its goal, the research asks this main question: what is the role of spatial 
planning in the struggle over space (control and resistance) in the complex context of occupation, 
and what are the probabilities and the constraints of professional planners’ intervention in such 
complex context? Since Palestine has a long history of occupation and domination and the 
phenomenon of the use of planning in the struggle over space in the Palestinian areas is 
historically rooted, the research takes an historical approach and examines this relationship in 
two distinct historical colonial periods: the British Mandate in Palestine and the current Israeli 
occupation. The study hopes to result into conceptual contributions for spatial planning in the PT. 
The conceptualization of this research will provide an understanding for future studies about 
planning in cities under deep political conflict such as occupation. It will develop the idea of 
planning as a form of resistance. 
The significance of this research lies in its addressing lack of knowledge about planning 
within the complex context of colonial/occupational areas. It has practical and conceptual 
contributions. Practically, it documents processes and decisions of planning under occupation. 
Conceptually, the study contributes to scholarship in planning and political geography by 
illuminating the spatial practices of different actors in their spatial struggle. To planning 
scholarship it adds voice to those who have called for an expanded definition of planning. That is 
planning is not limited to practices of trained professionals. Rather it includes everyday spatial 
practices of people that are powerful in shaping the space and its territorial control.  

Title

PhD Dissertation

Publisher

University Of illinois -urbana champaign

Publisher Country

United States of America

Publication Type

Prtinted only

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Year

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Pages

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