PERVERSE SUBURBANIZATION IN JERUSALEM.

This article focuses on the perverse suburbanization in Jerusalem. When urban population growth is highly erratic, standard patterns of density and land use may be disrupted, or even reversed, with density increasing with distance from the center. Some casual evidence suggests this may have been the case for some Israeli cities. The Hebrew word for suburb (parvar) long carried opposite connotations to the usual concept of suburb. In recent years however, parvar seems to be reversing connotations and is used for low density, middle-class neighborhoods, perhaps reflecting changing economic reality. It has been shown that Jerusalem developed a third ring of low-quality, low income housing during the period of very rapid growth which took place following independence in 1948. "Perverse" suburbanization was demonstrated, using a number of criteria. Since 1955, growth races have been slower. There are signs that a fourth ring is emerging, as Jerusalem returns to normal suburbanization patterns.