Establishing a Capital

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the city of Jerusalem and begins with a description of what it is not: it is not the product of the informed insights of well-trained professionals acting in accordance with modern planning theory; nor is it a consequence of the energizing forces of contemporary finance, commerce, or industry. Rather, it is an ancient city that has undergone a rapid and extensive renaissance for many of the same reasons that brought it into existence 3,000 years ago. Jerusalem is again the center of national rituals, conceived in religious and secular terms, and of political authority. Like premodern cities, it is designed with many of the characteristics of a fortress because it is the object of intense and deeply rooted rivalries. Guided by political and military objectives, Jerusalem's professional planners have given primacy to two major concerns: ensuring the strategic viability of the city, and shaping it as a cultural, spiritual, and historical symbol.