Cities In Israel Research Articles

The Age Friendly Cities and Communities Questionnaire: A validation study of the Hebrew version in Israel

The present study examined the reliability and validity of the Hebrew version of the Age Friendly Cities and Communities Questionnaire (AFCCQ-IL). The present study was conducted in all four Israeli cities, acknowledged as age-friendly during the time of the study in June-July 2023, namely: Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Herzliya, Kfar Saba, and Jerusalem. A total of 223 Hebrew speakers over the age of 65 participated in the study. Structure validity was confirmed via confirmatory factor analysis and reliability was established. Slight dissatisfaction was noted regarding respect and social inclusion. There was variability across the four cities with Jerusalem fairing worse than the other three cities. The findings are of relevance for urban planners and policy stakeholders.

IQOS point-of-sale marketing: a comparison between Arab and Jewish neighborhoods in Israel

BackgroundPhilip Morris International’s IQOS, with its heatsticks (HEETS), is the heated tobacco product with the largest global market share. IQOS and/or electronic cigarettes use rate is higher among Arabs vs. Jews in Israel. This paper aims to compare IQOS point-of-sale marketing strategies, and regulatory compliance in Arab vs. Jewish neighborhoods in Israel.MethodsWe integrated data from two separate studies including a cross-sectional survey with IQOS retailers (December 2020–April 2021) and audits of points-of-sale that sold IQOS/HEETS (April 2021–July 2021) in 5 large cities in Israel, after marketing restrictions including a points-of-sale display ban and plain packaging became effective in Israel (January 2020). The survey included 69 points-of-sale (21 Arab, 48 Jewish neighborhoods) and the audits included 129 points-of-sale (48 Arab, 81 Jewish neighborhoods). Comparisons of IQOS marketing strategies between points-of-sale in Arab and Jewish neighborhoods were conducted using Chi-Square test, Fisher’s exact test or Mann–Whitney test, as appropriate. Thematic analysis was used to analyze open-ended questions.ResultsThe survey showed that most marketing strategies, such as promotions to customers, were uniform across points-of-sale in Arab and Jewish neighborhoods. The most noteworthy differences were that a higher proportion of retailers from Arab neighborhoods were invited to IQOS parties (47.6% vs. 21.7%, p < 0.05) and reported personal communication with a Philip Morris International’s representative (80.0% vs. 51.2%, p < 0.05). Additionally, Philip Morris International’s representatives assisted points-of-sale in both Arab and Jewish neighborhoods in implementing the display ban by providing free compliant cabinets and product placement instructions, and directly interacted with customers. The audits showed that points-of-sale in Arab neighborhoods were more compliant with the display ban (25.5% vs. 8.8%, p < 0.05), but less compliant with plain packaging (62.5% vs. 79.3%, p < 0.05).ConclusionsThere were not many notable differences in IQOS marketing across points-of-sale in Arab vs. Jewish neighborhoods, but Philip Morris International utilized marketing elements of cultural significance, especially for points-of-sale in Arab neighborhoods, such as more personal communication and invitation to social events. Continuous surveillance of tobacco points-of-sale marketing and legislation compliance is needed, with a special focus on demographic/location-based differences.

Automated photo filtering for tourism domain using deep and active learning: the case of Israeli and worldwide cities on instagram

Social media platforms like Instagram significantly influence tourists’ travel decisions by providing them with valuable insights, recommendations, authentic information, and points of interest. However, photos shared with location-specific hashtags, even those related to tourist attractions, do not always reflect the actual destination, creating challenges for potential visitors seeking accurate information. To assist tourists in finding pertinent tourism information for specific destinations, we propose VISTA: Visual Identification of Significant Travel Attractions. The proposed method employs deep learning and active learning techniques to automatically classify photos into: ‘Tourism-Related’ photos (i.e., photos related to tourism) and ‘Non-Tourism-Related’ photos (i.e., photos unrelated to tourism). To train our machine learning classifier, we created a dataset containing photos of the 10 most popular Israeli cities on Instagram. The classifier obtained an accuracy score of 0.965 and a weighted F1 score of 0.964. Evaluating our classifier’s global generalization on the InstaCities100K dataset, derived from InstaCities1M, yielded an accuracy score of 0.958 and a weighted F1 score of 0.959. The effectiveness of VISTA was demonstrated by comparing tourism-related and non-tourism-related photos in terms of photo proportion, user engagement, and object comparison. We found that most photos published on Instagram associated with cities are irrelevant to tourists and that tourism-related photos received more likes than non-tourism-related photos. Finally, there was a low overlap between objects in the two photo collections. Based on these results, we conclude that VISTA can help tourists tackle the problem of finding relevant tourism-related photos among the high volume of photos available on Instagram.

Jewish and Arab kindergarten teachers cope with the challenges of encountering the other in Israel: ‘My Diverse Kindergarten’

ABSTRACT Our article explores the challenges that faced Jewish and Arab kindergarten teachers, and their different ways of coping with those challenges, during the implementation of the programme ‘My Diverse Kindergarten’ in three mixed cities in Israel. The programme aimed at reducing prejudices and improving the relationship between Jews and Arabs in these cities. Based on data from a qualitative study, including interviews with Arab and Jewish kindergarten teachers, we examined the challenges related to the encounter with the other, and identified a variety of coping patterns, mostly related to the ethnic and professional identities of the kindergarten teachers. Our discussion relates to some of the factors that enabled the success of the programme in achieving its purpose.

Proactive policing and traffic disturbances: A quasi-experiment in three Israeli cities

Abstract This paper describes a quasi-experimental evaluation of a reform in Israel (‘EMUN’), which attempted to institutionalize problem-oriented policing on a national scale. The current study examines the effect of this reform on tackling traffic disturbance and road bullying offences. We compared three police stations that chose to deal with traffic offences using the tools and techniques provided through the reform (treatment stations) with five police stations that were matched - using a specially designed algorithm - on several criteria, including similar trends of traffic offences (comparison stations). Each treatment station was compared to two comparison stations using a difference-in-differences approach. In five out of six comparisons there were large and significant reductions in documented traffic disturbances in the targeted areas of the treatment stations compared to the control stations. We also found evidence of significant diffusions in crime control benefits in two of the treatment stations. However, there was evidence of significant geographical displacement to the buffer zone in the largest treatment stations. We attribute this to differences in the nature of the areas targeted and discuss the relative harms and benefits. The findings of the study show that institutionalizing a variety of evidence-based policing strategies has a promise not only for classic crimes (such as property and violence), but also for incivilities and quality-of-life offenses.

The relationship between activities performed in the physical and digital spheres: Lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns have created a unique forced experiment that enabled people worldwide to experience the maximum potential of digital life and virtual interaction. The unique situation of the first lockdown enables us to examine whether digital activities could be a substitutional lifestyle to activities performed in the physical space, and which physical activities are more likely to be substituted by a digital alternative. A survey conducted among 671 residents in the four central cities in Israel is used to examine the effect of the pandemic. We apply a classification tree model to analyze the influence of individuals’ behavior before the pandemic on two periods: (1) period with restrictions due to the pandemic; and (2) a period of a post-COVID-19. Results indicate that although the pandemic accelerated digital trends, the physical sphere will remain dominant in the long term. At the same time, activities related to retail have a higher possibility for substitution compared to entertainment and leisure activities. In addition, the usage of digital services before the pandemic and remote work accelerated the digital-physical substitution effect. Results also show a variation between cities, indicating that spatial or cultural aspects might influence the substitution between the spheres.

Professional Development of Preschool Teacher Assistants in Multilingual and Multicultural Contexts

AbstractThe aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a professional development (PD) program on preschool teacher assistants’ (TAs) attitudes toward multilingualism and self-efficacy in working with linguistically and culturally diverse children (LCDC) and their parents. The study was conducted in a northern peripheral city in Israel that reflects the country’s multicultural, multilingual mosaic. Recently, as part of reforms in the city, PD for TAs was introduced to enrich the participants’ practical knowledge about the development and education of linguistically and culturally diverse children. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from 59 TAs before and after PD. Questionnaires focused on TAs’ self-efficacy in multicultural classrooms, as well as on their attitudes toward multilingualism. In addition, participants reflected on an event in their preschool with a child whose home language was other than Hebrew—the societally dominant language—focusing on the TAs’ emotional and behavioral responses. The qualitative and the quantitative data point to the impact of this PD program. Dependent variables t-test analysis revealed significant increase in TAs’ self-efficacy to work with LCDC and with parents, thus supporting classroom multilingualism. Mixed-method analysis of the qualitative data showed a decrease in negative feelings such as anxiety, disappointment, low self-esteem, and unpreparedness for handling LCDC, and an increase in positive feelings such as happiness, pride, satisfaction, achievement, and self-efficacy. The discussion addresses three issues: the importance of multicultural, multilingual professional development for TAs, self-efficacy as a central characteristic of TAs’ functioning, and the importance of TAs’ relationships with parents.

“The modesty guard” reflected in online comments in mainstream news sites

PurposeAt times, a traditional minority group that opposes a change in the patriarchal structure is violent toward women who wish to adopt modern lifestyles. This study aims to examine online comments regarding a shooting at a café in an Arab-Bedouin city in Israel, where women were employed as servers. The event was framed in Israeli media as an act of backlash by young men, who call themselves “The Modesty Guard.”Design/methodology/approachIn this qualitative study, the authors collected 916 online comments that were published on five main online news sites. A thematic and rhetorical analysis of online comments was conducted.FindingsThe findings uncovered five main themes: the expression of support for Bedouin women; ideas for dealing with the Modesty Guard; blaming Bedouin tradition for the shooting; comparison of the violent behavior to a parallel phenomenon among Charedim; and criticism of the lack of treatment by Israeli security forces. The responses reflected a supportive stance toward Arab-Bedouin women, who were open to progress. Conflict discourse, however, expressed alienation and increased social-national schism between the Jewish majority and Arab-Bedouin minority groups in Israel.Originality/valueThis study sheds light on the backlash phenomenon in Negev Bedouin society. Moreover, it exposes the lack of significant supportive actions and a lack of understanding of the deep processes unfolding in this traditional society.

Factors Affecting the Willingness of Arab Residents in Israel to Pay for Green Buildings: Results of a Survey among Potential Homebuyers in Acre and Nazareth

Green buildings (GBs) enable the efficient use of resources while minimizing environmental impacts. Yet, GBs’ worldwide uptake is still hindered by various barriers, including the perception of being significantly more expensive than conventional ones. In Israel, several studies have investigated the willingness of prospective homebuyers to pay price premium (PP) for GBs and the associated affecting factors. However, these studies focused solely on the Jewish population and no similar study was carried out in the Arab sector. The present study attempts to bridge this knowledge gap by conducting a face-to-face survey among 215 potential Arab homebuyers in two cities in Israel characterized by a high percentage of Arab residents. Study results were compared to those found in a previous study in the Israeli Jewish sector. Findings indicate that despite their lower familiarity with the GB concept and attributes, prospective Arab homebuyers are willing to pay a much higher PP (10.56% compared to 6.58%) for purchasing a green apartment. This unexpected finding may be attributed to the higher motivation that Israeli Arabs have to improve their housing conditions and social status, which can be related to their larger households, higher household crowding, and stronger perception of housing as a long-term investment.

When the outside penetrates the inside: the relationship between Palestinian Israeli and Jewish Israeli social workers in mixed cities during the events of May 2021

ABSTRACT The violent national events that occurred in Israel in May 2021 heightened the sense of anxiety and insecurity for Palestinian and Jewish citizens alike, particularly in mixed cities. This study examines the dynamics, emotions, and perceptions of Palestinian-Israeli and Jewish-Israeli social workers in mixed cities against the backdrop of these events. The study included in-depth interviews with 25 Palestinian-Israeli and Jewish-Israeli social workers in welfare departments in six mixed cities in Israel. The analysis was encoded inductively, informed by the principles of content analysis. Two themes emerged: (1) overt and hidden conflicts between social workers of both nationalities; and (2) challenges to cooperation against the background of the conflict. The research findings enable a deep and broad understanding of the complexity of the personal, national, and professional identities of Palestinian-Israeli and Jewish-Israeli social workers in Israel, reflected in their relationships with colleagues of the other nationality. Raising awareness of these aspects will facilitate developing appropriate tools for intervention programs and a direct and sensitive reference to these issues within the curricula of social work schools in Israel.

May 2021 Riots by the Arab Minority in Israel: National, Civil or Religious?

This study seeks to understand what was behind the May 2021 violence of the Arab minority in Israel, particularly in mixed cities: was it national, religious or civic motives, or a combination of them? Historically, relations between Jews and non-Jews (mostly Muslims) in Israel circle around three axes: religious, national, and civic. While the fragile relations between the parties enjoy a quiet routine, a serious escalation is recorded from time-to-time, leading to a crisis between the parties. This was the case in May 2021, when an outbreak of severe Arab violence was recorded in mixed cities in Israel that resulted in three victims (two Jews, one Arab), dozens of injuries, and heavy damage to Jewish property. This qualitative research, based on interviews with Arab residents in mixed cities and media reports during the clashes and afterward, concludes that despite all three components having a significant contribution to May 2021 violent conflicts, civil affairs were the main reason for riots in mixed cities; however, the outbreak has a national and religious historical background.

Voicing or Silence: Palestinian Israeli and Jewish Israeli Social Workers’ Relationships during Political Turmoil

Abstract In this study, we examined Palestinian Israeli and Jewish Israeli social workers’ relationships in relation to events in May 2021 that involved serious political violent incidents between Palestinian and Jewish Israelis. The qualitative phenomenology approach was used. We interviewed twenty-five social workers from both groups who work in public social services in six ethnonational mixed Palestinian–Jewish cities in Israel. Participants, who were predominantly female and between the ages of 25 and 55, were recruited using a purposive sampling technique. In-depth interviews, conducted in Hebrew and Arabic, focused on the perceptions, experiencing and challenges in relationships between colleagues during crises. Findings revealed the complexity of relationships amid political violence. Most participants coped by remaining silent on political matters. Three themes emerged: subjects of silence, reasons for silence and instances of breaking silence within WhatsApp groups, staff meetings and private conversations amongst individuals of the same ethnic group. The authors make recommendations for research, practice and training for social workers concerning relationships in the context of ongoing political conflict. It is also important to raise ‘social-work-informed conflict awareness’ amongst social workers that relates to how political conflicts may influence their behaviours and relationships.

Stakeholder-orientation in the Governance of Israeli cities and local communities: a qualitative meta-analysis

ABSTRACT Stakeholder-orientation is useful for managing conflicts between stakeholders and strategizing urban sustainability. This qualitative meta-analysis explores the characteristics and challenges of stakeholder-orientation in the governance of Israeli cities and local communities. Main findings: (1) migrants and immigrants, third sector and civil society movements, and religious groups are more protagonists in the Israeli urban governance in comparison to general urban contexts; (2) Though influenced by communicative planning, more effort should be made to strengthen stakeholder-orientation as a sustainable urban strategy; and (3) The power of networks has its attention increased in Israeli urban governance as in other contexts worldwide.

Coaching for privilege: coaches, soccer, and education in professional sports clubs in high-SES cities in Israel

This article examines two key questions: How do coaches working in professional soccer clubs with high socioeconomic class (SES) high-school student define their role? Do the coaches’ definitions of the role affect the reproduction of privilege, and how so? Drawing on qualitative interviews with 15 coaches operating in professional soccer clubs in high-SES cities in Israel, we identified four key components of the coaches’ role: coaches’ descriptions of the youth and their class’s living spaces; the coaches’ role perception; key values subscribed to by coaches; and students’ future orientation (How does the coach see the youths in adulthood). These findings were discussed in light of their significance and implications for forming and cultivating habitus and elite or privileged identity among high-SES youth-players (the linkage of position and disposition) in informal educational spaces.

The increase in the number of vehicles and the shortage of parking in Israel’s urban areas - economic and political factors

ABSTRACT. This study addresses the growing increase in the number of vehicles in Israel and the resulting shortage of parking in city centers. Israel was chosen as a case study because it is a country with rapid population growth, a concentration of residents in central areas, and inefficient public transportation, which constitute explicit causes of the trends presented in the study. The study seeks to portray the implicit causes underlying the increasing number of vehicles in Israel and of the shortage of parking in city centers. The research method combines quantitative and qualitative techniques. The quantitative part includes analysis of data on vehicle density in various cities in Israel and on the number of parking offenses resulting from the shortage of parking in city centers. The vehicle density index per 1,000 Residents for each city will be calculated by multiplying the total number of Private Cars Registered in the city by the total Number of city’s Residents and multiplying by 1000. At the same time, the Number of Parking Reports data which presented in the study has been obtained from the local authorities themselves, which may cause to biased information according to the interests of those authorities. The qualitative part includes examination of the resultant public policy affecting the increase in vehicles. The data set will include the vehicle and fuel taxation policy. The research conclusions show that the increase in vehicles is affected among other things by economic and political factors that contribute to this growing trend and prevent its restriction, respectively. This study calls to the decision makers to promote and develop public transportation and correct its failures. Israel's public transportation services remain afflicted by many faults that contribute to residents' significant and increasing dependency on private vehicles. A large part of the public transportation means are too crowded, bus and train services do not run frequently enough, and the service is slow. There are insufficient connections between the different means of public transportation, with low access to stations among relatively large parts of the population and there is still a shortage of the necessary personnel and infrastructure for it's develop. In addition, the research conclusions call for a political solution that will make it possible to operate public transportation on Saturdays, while also expanding the use of self-driving cars and allocating outlying parking areas together with rental services for electric scooters and bicycles or shuttle services to city centers.

Initial signs of post-covid-19 physical structures of cities in Israel.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12076-023-00346-8.

Real-time sensing of war’s effects on wellbeing with smartphones and smartwatches

BackgroundModern wars have a catastrophic effect on the wellbeing of civilians. However, the nature of this effect remains unclear, with most insights gleaned from subjective, retrospective studies.MethodsWe prospectively monitored 954 Israelis (>40 years) from two weeks before the May 2021 Israel-Gaza war until four weeks after the ceasefire using smartwatches and a dedicated mobile application with daily questionnaires on wellbeing. This war severely affected civilians on both sides, where over 4300 rockets and missiles were launched towards Israeli cities, and 1500 aerial, land, and sea strikes were launched towards 16,500 targets in the Gaza Strip.ResultsWe identify considerable changes in all the examined wellbeing indicators during missile attacks and throughout the war, including spikes in heart rate levels, excessive screen-on time, and a reduction in sleep duration and quality. These changes, however, fade shortly after the war, with all affected measures returning to baseline in nearly all the participants. Greater changes are observed in individuals living closer to the battlefield, women, and younger individuals.ConclusionsThe demonstrated ability to monitor objective and subjective wellbeing indicators during crises in real-time is pivotal for the early detection of and prompt assistance to populations in need.

Operationalizing Community Placemaking: A Critical Relationship-Based Typology

Placemaking is a relatively new planning technique formulated as an alternative to formal, comprehensive, top-down land-use planning. Instead of the statutory process and product, placemaking offers an open-ended, unstructured framework for planning and implementing focused interventions. This study applies a critical look at how this relatively loose framework operates in practice. Based on an investigation of community placemaking projects in southern Israeli cities, we present four models of placemaking, organized around two main axes: the goal axis, which ranges from a broad community goal to a narrow, predetermined aim, and the motivation axis, which ranges from internal to external motivation. The four types of placemaking emerging from the combination of these considerations are (1) traditional, (2) governmental, (3) artistic-economic, and (4) segregative, based on the varied socio-spatial relations between the stakeholders. This typology serves as a warning sign for possible ways that processes with loose boundaries can be exploited, and the setbacks to which they can lead. It offers a helpful framework for further advancements in placemaking, making it an effective tool for socially and environmentally sustainable urbanism.

“If not today, then tomorrow”: Culture, socio-politics, and public involvement in city policymaking for the Palestinian minority in Israel

Research on the involvement of minority communities in city policymaking currently broadly overlooks situations in which citizens and policymakers both belong to the same ethnic minority. The present study aimed to fill this lacuna, exploring public involvement in Palestinian cities across the Jewish majority-dominated State of Israel. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 67 residents of Palestinian cities in Israel, exploring their experiences surrounding public involvement in terms of access to such involvement and its eventual influence on city policymaking. The findings of the study, elicited by Guided Thematic Analysis, show considerable differences among participants with regard to their experiences and perceptions of public involvement. Such differences were mainly observed between younger and older participants, and between men and women, and reveal the overwhelming influence of the hierarchies that prevail in traditional societies on the process and prospect of involvement. The findings also expose how belonging to dominant social groups within traditional society, entails having direct avenues of influence on city policy, and how such influence may create a false appearance of public involvement. An unforeseen issue uncovered in interviews, emphasizes the crucial role Palestinian women's activism plays in promoting inclusive city policymaking.

Cities under fire: Crisis communication on home front versus frontline cities' Facebook pages during operation ‘guardian of the walls’

AbstractSocial media has been widely adopted by local governments during emergencies and crises and its role as a communication platform has been discussed in various studies on natural hazards, pandemics and terror attacks. However, research in the field has not addressed how municipalities use social media to communicate valuable information during armed conflicts and military operations. The current study examined the ways five major cities in Israel used their Facebook pages to connect to their residents during operation ‘Guardian of the Walls' in 2021. We examined the social media usage and the strategies of these cities during the 12 days of the operation. The findings revealed significant differences between cities that are considered as home front versus frontline regions regarding content type and information dissemination strategies. Additionally, differences regarding content types in terms of sentiment and overall rates of engagement were also identified. These findings highlight the need to further investigate local municipalities' usage of social media during armed conflicts concerning the civil population.