Open-space design in kibbutz expansion neighborhoods as a tool for redefining social capital in the community.

Abstract

This article examines the impact of open space planning on relations and cooperation between locals and new immigrants in rural settlements. In recent years kibbutz settlements have transformed agricultural land into residential neighborhoods for migration of previously urban populations. We examined the relationship between residents and newcomers to the village, and the effect that planning a new neighborhood adjacent to the kibbutz has on creating motivation for veteran members and new residents to meet and build common social capital. We offer a method of analyzing planning maps of the open spaces between the original kibbutz settlement and the adjacent new expansion neighborhood. Analysis of 67 planning maps led us to define three types of demarcation between the existing settlement and the new neighborhood; we present each type and its components and offer their significance in the development of the relationship between veteran and new residents. The active involvement and partnership of the kibbutz members in deciding the location and the appearance of the neighborhood about to be built allowed them to determine the nature of the relations that would be forged between the veteran residents and the newcomers.