Whose city is it: The impact of an intentional community on the city—A case study from Israel

Abstract

Urban geography suffers a considerable disciplinary deficiency in studying urban intentional communities (ICs). Particularly lacking, also in general social sciences, are studies on ICs’ comprehensive impact on cities. The major reason for this might be a failure to realise that there are sub-city geographical entities which contribute to shaping cityscape, and that an intentional community is not only a social entity but also a geographical entity.   Viewing them from this perspective provides a vehicle for understanding the impact of ICs, thereby enriching the field of urban geography. Following an explanation of the concept of geographical entities and ICs as geographical entities, we present a case study from Israel with a comprehensive analysis of the impact of an IC on a city from various demographic, social, spatial, economic, political, and cultural perspectives as viewed by the residents. By studying the geographies of ICs in this approach and raising questions for further geographical research, we highlight the important role geography can play in this emerging field of urban studies.