Jerusalem's population, 1995-2020: Demography, multiculturalism and urban policies

This paper reports on a new projection of Jerusalem's population to the year 2020. Cultural, social and demographic trends within the city were analysed for eight main subpopulations featuring different ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic characteristics. Separate assumptions on mortality, fertility, and geographical mobility were developed and projected based on 1995 estimates of size and age-sex composition for each subpopulation. The selected results presented here focus on the balance of the Jewish versus the Arab and other population, and within the Jewish population, of the more religiously observant subpopulation versus the rest. The findings shed light on the critical importance of the mutual relationship between demography and socio-political developments. Implications of expected demographic trends for urban planning in a multicultural context are discussed within a broader evaluation of local and national policy options.