Municipal management of residential collectively owned open space: Exploring the case of Israel

Collectively owned open spaces are an integral feature of the urban residential landscape. While scholarly attention tends to focus on the management of shared spaces within buildings, management of collectively owned open spaces, which make up large percentages of the outside residential lot serving as gardens or courtyards, has been limited. The dual nature of these urban environments, considered as hybrid public-private places, might lead to a responsibility vacuum where residents feel these territories are not fully private, and municipalities argue they are not fully public. Although these spaces are considered common, often highly visible and affect many residents; in the case of Israel, the management strategies currently in practice are not adequate in creating useful, safe and aesthetic places. In order to identify the main factors contributing to the neglect of these spaces, our work draws on the study of three major cities in Israel, and applies a number of different methods, including interviews, document analysis and on-site visits. In addition, we explore local governments’ response to the management of these spaces, which consist of various intervention paths including management-based, community-oriented, and planning-focused. The analysis suggests that the case of collectively owned open spaces offers a cautionary tale on the potentially far-reaching effects of insufficiently thought-out planning, and illuminates possible solutions.