The second closing of the frontier: An end to open-access regimes

This article argues that as land becomes scarce and rents rise the period of unfettered exploitation of frontier regions, and their use for siting major noxious facilities, is drawing to a close. The factors leading to the formation of localnational coalitions that successfully oppose environmentally deleterious initiatives of both capital and the state are described for the Israeli case. A number of recent cases where such coalitions managed to block development initiatives in Israel's remote periphery are briefly reviewed to illustrate this process. It is suggested that the Israeli case is but one point in a global trend. Thus, it seems that the availability of sites for noxious facilities is decreasing also on a global scale. Several planning and policy implications of this change are advanced.