Urban Economic Development in a Period of Local Initiative: Competition among Towns in Israel's Southern Coastal Plain

A case-study of six towns in Israel's southern coastal plain demonstrates how a shift from nationally directed industrial dispersal efforts to one in which there is a greater role for locally initiated development strategies leads to the restructuring of the urban system. Semi-peripheral regions attain a growing advantage over the remote periphery, though within the semi-periphery intra-regional competition has intensified. Whereas previously there was a degree of homogeneity in the inter-urban patterning of economic investment, the correct identification of advantages at the micro-level has gained importance in promoting local economic development. These advantages can be utilised by effective local leadership for developing 'niches of success' in the face of general economic stagnation. The local strategy achieving the clearest impact on long-term development paths has been to exploit advantages associated with proximity to a metropolis, particularly by intervening in the housing market and by promoting economic integration with the metropolis.