City profile: Beersheba

The modern age introduced rational, semi-scientific planning as a novel approach to the construction of new cities. Modern Beersheba, a desert city in the south of Israel, is an example of such an approach. The city was founded based on an administrative decision and for many decades it was molded and developed in a 'top-down' manner in line with a modernist planning model. Urban growth was based on plans for immigration and governmental investments, creating a sprawling 'city-less city' that local leadership is now struggling to revitalize. This paper reviews the major planning phases of the city, emphasizing the initial signs of changing development patterns, and the heavy burdens that the city has yet to overcome.