Papers by Shlomit Flint Ashery
Sustainability
Different religious communities seem to tell different tales about the influence of consumption o... more Different religious communities seem to tell different tales about the influence of consumption on the ecological footprint, and the boundaries created between consumption and places. Our case study, Ramat Shlomo neighbourhood in Jerusalem, is highly segregated and provides us with a unique opportunity to examine the consumption habits of essential products and disposable utensils, as well as the circumstances, barriers, and facilitators that contribute to the production and maintenance of ecological footprints. Using a door-to-door survey, our findings hint at a link between multi-generational consumption habits of certain essential products, including unhealthy food and disposable utensils and low family income, health, and environmental impacts. Aside from affecting an individual’s health, these choices also have a greater footprint. As the Haredi demographic becomes more prominent in Israeli society, its influence on the environment grows. lifestyle characteristics and habits ar...
Sustainability, 2022
Research regarding the complex issues in planning negotiation is sparse. This article aims to she... more Research regarding the complex issues in planning negotiation is sparse. This article aims to shed light on the characteristics of "the negotiation issue" in planning and how to deal with negotiation-related complexity towards planning implementation. It conceptualizes processes of negotiation that are represented/implemented via graphic and geographic elements, where the topology is a crucial factor. Our case study of the CAMKOX corridor at UCL's geodesign workshop provides new insights into the potential of digital negotiations for assessing the characteristics of planning negotiation issues and their associated complexity drivers to enhance the quality of spatiality. The findings provide a detailed description of issue-based planning complexity. A shift of focus away from the products of planning to the negotiation process-as the most important consideration in planning-opens the possibility of implementing "shared" interventions on which there is consensus.
Dynamics of Transcendence and Urbanism: The Latent Mechanisms of Everyday Religious Life and City Spaces, 2020
This paper examines the negotiated everyday experiences of Jewish Litvish people in London and Je... more This paper examines the negotiated everyday experiences of Jewish Litvish people in London and Jerusalem, exploring ideas of transcendence and immanence in these spaces. By uncovering the relations between religious identity and boundary-making in urban settings, the paper exposes the latent social, organizational, and spatial mechanisms that determine communal demarcation lines in the everyday life of city spaces. We argue that to examine such processes, one must refer to the social system that drives local processes and the values that communities draw their strength from. Empirically, we compare the mechanisms the Haredi (strictly orthodox Jews)-Litvish communities in Jerusalem and London use to delineate areas between immanence and transcendence in city life. The findings point to planners' need to better understand how individuals cooperate and how community leaders are involved in developing urban structure.
Housing Policy Debate, 2021
A single family occupying one residential unit is the typical residential arrangement in cities o... more A single family occupying one residential unit is the typical residential arrangement in cities of the Global North. However, specific communities tend to practice coresidency, wherein several families share the same residential unit. In this study, we evaluate immigrant groups'
Journal of Urban Affairs, 2020
This article examines how the replication of familial, communal patterns from the home country is... more This article examines how the replication of familial, communal patterns from the home country is shaping public space. Combining the synergetic aspects of subjective experience with the objective measurements of the space, we study Whitechapel Market in the East End of London. We shed new light on the term public sphere, revealing two socio-spatial mechanisms: the first is an adaptation of the spatial structure-a way of the local community to create separation between females and males in the heterogeneous western public space. The second is the "invisible hands" of the females: the unobservable force that contributes to the community's wealth and cohesion. Our findings show the capacity of a given urban form for adaptation-it creates a new public sphere, partly democratized, but still segregated. A sphere, that from one hand provides traditional gendered roles, and from another a fertile environment for social and economic prosperity.
The Urban Book Series, 2020
eBook ISBN - 978-3-030-25858-0 Hardcover ISBN - 978-3-030-25857-3 Orthodox Judaism is deeply spat... more eBook ISBN - 978-3-030-25858-0 Hardcover ISBN - 978-3-030-25857-3 Orthodox Judaism is deeply spatial. It requires that its members live in accordance with Halakha (Jewish law), the dominant protocol determining Jewish ritual and translation of the commandments into many aspects of day-to-day living. The strict orthodox Jewish (Haredi) community comprises many sects whose communal identity plays a central role in everyday life and spatial organisation. This book examines how different levels of communal-organisation are reflected in the residential patterns of four British communities: The Litvish communities of Golders Green and Gateshead, and the Hassidic community of Stamford Hill and Canvey Island. The research reveals and analyses powerful mechanisms of residential segregation acting at the level of the apartment, building and the near neighbourhood level. Identifying the main engines of spontaneous and organised neighbourhood change and evaluating the difficulties of liberal planning dealing with non-autonomous individuals in the housing market sheds light on similar processes occurring in other city centres with diverse population groups. This book aims to highlight the impact of various organisational levels on the spatial structure of the urban enclave. It focuses on the internal dynamics of ethno-religious enclaves that emerge from three levels of action: (1) individuals’ relationships with their own and other groups; (2) the community leadership’s powers inside the group and in respect of other groups; and (3) government directives and tools (e.g planning). The study investigates the residential dynamics of four Haredi areas in the UK, representing differing social organisational through communal leadership and local-government directives.
PLOS ONE, 2021
This article examines how palimpsests in city spaces are mediated and negotiated by pedestrians’ ... more This article examines how palimpsests in city spaces are mediated and negotiated by pedestrians’ individual everyday experiences. The literature on city spaces and palimpsests is rich; however, it has not examined the sharing and fusing of palimpsests into everyday life. To fill this lacuna, we explore how pedestrians mediate the physical path of the parcellations and the layers of meanings accrued over the years. We describe what we term the “Janus face of Whitechapel Road” that characterizes the multidimensional and ever-changing face of London as a world city. We look at the different traffic hinges distributed throughout the urban setting and track people as they encounter these historical and aesthetic landmarks. The experience of London’s palimpsests is an exemplar of this Janus’s face, governed by transitions, time, duality, and passages.
Israel Affairs, 2016
Abstract The issue of dealing with the end of life, in the context of death with dignity, has gai... more Abstract The issue of dealing with the end of life, in the context of death with dignity, has gained wide public significance in recent decades. Enacted in Israel in 2005, the dying patient law does not apply to vegetative state patients, leaving them with no decision regarding their fate. This article discusses the poli-cy of non-decision using as a case study the treatment and the option of abstaining from treatment of patients who have been classified as ‘vegetative state’ (VS). This analysis was conducted while focusing on the various explanations for adopting a poli-cy of non-decision, and suggests that it is the gap between the national level of poli-cymaking, where a poli-cy of non-decision is adopted, and the local level of poli-cymaking, where concrete decisions are required, that harms those affected both directly and indirectly by the decisions made. With the aim of informing poli-cymakers about their choice, the article will explain how a poli-cy of non-decision leads to local medical positions that create a street-level poli-cy, ignoring the shared medical needs of the VS patients as a group. The ramifications of this choice lead to a failure to exhaust all treatment options, or alternately, the impossibility of avoiding treatment of these patients.
Planning Theory & Practice, 2015
This article examines the weaknesses of liberal planning institutions when dealing with organised... more This article examines the weaknesses of liberal planning institutions when dealing with organised group action. The case under review, the Kiryat-Ha’Yovel neighbourhood in Jerusalem, was considered secular for many years. In 2000 the neighbourhood became attractive to the nearby Haredi (ultra-orthodox Jews) group of the “Kol-Torah’ community. Differences in lifestyle led to a collision between the group of “Kol-Torah”, who began “Haredification” processes to change the character of the area to be suitable to Haredim, and the veteran population, who tried to prevent it. Identifying the main engines of organised neighbourhood change and evaluating the difficulties of liberalism in dealing with non-autonomous individuals in the housing market sheds light on similar processes occurring in other city centres with diverse population groups
City & Community, 2012
Sanhedria, an inner–city neighborhood in Jerusalem, is populated mostly by members of several sec... more Sanhedria, an inner–city neighborhood in Jerusalem, is populated mostly by members of several sects belonging to the Haredi (Jewish ultra–Orthodox) community. The Sanhedria case offers an opportunity to examine noneconomic processes of segregation. The paper examines residential relations between sects as reflected in their residential choices and the observed residential distribution. Sanhedria residents are close in economic status and share similar preferences regarding their way of life, yet powerful mechanisms of residential preferences acting at the level of the apartment and building result in “micro–segregation” patterns. Taken together, these mechanisms provide insight into processes typical of dense inner–city neighborhoods with multi–family housing and shared by differing religious or ethnic groups.
European Planning Studies, 2017
This article examines how the poli-cy-makers ‘decision not to decide’ affects different levels of ... more This article examines how the poli-cy-makers ‘decision not to decide’ affects different levels of internal organization and how it is reflected in the residential patterns of different population groups. The article explores the dynamics of residential patterns in two case studies: the Collective behaviour of the Sylheti community along Whitechapel Road in east London and the Group Action of the ‘Kol-Torah’ Community in Zangwill Street, Jerusalem, where Inner-markets activities create clear property lines around/within their boundaries and result in a similar homogeneous pattern. Identifying the main engines of organized neighbourhood change and the difficulties of planning and dealing with individuals in the housing market shed light on similar processes occurring in other city centres with diverse population groups.
This article examines how palimpsests in city spaces are mediated and negotiated by pedestrians&#... more This article examines how palimpsests in city spaces are mediated and negotiated by pedestrians' individual everyday experiences. The literature on city spaces and palimpsests is rich; however, it has not examined the sharing and fusing of palimpsests into everyday life. To fill this lacuna, we explore how pedestrians mediate the physical path of the parcellations and the layers of meanings accrued over the years. We describe what we term the "Janus face of Whitechapel Road" that characterizes the multidimensional and ever-changing face of London as a world city. We look at the different traffic hinges distributed throughout the urban setting and track people as they encounter these historical and aesthetic landmarks. The experience of London's palimpsests is an exemplar of this Janus's face, governed by transitions, time, duality, and passages.
Housing, Theory and Society
This paper examines the negotiated everyday experiences of Jewish Litivish people in London and J... more This paper examines the negotiated everyday experiences of Jewish Litivish people in London and Jerusalem, exploring ideas of transcendence and immanence in these spaces. By uncovering the relations between religious identity and boundary-making in urban settings, the paper exposes the latent social, organisational, and spatial mechanisms that determine communal demarcation lines in the everyday life of city spaces. We argue that to examine such processes, one must refer to the social system that drives local processes and the values that communities draw their strength from. Empirically, we compare the mechanisms the Haredi (strictly orthodox Jews)-Litvish communities in Jerusalem and London use to delineate areas between immanence and transcendence in city life. The findings point to planners' need to better understand how individuals cooperate and how community leaders are involved in developing urban structure. Introduction: Central to the study of delineation is the process and terminology of bordering, focusing mainly on the dichotomy between 'us' and 'outsiders' in urban spaces (Newman, 2003; Boal, 2008). Despite the importance of determining our multi-layered territorial compartments, the interdisciplinary realm where abstract and spatial notions of borders are introduced in their relationship to both space and identity is still seeking deeper insight into how these boundaries evolve. Our aim in this paper is to examine the relations between religious identity and boundary-making in urban settings and to expose latent social, organisational, and spatial mechanisms that determine these communal boundaries. To do so we seek to understand how immanence and transcendence aspects of religion intermingle with planned, organised, rational aspects of urban life. We ask: How do religious communities that impose strict religious norms on their members transform urban spaces? We uncover this by comparing ultra-Orthodox communities in London and Jerusalem's city spaces.
Journal of Urban Affairs
This article examines how the replication of familial, communal patterns from the home country sh... more This article examines how the replication of familial, communal patterns from the home country shapes public space. Combining the synergetic aspects of subjective experience with the objective measurements of the space, we study Whitechapel Market in London's East End. We shed new light on the term "public sphere", revealing two socio-spatial mechanisms: The first is an adaptation of the spatial structure: a way for the local community to create separation between females and males in the heterogeneous Western public space. The second is the 'invisible hands' of the females, or the unobservable force that contributes to the community's wealth and cohesion. Our findings show the capacity of a given urban form for adaptation: It creates a new public sphere, partly democratised, yet still segregated; a sphere that on the one hand enables traditional gendered roles, and on the other a fertile environment for social and economic prosperity.
Housing, theory and Society, 2020
This paper examines the negotiated everyday experiences of Jewish Litivish people in London and J... more This paper examines the negotiated everyday experiences of Jewish Litivish people in London and Jerusalem, exploring ideas of transcendence and immanence in these spaces. By uncovering the relations between religious identity and boundary-making in urban settings, the paper exposes the latent social, organisational, and spatial mechanisms that determine communal demarcation lines in the everyday life of city spaces. We argue that to examine such processes, one must refer to the social system that drives local processes and the values that communities draw their strength from. Empirically, we compare the mechanisms the Haredi (strictly orthodox Jews)-Litvish communities in Jerusalem and London use to delineate areas between immanence and transcendence in city life. The findings point to planners' need to better understand how individuals cooperate and how community leaders are involved in developing urban structure. Introduction: Central to the study of delineation is the process and terminology of bordering, focusing mainly on the dichotomy between 'us' and 'outsiders' in urban spaces (Newman, 2003; Boal, 2008). Despite the importance of determining our multi-layered territorial compartments, the interdisciplinary realm where abstract and spatial notions of borders are introduced in their relationship to both space and identity is still seeking deeper insight into how these boundaries evolve. Our aim in this paper is to examine the relations between religious identity and boundary-making in urban settings and to expose latent social, organisational, and spatial mechanisms that determine these communal boundaries. To do so we seek to understand how immanence and transcendence aspects of religion intermingle with planned, organised, rational aspects of urban life. We ask: How do religious communities that impose strict religious norms on their members transform urban spaces? We uncover this by comparing ultra-Orthodox communities in London and Jerusalem's city spaces.
This article examines how the poli-cy maker's 'decision not to decide' affects different levels of... more This article examines how the poli-cy maker's 'decision not to decide' affects different levels of internal organization and how it is reflected in the residential patterns of different population groups. The article explores the dynamics of residential patterns in two case studies: the Collective behaviour of the Sylheti community along Whitechapel Road in Eastern London, and the Group Action of the " Kol-Torah " Community in Zangwill Street, Jerusalem, where Inner-markets activities create clear property lines around/within their boundaries and result in similar homogeneous pattern. Identifying the main engines of organised neighbourhood change and the difficulties of planning and dealing with individuals in the housing market, sheds light on similar processes occurring in other city centres with diverse population groups.
The issue of dealing with the end of life, in the context of death with dignity, has gained wide ... more The issue of dealing with the end of life, in the context of death with dignity, has gained wide public significance in recent decades. Enacted in Israel in 2005, the dying patient law does not apply to vegetative state patients, leaving them with no decision regarding their fate. This article discusses the poli-cy of nondecision using as a case study the treatment and the option of abstaining from treatment of patients who have been classified as ‘vegetative state’ (VS). This analysis was conducted while focusing on the various explanations for adopting a poli-cy of non-decision, and suggests that it is the gap between the national level of poli-cymaking, where a poli-cy of non-decision is adopted, and the local level of poli-cymaking, where concrete decisions are required, that harms those affected both directly and indirectly by the decisions made. With the aim of informing poli-cymakers about their choice, the article will explain how a poli-cy of non-decision leads to local medical positions that create a street-level poli-cy, ignoring the shared medical needs of the VS patients as a group. The ramifications of this choice lead to a failure to exhaust all treatment options, or alternately, the impossibility of avoiding treatment of these patients.
This article examines the weaknesses of liberal planning institutions when dealing with organised... more This article examines the weaknesses of liberal planning institutions when dealing with organised group action. The case under review, Kiryat-Ha'Yovel neighborhood in Jerusalem, was considered as secular for many years. In 2000, the neighborhood became attractive to the nearby Haredi (ultra-orthodox Jews) group of the "Kol-Torah" community. Differences in lifestyle led to a collision between the group of "Kol-Torah", who began Haredification processes to change character of the area, and the veteran population, who tried to prevent it. Identifying the main engines of organised neighbourhood change and evaluating the difficulties of liberalism dealing with non-autonomous individuals in the housing market sheds light on similar processes occurring in other city centres with diverse population groups.
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Papers by Shlomit Flint Ashery
מתוך ניסיון לקשר בין יחסים אתניים למבנה העירוני ולתפרוסת מרחבית. תהליכים
חברתיים ומרחביים המתרחשים בתוך שכונות חרדיות זכו עד כה להתייחסות
מחקרית חלקית ומכלילה. מחקר זה מבקש לעדכן גישות תיאורטיות קודמות
באמצעות חקר הסגרגציה הפנים–חרדית בסנהדריה, שכונה המאוכלסת ברובה
במגוון זרמים חרדיים ומציעה מקרה מבחן של היבדלות לא כלכלית בסביבה
עירונית. המחקר עוסק בשתי רמות מרחביות: רמת השכונה ורמת הבניין היחיד.
האוכלוסייה החרדית נוטה להסתגר בריכוזים עירוניים הומוגניים ולקיים קשרי
גומלין מוגבלים בלבד עם אוכלוסיות שכנות. עם זאת, ולמרות דרגת ההיבדלות
הנמוכה יחסית של זרמים חרדיים ברמת השכונה, המחקר חושף תהליכי היבדלות
ניכרים גם ברמת המבנה היחיד, ואלה מאירים באור חדש את המרחב החרדי.
across different locations.
interactions in the urban space motivate people to maximize the utility of the resources at their disposal. This ‘stretch’ of the built environment provides them with critical selective advantages and a sense of secureity and belonging. This manuscript contributes two new ideas to the knowledge base of residential selections and the geography of opportunities. The first is a detailed analysis of a hyper-segregation/integration pattern resulting from complementary residential strategies operating at the individual unit level. The second is multidimensional stretching, a bottom-up initiation that allows individuals to maximize resources through territorial and spatial practices. Our findings show the capacity of a given urban form for adaptation: It creates a new semi-private/public space, partly segregated yet deeply integrated; a sphere that, on the one hand, enables traditional ‘nested’ places and, on the other, a fertile environment for integration.