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Volume :41 Issue : 3 2013
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Present Status of Urbanization in the Cities of Hebron, Nablus and Ramallah and Al-Bireh in the West Bank, Palestine between the Period 1922-2010
Auther : Mohammad Al-Khatib
This study tries to shed some lights on the status of urbanization in the cities of the West Bank, Palestine. Urbanization processes have been affected by several factors such as the dominant political conditions in Palestine since 1948, the transformations of villages in urban centers, the absorptions of refugee camps by the expanding urban centers, and the socio-economic conditions of Palestinians.
By using the historical method, the study tackles the urbanization processes of three Palestinian urban centers and their rural proximities: Hebron, Nablus and Ramallah. The study is based on data mainly provided by the Palestinian Bureau of Statistics especially for the two censuses of 1997 and 2007.
The study has revealed that urbanization processes of the three urban areas are mainly horizontal, yet a vertical trend is also taking place. Furthermore, urbanization processes of the cities as well as other Palestinian cities are limited by the surrounding Israeli settlements, which have been taking place since 1967. Another new factor affecting Palestinian urbanization is the apartheid wall, which was recently built in the West Bank.
Keywords: Urbanization ,West Bank, Urban Population.