Planning from 'Below' in Israel: Reflections on the public interest

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the transformations that have taken place in planning discourse in the last two centuries in the West and in Israel. The paper focuses on the importance given to the public interest in what is termed "planning from 'above'" and "planning from 'below'." As argued in the paper, this analysis provides a useful context for a new line of thinking that distinguishes between planning for practical changes and 'planning for strategic changes. This distinction, it is argued, helps to explore a critical perspective of planning from 'below' and the role of public interest in it.