In states that experience national and
ethnic conflicts, the �space� is usually an
expression of the official and privileged
narrative of the dominant group. This is
particularly the case when the
confrontations between the parties to the
conflict exhibit characteristics of
colonialism. The dominant narrative, and
the memory to which it is attached, are
preserved and entrenched by spatial
planning and urban design, among other
things. Designers, planners and architects
who are members of the dominant group
are partners in narrating the story of their
group. They design and represent its
historical, political and geographical
narrative within the space. At the same
time, they ignore the narrative and
memory of subaltern groups, which
include indigenous peoples and ethnic,
cultural and national minority groups, and
sometimes even erase them altogether
(Fenster, 2007; Sandercock 2003; Zukin,
1995). The spatial story also reflects the
collective and private memory from a
particular point of view, while at the same
time marginalizing other versions of this
story. It is therefore an expression of
spatial power that contributes to defining
the public past (Hayden, 1995; Zukin,
1995; Casey, 1987).
Some theorists argue that memory is
connected to place and space, and that it
enables an individual to connect with the
built-up environment, which is part of the
cultural landscape (Hayden, 1995; Zukin,
1995; Casey, 1987). In addition, memory,
including spatial memory, which is part of
personal and collective identity, locates the
individual within a broader historical
framework: that of the family,
community, city and nation. Thus the loss
of spatial memory can lead to the loss of
personal and collective identity (Fenster,
2005).
In the Israeli context, the space of the
state primarily reflects the Zionist
ideological narrative. This narrative
comprises stories and images such as the
�tabula rasa� (the blank slate) and
�making the desert bloom,� which are
actually expressions of dispossession and
control. The spatial planning carried out
by the new state sought, and is still seeking