The unrecognized bedouin villages-internal spatial order as a basis for development

The aim of this paper is to describe and analyse the existing spatial order of an unrecognized Bedouin settlement in Israel’s Negev desert, as a basis for its future planning and development. One case study is examined: the village Kasser A-sir, which houses the tribe of El-Huwashlla. The results show that the village is characterized by a clear internal order, based on a series of socio-spatial patterns. These patterns reproduce at a smaller scale the historical patterns of Bedouin settlement in the Negev. They maintain, as far as possible, the traditional Bedouin community’s cultural framework, and are optimally adapted to the desert morphology and climate conditions. Based on these findings, the authors conclude that any future development must be based on the settlement’s existing spatial structure. This is contrary to the currently accepted approach, which perceives the existing structures as worthless, and assumes that they must be destroyed and rebuilt in a manner better adapted to modern norms.