Culture, Conflict and Cemeteries: Lebensraum for the Dead

The zoning of land for cemeteries provides an example of locational conflict between local residents and planners. The nature of the conflict is dependent on the differential perceptions held by residents and the degree to which they perceive cemeteries as having a negative influence on the landscape. The planners' guidelines as well as the residents' perceptions are dictated partially by the cultural values governing death and burial. In Judaism, religious law strongly governs both the location of cemeteries and their internal spatial structure. This study of locational conflict in Tel Aviv demonstrates the degree to which Jewish cultural values are brought to bear on the overall issues of planning and land zoning.