Urban civic worlds: A conceptual and empirical exploration

This article addresses the issue of local citizenship in the context of shi fting urban structures. Drawing on the literature on modes of responses to local public policy based on Hirschman's (1970) model of Exit, Voice and Lo yalty, the study offers the concept of urban civic worlds as an explanatory concept for local citizenship behavioural manifestations. The hypothesis r egarding urban civic worlds are tested in a survey in the city of Tel Aviv. Eight types of urban civic worlds are examined. The implications of the mu ltiplicity of urban civic world on the governance in localities is discusse d.