Residents’ expectations from the municipality in an age of urban-national polarisation
基于特拉维夫-雅法居民调查，将居民分为自由派、市政派和保守派三类，发现28%的自由派更关注市政在自由主义议题上的作用，而非传统市政职能。
The global phenomenon of liberal cities opposing reactionary nation-states has garnered increasing attention in recent years, with cities such as Istanbul, Warsaw and Tel Aviv–Jaffa serving as prominent examples. While the existing literature has explored various elements of this trend, it has largely overlooked the perspectives of ordinary city dwellers on this process. This study explores city residents’ perceptions of the municipality’s role in promoting liberal policy agendas traditionally associated with the national level. Using an original survey conducted in Tel Aviv–Jaffa, Israel, we propose a novel typology that classifies residents as ‘Liberals’, ‘Municipalists’ or ‘Conservatives’ based on their local policy preferences. Our findings reveal a significant liberal group (28%) that prioritises municipal involvement in ‘big’ liberal issues over traditional municipal functions. This diverse group, which is pessimistic about the country’s future, supports progressive policies at the local level. The study also profiles the three groups in terms of socio-demographic variables and examines the factors influencing their attitudes. This research contributes to understanding the role that progressive municipalities assume in times of growing urban-national polarisation, offering insights and tools that might be applicable to other cities worldwide facing similar challenges.