Is anybody home? The influence of ghost apartments on urban diversity in Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem

•Ghost apartments have become more common in recent decades, especially in global cities.•The study examines the influence of ghost apartments on urban diversity in Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem.•The research findings show a different expression of ghost-appartment influence in each city.•Foreign capital can affect decision makers' priorities, thereby influencing urban diversity.•Each city's unique characteristics may affect the influence of ghost apartments on urban diversity.

Over the last decade, as globalization processes have intensified, ghost apartments have become a worldwide phenomenon, especially in global cities. A ghost apartment is a housing unit that is owned by a foreign citizen and is empty throughout most of the year (that is, not inhabited by either the owner or renters). This study uses three measures to examine the influence of ghost apartments on urban diversity and urban residents: social mix, land-use diversity, and economic diversity. The study focuses on Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem and reviews the different outcomes and implications of the phenomenon in each city. The paper concludes by pointing out how foreign capital can affect the priorities of the decision makers in the city, while influencing the urban diversity. In addition, each city's unique characteristics may affect the influence of ghost apartments on urban diversity.