Exile from Exile - The resettlement of slum dwellers into social housing following forced eviction: A Comparative Analysis of Cases in Istanbul and 4 Cities (original) (raw)

Urban transformation is the main mechanism through which a neoliberal system is instituted in incompletely commodified urban areas. The analysis shows that the UTPs [Urban Transformation Projects] predominantly aim at physical and demographic upgrading of their respective areas rather than improving the living conditions of existing inhabitants, thus instigating a process of property transfer and displacement. The Metropolitan Municipality of Istanbul is implementing urban transformation through sudden, top-down decisions that do not sufficiently account for environmental protection or consultations with citizens. This study attempts to understand the results of state-led property transfer in one historical shanty town and one gecekondu neighborhood in Istanbul: Sulukule and Ayazma. Based on a field survey done with evicted inhabitants of Sulukule and Ayazma inhabitants and drawing particularly on the in-depth interview research method, this study tries to integrate the remigration process with the results of the neoliberal urban transformation projects implemented in the context of developing nations. This research, eventually, aims at confronting the lessons drawn from empirical analyses in Istanbul with lessons drawn from Cairo, Sao Paulo Beijing and Mexico City. The associated research question is: “Is there a specific Istanbul story?” As the research question suggest the major research aim of this study is answering the following sub-question: “What are the main reasons of choosing the location to remigrate or move back after slum/gecekondu clearance and eviction processes in Istanbul, Cairo, Sao Paulo Beijing and Mexico?”