A Gypsy Neighbourhood On The Brink Of Transformation: Urban Regeneration In Kuştepe

The concept of urban regeneration refers to transformation of the areas which cannot respond to some physical, social and economic needs in a holistic way by taking into consideration these factors. Renewal projects in Turkey predominantly take place in the slum areas that emerged after 1950s. In Kuştepe, where urbanization dates back to 1954 and is one of Istanbul's first slum areas, settlement was started as the Gypsies were brought here from Zincirlikuyu by government. Planning process in Kuştepe dates back to last 10 years ago and it is currently shelved. The urban regeneration project in that area is based on the reasons such as remaining of the area within the central area of the city and worn-out physical structure of the buildings here. This study is carried out in order to describe the class and social structures in pre-transformation Kuştepe, to measure the Gypsies’ perception of urban regeneration, and to determine what sort of spatial movement could arise due to the transformation. To accomplish these objectives, the survey data collected by the SONAR group for Şişli Municipality were utilized, and interview technique was used. In addition, the survey data conducted by Istanbul Bilgi University in 1993 in Kuştepe were used where necessary. Study results were well visualized and tabulated where necessary with the help of Microsoft Office programs. The results showed that demographic indicators regarding Kuştepe such as educational profile, professional distribution and income status seem to be in parallel with other slum areas. On the other hand, the level of satisfaction with Kuştepe homes was found to be around 80 %, still 72.5% of the respondents reported that they would accept the new homes following the renewal. The interviews revealed that the inhabitants seem to be willing about selling the prospective new homes to obtain profit. According to this, two important findings could be suggested. Kuştepe project as well as all the other transformation areas of Turkey, renewal is well understood as a rent-oriented element. Secondly, the idea of embracing the urban space remained behind the profit prospects, and the concept of "right to the city" discussed in critical urban studies seems not to reach a sufficient maturity in places with high rent expectancy such as Kuştepe and Fikirtepe. Hence, it was concluded that socio-spatial effects of the renewal needs to undergo a more extensive process in particular places with advanced socio-cultural richness like Kuştepe.

Keywords

Urban, Urban Regeneration, Urban Geography, Gypsies, Kuştepe.