Attempts at constructing counter-space :|a comparative study of two Istanbul neighborhoods

Abstract

This thesis analyzes the historical processes of counter-space experiments in two gecekondu neighborhoods of Istanbul: 1 Mayıs (Mustafa Kemal) and Küçük Armutlu. Unplanned urbanization, as a result of capitalist uneven development, has led to the formation of gecekondu neighborhoods all over Istanbul since the 1950s. From the moment of their formation gecekondus faced the threat of demolition due to their unauthorized status and other legal problems. The people of gecekondu neighborhoods developed different strategies in order to survive as a neighborhood. These strategies included patronage relations with legal populist parties as well as extra-legal institutions such as land mafias, forming their own organizations to strug gle for their right for housing and legalization, etc. This thesis investigates the histor ically and spatially specific strategies developed by the actors within the neighbor hoods of 1 Mayıs and Küçük Armutlu neighborhoods. These strategies are discussed as instances of ―counter-space formation‖, and later on counter-space consolidation or dissolution. The thesis presents four dynamics of the formation and permanency of the counter-spaces in these two neighborhoods: i) the demolition threats they faced ii) the legal status of these settlements iii) the structure of the organizations inhabitants have formed to protect their housing rights iv) the organization of the space, especially in a political and symbolic manner. It offers a detailed comparative analysis of the two cases based on the proposed four axes to explain why the coun ter-space formed in Küçük Armutlu has survived in the face of various threats while in 1 Mayıs it has failed and gave way to a commodified land and housing market.