Ankara Araştırmaları Dergisi (Jun 2019)
Spatial Transformations and Changing Everyday Life Practices in the New Mamak Urban Regeneration Project, Ankara
Abstract
The number of urban regeneration projects, which are the reflection of neoliberal policies on urban space, have increased since the 1980s. Regeneration projects can be implemented in many different places but in Turkey they are usually carried out on squatter areas (illegal housing areas). The “New Mamak Urban Regeneration Project” has transformed Mamak, the location of the largest squatter district in Ankara, into a center of a huge urban regeneration project in terms of its area, number of flats and its inhabitants. This large project has caused a number of problems due to its transformative impact and dislocated original residents. The aim of the study is to identify the spatial transformations and caused by the New Mamak Urban Regeneration Project and the socio-economic changes that it brought about. Other aims are to examine the conflicts and contrasts between new and old spaces, debiting the residents of squatter houses who were relocated from their homes as part of neoliberal policies, as well as changing everyday life practices. Especially noteworthy is the spatial contradiction between the high-rise apartment buildings nearing their completion and the squatter areas where construction has yet to start. For this reason, case study areas include the stage 1, where the project has already been completed, and stage 2, where construction has not begun. As part of the qualitative research method that was applied in the study, data was collected through in-depth interviews with individuals from different stakeholder groups. Three sample groups were identified: residents, municipal officers charged with implementing the project, and academics who are experts in urban studies. The data obtained from the in-depth interviews were analyzed using the descriptive analysis method. The study showed that the people who originally lived in squatter areas but who then moved to apartment buildings had a longing for their old way of life and had difficulty adapting to their new living conditions. This situation is seen to have created scenes that contrast the newly built spaces.
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