Ankara Araştırmaları Dergisi (Dec 2019)
Exploring the Locational Preferences of Syrian Migrants in Ankara and a Case Study of Önder, Ulubey, and Alemdağ Neighborhoods as an Ethnic Urban Enclave
Abstract
The Syrian civil war, which began in 2011, has forced a large percentage of the population to leave the country. Millions of Syrian immigrants have begun to live in Turkey because of the open-door policy implemented by the government at the Syrian border between 2011-2015. This process has led to mostly self-developed ethnic settlements being formed in cities. The two main purposes of this study are: (1) To determine the distribution of the Syrian migrant population and (2) to conduct an in-depth survey of the Önder, Ulubey and Alemdağ neighborhoods, which is where most Syrian migrants in Ankara live. The research conducts a comparative study of the “Ghetto” and “Urban Enclaves” concepts mainly discussed in western literature. These concepts constitute a starting point that shapes the theoretical framework. The methodology of the study is a mixed research pattern that combines quantitative and qualitative data. This research includes three different spatial scales: province (Ankara), district (Altındağ) and neighborhood (Önder, Ulubey and Alemdağ). The spatial distribution of the population has been visualized, and the dissimilarity index values calculated, by using quantitative data sets at both the provincial and the district scale. The urban enclave concept is discussed at the neighborhood scale through a case study by using observations, surveys and in-depth interviews. The locational preferences of Syrian migrants in Ankara province and in the Altındağ district has caused a medium to high degree of spatial segregation. It has been determined, in terms of the urban enclave, that its formation has been due to both voluntary, as well as forced, factors. This is directly linked to the ‘Siteler’ industrial area of the workforce, which partly constitutes its own local economy and is not entirely exclusive. It has been found that the Urban Enclave has both positive and negative effects on the resident migrant population.
Keywords
