Neoliberal Urban Interventions and Resistance Practices in the Istanbul of 2000’s: The Case of Ayazma - Tepeüstü

Abstract

Urban space is where class conflicts and clashes of global strategies take place. Today, neoliberal urban policies can be traced all over the global cities, becoming the dominant political, social, economic and spatial paradigm. In the 2000’s, central governments and global capital are the primary actors in the commodification of urban space through neoliberal policies. In this context, it can be argued that urban spaces are produced by the city administrations and global capital instead of the citizens (Harvey, 2019 c, pp.192; Mitchell, 2020, pp.38).
Neoliberal urban space production processes trigger urban resistance, as urban space becomes the area of conflicts created by socio-economic transformations (Castells, 2020 [1978], pp.198; Neil, Peck, & Brenner, 2012, pp. 30). The neoliberal model re-organizes power relations over space. Thus, the production of space evolves into class struggle, forming the basis of social and spatial resistances. Two different groups; from the fronts of intervention and struggle respectively; experience urban transformation and opposition from acutely different perspectives.
In the 2000’s, the acceleration of capital accumulation through urban space in Turkey frequently led towards dispossession; giving way to an increase in social and political struggles. The scope and prevalence of resistance movements in the name of urban rights differ according to the context and dynamics of specific urban space production processes (Harvey, 2019 c, pp.144). The concept of “the right to the city” by Lefebvre creates a field of resistance to the social and physical divisions created by neoliberal interventions (Lefebvre, 2018 [1967]).
“Creative destruction” dynamics come into effect with neoliberal urban transformation projects, playing a key role in “neoliberal space-opening strategies”. Yet, urban transformation needs to be addressed with a holistic approach in terms of physical, social, financial, administrative and legal aspects, as each neighborhood have their own specific dynamics and problems.
One of the most controversial points of urban transformation practices has been the pressures they put on the “right to housing”. This article focuses on the urban struggles emerged in reaction to the spatial inequalities created by the neoliberal urbanization processes in Istanbul in the last two decades, through the Ayazma-Tepeüstü Urban Transformation Project. Throughout the article, the struggle of the neighborhood, together with their organizational structures, demands, actions and result gains were evaluated on the basis of the right to the city and right to housing.
In the 2000’s, a large number of urban transformation projects were issued by the İstanbul city administrations both in the historical city center and on the outskirts of Istanbul (such as Sulukule, Tarlabaşı, Fener-Balat, Gaziosmanpaşa). There are a number of reasons why the Ayazma -Tepeüstü Urban Transformation Project was chosen as the case study. First of all, the project is the first and most comprehensive urban transformation implementation in Istanbul. In addition, Ayazma, a shantytown on the western periphery of Istanbul, carries a high rent potential; being at the intersection of main transportation arteries. Moreover, the fact that the project is terminated in legal and administrative terms is also important in understanding the experiences of social movements.
In order to decipher the Ayazma-Tepeüstü Urban Transformation process, discourse analysis, being a qualitative research method is used. The roles, actions and experiences of the actors in the urban transformation process are revealed by conducting open-ended interviews with two different subjects from the intervention and struggle parties. In addition to the interviews with the actors involved in the process, the discussion was expanded by the inclusion of the statements of the city administration officials and newspaper news. The study was further deepened by using data from theses, articles, digital publications and journals. Interview questions aim to understand the actions, experiences, expectations and demands of the actors as well as giving space for self-evaluation; being open-ended questions that inquire social realities, spatial and socio-economic changes (Kümbetoğlu, 2020, pp.34). Research questions comprise five main topics being; urban context, project process, relations with actors, urban opposition and self-evaluation.
The study consists of four parts. In the introduction, the scope, method and aim of the research are given. In the second part, the neoliberal urban space production dynamics of Istanbul in the 2000’s are discussed through the concepts of right to the city and right to housing. Thirdly, the urban transformation and opposition processes of the region are analyzed. Lastly, evaluations and suggestions regarding the struggles for the right to the city and housing are given.
Today, as neoliberal urbanization processes deepen social, spatial and economic inequalities, urban resistance movements are essential in defending the right to the city and housing. Urban resistance could trigger revolutionary transformations against the processes that create inequality and victimization. In order to make the citizens’ agenda visible in the production of urban space, it is vital to open and strengthen the grounds of urban resistance that are organized in solidarity, beyond individual interests and that can learn from and transfer experiences.