This study focuses on the spaces of neoliberalism in Istanbul and more specifically Sulukule neighborhood constitutes its empirical focus. The hegemonic ascendancy of neoliberalism encounters contestations and social unrest, political mobilizations across the world. Through the case of Sulukule (Istanbul, Turkey), our aim is to illustrate how gentrification as a neoliberal instrument utilized by a conservative/Islamist local government intervene the urban space not only for economic purposes but also culturally. This study analyzes this process, which went through in Sulukule, a former low-income neighborhood, mainly inhabited by a Gypsy community, sustaining livelihoods through an historically created entertainment culture, which was not welcomed by the conservative political cadres. This study turns the attention to the dynamics generated at the interstices of economy, politics and society, and delivers a tale of resistance and contestation to the uneasy marriage between conservative Islamism and neoliberalism.

This article argues for the involvement of all actors of interest in the process of housing production on the basis of the need to undertake such a process from a humanistic point of view. To do that, the article, first, discusses the approach that enhances the notion of participation, and secondly, addresses the reasons behind the essentiality of participation. Furthermore, it presents the workable phases of a participatory process in housing production that is subject to change when needed with respect to the procedural and contextual characteristics and dynamics of the setting in which the process takes place. The article continues with a presentation of a participatory rehabilitation process conducted in the historic residential neighborhood of the Ankara city center with the involvement of interest groups. The process, which took place in the Istiklal Neighborhood, adopts the Participatory Action Research (PAR). This inquiry approach allows the intervention to be undertaken as a social change process, and thereby, permits the neighborhood children, women and residents to be systematically engaged in the formulation of their future and steps for change through a variety of dialogical settings.

Ayazma/Tepeüstü urban transformation project in Küçükçekmece (2004-2007) happens to be the first and the largest urban transformation project implemented in Istanbul so far. It is also the first project targetting a homogenous population. It impacted the lives of 1440 familes, a populaton of about 7800 persons, mainly from Ayazma. Ayazma and Tepeüstü neighbourhoods were ‘’cleansed’’ for regeneration and opened up to developers for prestigious projects while the inhabitants composed mainly of the urban poor were subjected to forced evictions and displacement from their decades old settlements, encountering serious economic deprivations, violations of social and cultural rights and psychological traumas engendered by the relocation.
The study is based on a research conducted in the relocation site betweeen October 2008-February 2009, almost 2 years after the relocation. In depth interviews were carried out with 75 persons, comprising mainly relocated residents in Bezirganbahçe Mass Housing Administration (TOKI) blocks. Some NGO representatives, civil servants and officials from the municipality were also interviewed.
The study focuses on the social, cultural and psychological aspects of the project which disregarded the distinctive culture, tradition and custom of the Kurdish community and the social engineering mechanisms imposed through ‘’civilization’’ projects named ‘’How to live in an apartment-building’’. Hostilities between ethnic groups and polarization in the relocation site were other findings of the study. The study also discloses the criminalization of the urban poor (and minorities) as a legitimization tool to intervene into urban space.

This paper will focus on the renovation and regeneration projects, and also on the gentrification concept in regards to neoliberal urban politics in the historic neighbourhoods of Istanbul. How neoliberal urban politics affect the process of urban renovation and gentrification in historic neighbourhoods? Examining the diverse and complex relationships between regeneration, renovation projects and gentrification processes and in addition to these, one of the main aspects of the present study is to understand why in certain cities gentrification occurs after renovation and regeneration projects. To investigate these points, changes in Turkish economic and housing system will be studied to understand the dynamics that affect Istanbul. In this part, also, a particular attention will be provided to the gentrified neighbourhoods in the historic part of Istanbul. Before the 2000s, gentrification through private housing market was the case in Istanbul, but from the 2000s state-led gentrification started to become more common. The reason behind the increase of state intervention and involvement in gentrification from the 2000s will represent a key aspect to investigation.