Socio-Spatial Projections of Neo-Liberal Urbanization Model in Istanbul

Abstract

Istanbul has been one of the key places both where the neoliberal hegemonia project has been constructed and the impacts of these policies have been felt strongly since the beginning of the 1980s. While the land speculation which is one of the popular rent seeking and distributing activities of the neoliberal era has become the key urban policy, the central government altered the administrative structure of large cities, relaxed the planning system, and increased the revenues of the municipalities. The urban transformation has been accelareted during the construction of the neoliberal hegemonia project between 1983-1992 and the resurgent of this project between 2002-2010. When this project lost its pace due to political and financial instabilities between 1992-2002, the spatial transformation of the city has also slowed down. These mega urban projects have redesined the housing and working areas of social classes.