The transformation of squatter settlements into authorised apartment blocks: a case study of Ankara, Turkey

In a city where more than half the population lives in squatter housing, the transformation of squatter housing into apartment blocks has important consequences on the socio-spatial structure of the city. This thesis aims to provide an account of the recent transformation of squatter settlements in Ankara into apartment blocks, with special reference to the political, economic, cultural as well as spatial consequences of this transformation. The theoretical part of the thesis has shown that existing theories on the formation and transformation of squatter settlements fail to provide an adequate account of their formation. While the articulation approach seems to be the most adequate for illustrating the formation of squatter settlements, it too remains silent in the face of transformation processes of squatter housing into apartment blocks on such a massive scale. In order to explain this process, rent gap theory. which was developed for the study of gentrification, is applied to the case of squatter transformation. Along with these structural dynamics, the political and ideological motives behind this policy shift on squatter settlements are also emphasised. In order to provide a holistic view of the development of squatter housing in Turkey, and particularly in Ankara, a brief review of the trajectory of squatter development in Turkey and in Ankara is provided with reference to state policies in this area. It is revealed that state strategies towards the squatter have undergone dramatic changes, from complete denial to covert acceptance, and then to overt support partly due to the increasing negotiation power of the squatter dwellers. In this context, the recent transformation of the squatter settlements needs to be understood with reference to this negotiation process as well as to the strategic location of the land occupied by the squatter settlements for redevelopment. Regarding the repercussions of this massive scale transformation on the city as a whole, and the different groups involved in this process, the case studies has shown that despite the considerable difference between the public and private sector-led transformation schemes, the main losers were the tenants, as they were forced to leave the areas that were subjected to redevelopment. Ironically, although the squatter owners received flats and in some cases cash for their land plot at the end of redevelopment process, this return is far from meeting their initial expectations. The main winner seems to be developers, public or private, in the redevelopment process. Yet, in the long term, the main loser seems to be the city population on the whole, as the newly emerging environments, as a result of redevelopment, reduced the environmental standards of the city and created a city that was intended to be avoided by the original development plan.