Gecekondu of İstanbul

• “Put up in one night” • Definition- A habitat of

one or two rooms built at night on the periphery of a large city without permission

Characteristics

• Built overnight with makeshift materials

• Legal loophole• Built on public,

ownerless lands

Origins

• First appeared in 1940’s• Result of Urbanization

occuring at faster rate than industrialization

• Istanbul’s population grew from 1 million in 1950 to 5 million in 1980 and 10 million in 2000

Locations

• Largest gecekondu commuinities in Ankara, Izmir, Istanbul

• First built in city, later on periphery

• Reminiscent of Ottoman proximity of poor and wealthy

Politics and Gecekondu

• Large Population=Large Source of Votes

• Politicians and Political Parties’ efforts to gain loyalty of gecekondu residents

• Gecekondu influence in elections

Precarious Living

• Services depend on stage of development

• Initially without services

• Water, sanitation, and electricity obtained illegaly

• High risk of damage during earthquakes

• Distrust of professional contractors/engineers

• Inability to pay for adequate services

Responses to Gecekondus

• Initial attempts to demolish

• Incorporation and prevention

• Developers’ purchases and promises

References• Doğan, Kuban. Istanbul An Urban History: Byzantion, Constantinopolis, Istanbul. Istanbul:the

Economic and Social History Foundation of Turkey, 1996• Keyder, Caglar. “Globalization and Social Exclusion in Istanbul”. International Journal of Urban

and Regional Research. 29.1 (2005). 124-134• Saraçgil, Ayşe. “The Gecekondu and Turkish Modernity”. Environmental Design: Journal of the

Islamic Environmental Design Research Centre . 1-2 (1997-98-98). 104-107• Özler, Ş. İlgü. “Politics of the Gecekondu in Turkey: The political choices of urban squatters in

national elections”. Turkish Studies. 1. 2 (2009). 39-58• Leitmann, Josef ;Baharoglu, Deniz. “Reaching Turkey’s Spontaneous Settlements: The

Institutional Development of Infrastructure Provision”. International Planning Studies. 4.2 (1999). 195-212

• Green, Rebekah A. “Constructing Safety:Unauthorized Housing and EarthquakeVulnerability in Istanbul,Turkey”. Megacities: Resilience and Social Vulnerability. United Nations University:Institute for Environment and Human Security (number 10). (2008)