Urban space and urban women from an ecofeminist perspective: Urban women living in Istanbul

Worldwide, the urban population has increased from 751 million in 1950 to 4.2 billion in 2018. The gradual increase in population in modern cities brings with it some problems. The most important of these is the disruption of the ecological balance and the fact that urban life reinforces inequalities based on social identity such as class, gender, ethnicity or reproduces them in different ways. Among these inequalities, gender inequality and the degradation of the ecological balance appear as important and related issues in terms of urban life. In fact, the source of these two problems, which seem to be separate from each other, is basically explained as the patriarchal capitalist system (Shiva & Mies, 2018). Therefore, investigating the causes of gender inequality and ecological crises in urban life together strengthens the solutions by establishing interdisciplinary connections. The ecofeminist approach offers a framework that encompasses both feminist and ecological approaches by addressing the exploitation and oppression of nature and women in an interrelated manner. The aim of this thesis is to understand urban life and women's experiences in urban life within the framework of this ecofeminist approach in the context of green spaces and their relationship with agricultural areas, based on interview data on the example of urban women living in Istanbul. As a result of the results of the research, it has been revealed that there are insufficient green spaces and agricultural areas in Istanbul, and although women demand an increase in such areas, they also hesitate to use these areas on a temporal and regional basis within the city due to possible security gaps. In addition, it has been determined that the use of green areas is proportionally higher than the use of agricultural areas. The use of agricultural areas was considered in the context of purchasing products from agricultural areas and thus the relationship established with these areas, beyond visiting and experiencing these areas, but it was concluded that the participant's knowledge about the existence of these areas was also incomplete. As a result of the research results, it has been observed that the presence of women, green and agricultural areas in the city is restricted in various ways and in some cases prevented. Due to the limited participation of women in decision-making mechanisms, there are problems in voicing needs and demands. For this reason, not only the practices should be regulated, but also the representation structure of decision-making mechanisms should be transformed within this framework. The main purpose of the study is to reveal these situations of restriction and obstruction and to produce solutions to these problems, thus enabling the city to appeal to a wider audience and at the same time to offer suggestions that will make the city sustainable not only for the present but also for the future.