Lonca neighborhood: Socio-spatial change and everyday life

This study focuses on Lonca Neighbourhood, one of the oldest Roman neighbourhoods in Istanbul. The Lonca Neighbourhood, once a settlement where various ethnic groups coexisted, preserving traditional businesses, occupational groups, and historical architectural forms, is currently undergoing significant transformations. New dynamics such as stigmatization, gentrification, urban transformation, and displacement are prompting changes in the neighbourhood's character and exposing it to the risk of drifting away from its core values. This research aims to illuminate both the historical and current aspects of the neighbourhood by examining the socio-spatial changes that have taken place in the Lonca Neighbourhood over time. Through the utilization of historical data and ethnographic observations, an examination is carried out on the neighbourhood's demographic structure, settlement arrangement, construction process, and social relations. Furthermore, a detailed investigation is being conducted into how socio-spatial changes and tourist developments in the neighbourhood manifest in daily life. The research also addresses issues such as the reasons why the Lonca Neighbourhood lags behind compared to the surrounding neighbourhoods, the processes of stigmatization of residents through the 'Roman' identity, the effects of ethnic interactions and spatial compression on the continuity of the culture, as well as gentrification and displacement. The rhythmic elements of daily life, the rituals from the past to the present, and the expressions of the interacting actors contribute to understanding the socio-spatial change and social relations of the Lonca Neighbourhood from a broader perspective. The study comprises four main sections. The first part of the study is where the introduction and fundamental information are presented. In the second section, the discussion focuses on the groups residing in the neighbourhood at different time periods. Among these groups, the following processes can be discerned: the settling of Romans within the neighbourhood, the transition of Lonca Mahallesi into a workers' quarter (1930-1950), the departure of Jews and Greeks from the area, the rise in unemployment and the emergence of ghettos resulting from the relocation of factories to the Golden Horn, and the intensifying urban transformation and gentrification processes since the 2000s. In the third section of the study, an exploration of socio-spatial change and mobility within the Guild is undertaken. The fourth chapter centres on everyday interactions, rituals, and routines within the neighbourhood. The study employed a "mixed" method, which combines qualitative and quantitative data. Over a span of more than four years, data and materials were acquired through a holistic approach that combined various techniques, including ethnographic participation, the examination of hundreds of archival documents, and conducting 36 in-depth interviews, and surveys in 251 households. These methods were employed synergistically to reinforce one another.