Spatial transformation and urban segregation: The case of Zeytinburnu, İstanbul

The global and neo-liberal policies that dominate modern society cause urban people to change socio-culturally and economically, and result in spatial transformations. The issue of urban segregation that is observed with spatial transformation differentiates the impact and dimension of these socio-cultural and economic changes. Economic factors and reorganization have significant impacts on the transformation and segregation of urban space. Reorganization affects generation-based relationships and the relevant population distributions, differentiating social classes and income distribution. Ever-changing economic policies transform urban spatial organization and intensify spatial appearance and social differentiation. Furthermore, the prioritization of a capitalist economy and a competitive labor market with the approach of a socialist state and changes in the policies of a welfare state, as well as unemployment and inadequate access to income and housing, have intensified poverty and segregation. The supra-national and national movements/migrations after the 1990s brought social groups with different ethnic roots together in the same urban space, resulting in a heterogeneous social structure. Some groups with different ethnic roots, described as social minorities, were separated from one another socially and physically. It is, therefore, safe to state that the processes of spatial transformation and segregation that happen on the urban scale are based on urban settlement patterns and social classes. This study reveals "how the spatial transformation finalized urban segregation". It questions "how the social classes transformed the space and the elements determining the selection of housing", "the ever-changing relationship of ownership and its connection with urban segregation", "perceptions, distances and attitudes of different urban social classes toward whatever or whoever is different" and "how different classes were affected in the urban transformation and regeneration process". Based on the subject and problem of the present study, the field study was conducted in Zeytinburnu, Istanbul, Turkey. This setting was considered suitable because it contains both settlement forms or housing areas and different social classes. Exploratory sequential mixed design was utilized in the study. Interviews were conducted with 55 people to collect qualitative data, and surveys were administered to 772 people to obtain quantitative data. Data analysis was performed by generating themes related to the research questions.