Spatial inequality and development of railways in Turkey

The aim of this thesis is to reconsider the concept of uneven development with spatial approach, uncover the relationship between uneven development process and geography that is ignored by theories explaining uneven development and analyze the uneven development process in Turkey with the help of railway transportation which is the infrastructure of the geographical movement of the capital. In accordance with this purpose, in the first chapter of the thesis, the relation between space and social theory is evaluated. In addition to this, definition of spatial approach is provided. Main focus of the second chapter is on the concept of uneven development. In this chapter, uneven development theories neglecting the geographical/spatial differences is discussed and criticized. In the third chapter of the thesis, arguments about uneven development that are presented in Turkey are explained. In the final chapter of the thesis, uneven development process in Turkey is evaluated with spatial approach by focusing on geographical/spatial differences.