An examination of settlement practices in the urban space of social classes: The case of esenler

This study deals with the spatial and class transformation process of Esenler district in the second metropolitan spatial of Istanbul. The basis of this process is the decentralization of industry, urban services and housing projects. The disintegration of the rural structure and the agglomeration created by the population flowing to the cities affect the settlement practices of the population in the space. The land ownership structure on the territory of the city is one of the most important factors of the settlement. In this study, focusing on the analysis of this process, the settlement practices created by social classes in space will be revealed. In this study, the metropolitan development process of Istanbul will be examined as three historical phases. Starting from the end of the 19th century, the two stages of fracture were considered in the late 1940s and late 1970s. With these phases, urban sprawl process of Istanbul and the formation of the first and second metropolitan periphery will be explained. Esenler, a district located on the second metropolitan periphery, has been one of the districts most affected by the spatial transformation of Istanbul. The socio-spatial transformation of the district has been examined within the historical stages. In these phases, the social class transformation experienced by the district is divided into pre-neoliberal and post-neoliberal phases. The district is a pre-neo-liberal phase of working-class housing, migrating from rural to urban areas and working in factories near the district. After the neo-liberal phase, it became a rapidly changing place with the decentralization of urban services and industrial areas. Nowadays, 8.7 million square meters of military land is allocated to the municipality. Historical Esenler Project is planned on military land. With these and other housing projects, Esenler has started to be a residential area that offers middle class housing types. This proves that urban policies cause class transformation in space.