This study examines the dominant representations of gecekondu in the mainstream print media and the changes in these representations in a historical context from the end of 1940s, when gecekondu made its first remarkable appearance, to the late &amp / #8216 / 90s&amp / #8217 / . How gecekondu phenomenon, which, in its historical development, has become institutionalized as one of the basic housing supply forms in the cities &amp / #8211 / or &amp / #8216 / gecekondu question&amp / #8217 / as defined in the academic discourse and media &amp / #8211 / is represented and in which contexts it is handled and presented in the print media texts are examined by a textual analysis of the news and articles broadcasted in the mainstream newspapers. The changes in the dominant media representations of gecekondu are illustrated with a documentary approach. The urbanization experience of Turkey is evaluated in terms of the gecekonduzation in order to locate different representations of gecekondu and the turning points in the way of approach of the media to this phenomenon in their historical and social context.

In this thesis, the aim is to understand social exclusion of urban youth living in Altindag, one of the most disadvantaged districts of Ankara. In this study, social exclusion is accepted as a process of long term non-participation in the economic, civic, and social spheres which integrate the society in which an individual lives. Therefore, the definition of social exclusion centered on the notion of &lsquo / lack of integration&rsquo / is accepted as a background of the study. In this respect, social exclusion is accepted as an endpoint in a irreversible process of being placed in the margins of society. Furthermore, this thesis attempted to identify the dimensions and levels which can cause entry or exit from these processes and to understand how the multiple and cumulative disadvantage shapes experiences and feelings of young people in most disadvantaged conditions in order to be able to argue how closely do the experiences of the youth described in this study connect with popular and influential discussions of social exclusion. Also the consequences of social exclusion for young people living in Altindag are analysed. Hence, the social exclusion of youth living in Altindag is analyzed on the basis of three dimensions which are education, labour market, and social capital. Furthermore, in each dimension structural, local and individuals levels are also examined. Some major conclusions of the research are that there is not one single and uniform experience of social exclusion among young people / that a context of social exclusion does not generate just one way of getting by for young people / that exclusionary process can be experienced as a &ldquo / vicious circle&rdquo / or as a &ldquo / spiral of disadvantage&rdquo / that social exclusion has a multi-dimensional character / and that family and community support is important for not being excluded economically and socially, but it also can create to dimension of exclusion when such support systems are the only support mechanisms of the disadvantaged youth.

Globalization has created a theoretically supra-national, borderless world which encompasses a combination of urban economies and societies, displacing them from localities through mobilization of labor and capital based on strong telecommunicational network relations. The dimensions of global-local relationship is defined in diversification at each level of globalization, creating heterogeneous,global-local relations expressed through the new concept of governance which involves concepts of rule of law, transperancy, responsiveness, equity,effectiveness and efficiency, accountability, strategic vision. The concepts of urban legibility and imageability are based on these new concepts for creation of sustainable and livable places by reorganization and renewal of urban physical structure. Urban renewal, which aims to change urban environment according to planning in order to conform with present and future requirements for urban living and working is a political process in essence, the physical urban structure that rises on a renewal site is the result of political decisions about allocation of resources. Urban renewal is not only re-building of physical urban tissue but involves change in used of land and buildings through re-planning, comprehensive re-development of land,preservation, conservation, rehabilitation, sustainable development, liveability and gentrification.This thesis aims at exploring the laws of urban renewal and clarification and recognition of dynamics of it which will be integrated with the spatial and social evolution of a typical gecekondu district subject to transformation. Following the review of theory of urban renewal, its current implementations and approaches, unauthorized housing in Turkey and relevant legal aspects and renewal implementations are discussed along with examples from other countries. The study then concentrates on a specific implementation in a gecekondu area renewed in a legal framework through Improvement and Development Plans, keeping in mind comparisons with renewal though special transformation projects. The study shows that renewal through Improvement and Development Plans in Cevizlidere, did not approach the renewal process through a feasible transformation policy, integrating it with the city plans and left implementation to developers motivated by maximization of personal rent gain. The aim of legalization of squatter houses was realized but renewal failed to reach the target groups urging most of them to relocate elsewhere in the city, replaced them by a very different socio-economic group in the area, creating an unwholesome, unaesthetic physical tissue with a congested building stock and physical environment in Balgat in general and Cevizlidere in particular.

With the emergence of urban transformation concept in 1980s, the concept of eligibility has also started to be discussed as a new term in Turkey. However, the absence of a sustainable urban transformation law which defines the criteria of eligibility of stakeholders has undoubtedly brought about violations and disagreements between stakeholders. Especially the uncertified gecekondu possessors who are not determined as eligible stakeholders have been subjected to forced and arbitrary evictions. This study aims to clarify the problem of eligibility of uncertified gecekondu possessors in urban transformation and attempts to determine the criteria for the eligibility of this particular group. It argues that since the claims of uncertified gecekondu possessors like right to adequate housing, labor and possession have moral characters which do not depend upon legal acts, they can not be criteria of eligibility. The legal property ownership must be the criteria of eligibility in urban transformation practices in the law. On the other hand, this study urges that no matter living in a legal or illegal housing, the vulnerable families who lack of basic economic security and living in the project area must be determined as eligible stakeholders. In the first part of this master study, the problem of eligibility was discussed from theoretical perspective. In the second part, this problem was discussed in the case of Dikmen Valley 4th and 5th phases Urban Transformation Project. The knowledge obtained from the case can be useful for the local governments to develop sustainable policies on this particular problem.

The purpose of this study is to assess Turkish squatters, namely &lsquo / gecekondu&rsquo / over the image in cinema in terms of a visual urban archive. In order to analyze this representation in cinema as an urban image, both the cinematic production and urban theoretical approaches about migration and gecekonduzation process are discussed in order to find out the parallelism between the stories of gecekondu in these two fields, and to crosscheck the cinematic image of gecekondu. Therefore, the study is held in accordance with the epochs due to the break points of the history of the phenomenon. The movies are analyzed through a critical discourse analysis after the depiction of each epoch. Finally, the picture of the phenomenon is compared with the actuality of the epochs, academic framework and the cinematic image with the purpose of revealing the cinematic memory about it.

The gecekondu settlements emerged as a grassroots solution to the housing problem of migrant population in the lack of effective state intervention. Although most of these settlements gained legal status and title deeds in the following decades, they were still considered to be problem to be solved in due process. Starting from the mid-1980s, as a result of the so-called rehabilitation plans, considerable part of the gecekondu areas underwent a rapid redevelopment process through the market mechanism. The gecekondu owners gave their land to individual small scale developers in return for some portion of flats built in the land plot. However in the 2000s this strategy has changed with the introduction of state-led urban transformation projects. Transformation processes have started to consider the large gecekondu areas rather than the individual land plots as the unit of redevelopment. This brought the market model to a halt as well. It is not any more possible for the gecekondu owners to negotiate with the developers. Instead they have to deal with municipalities. Likewise the share of the gecekondu owners from the emerging rent declined dramatically as well. Such a model meets considerable resistance from the gecekondu owners. They see this process highly unfair and many of them decline to sign the agreement documents with municipal authorities. However there are also segments of gecekondu owners who accept the offer of the public authorities. The main aim of this thesis is to analyse the urban transformation projects with regard to the attitudes of the gecekondu dwellers. The question intended to be answered by the thesis is as to why some of the owner accept the offers while the others decline. While doing this, thesis also raise some further issues beyond the distribution of emerging rents such as the destruction of local communities and their life styles.

The urban transformation shows its effects world wide, and changes spatial and social conditions of cities, but Turkey faces the worst outcomes of this planning system. In every city, urban transformation projects mainly improve the life conditions of upper classes , albeit we can notice some practices focusing on low classes, as well.However in Turkey, the urban transformation projects not only lacks any democratic, participative or social, goals; but also tries to gain the most possible profit for the private sector. As a result, , we see urban social movements protesting this uninclusive planning system in Turkey, especially in Istanbul.Since urban transformation projects in Turkey mainly focus on the areas that experience the property or neighborhood issues, the ghetto affected the moost by these projects. Taken into account that ghetto inhabitants are experienced with urban social protests life-long; the most powerful disapproval against the urban transformation projects are observed in these kinds of neighborhoods.Ghetto inhabitants describe urban transformation projects as “non participative”, “non focused on inhabitants” and they oppose against them in two different ways, informal or juridical. These movements become more and more visible in urban Istanbul.In this context, the aim of this study is to analyze the urban social movements in Istanbul raised against the urban transformation. Although the opposing groups are composed of many nongovernmental organizations, university students, academics, international organizations, I rather focus on residents who are influenced directly by these projects and concentrate on organized societal movements of the city inhabitants. Briefly, the ghetto inhabitants are the research object of this dissertation.During my study, I addressed some questions such as “Who are against the urban transformation?, Why are they against it?, What are the aims of opponents?, How can they oppose? , What do they do to institutionalize their opposition in neighborhoods?” and exposed the features of anti – urban transformation behaviors in slums in İstanbul. While answering these questions, I posed some hypotheses and try to prove them:-The slum residents opposing urban transformation have been trying to protect their lifestyle. - The residents cannot be called as conservatives, since they are open to new ideas and to work with other groups.-They tend to form neighborhood associations and become organized under one roof.So in slums, there have been seen a common attitude, which can be described as not constant, not having a particular leader, dominant ideology, or coordination . This study aims to analyze this new behavior, which is against urban decisions.But as Castells says: “While researching the movements against the urban planning systems, considering them only as some consumer reactions is not enough. We also have to analyze the relation between social contradictions and their movements’ aim.” So, we can say that in this dissertation, movements against urban planning system will be investigated by correlating their social conditions and aims. Urban social movement will be examined through Istanbul. Choosing Istanbul has some several important reasons. First of all, Istanbul is a strategic hub, which has been among major global cities, and bears the characteristics of global cities. Locally and internationally it should be described as a sign post for capital hosts, attracting the attention of fund groups.Istanbul is the city, where migrants try to survive or habitants who were pushed out of capitalist system because of their ethnic origin, religion or sect. They can only riddance by their social network or standing together.İstanbul stands out with these characteristiscs, which make the community more ‘free’ but on the other hand, ‘conflicted. The fact that Istanbul possesses both the government constraint and the counterview makes it one of the most convenient cities for the study. The general info, which was obtained from all of the ghettos in İstanbul, ends with concurrentdetailed research in Kazımkarabekir district in Sarıyer .The reasons to choose Kazımkarabekir can be listed as follows:-The district, which is composed of many ethnic groups, has their own associations-The relationships in the neighbourhood are very strong.-Socialist groups are replaced with ideological groups -District is located on the sea side of Sarıyer, which is one of the attractions of high-income group.-Although there have not seen any ongoing urban plans around the quarters of Kazımkarabekir , experiences gained from other ghettos made , the district community alert and already rised an opposition against urban transformation.This dissertation comprised of three mains chapters. Our first chapter includes an historical context about Turkish planning systems, second is about the urban social movement especially against the planning decisions and the final chapter produces our research results about Kazımkarabekir neighborhood making a synthesis with the previous two chapters. In the first chapter, primarily emphasize on Turkey urbanization, describing it informal and analyzing in 4 periods. First period of urbanization, is a result of the formation of nation-state; and this is an important part of modernization of Turkey. Second period begins after the Second World War, and indicates the beginning of the neo-liberalization of the state. Third is the fastest urbanization period of Turkey, in this period we appear a huge increase on urban rents. In that the final period of the urbanization beginning in the late 90’. This period changes all the urban areas and social structures. Regeneration and transformation projects cause the gentrification.The second chapter of study focuses on the sharp shift of informal urbanization process to a capital based urban regeneration. Our new urbanization practice, which is not unique or integral, is now embodied by the value of change. That new urbanization practice had a great reaction of the inhabitants, occasionally demonstrated by serious protests, trials and petitions as well. Even there are several arguments rising from disagreed groups, they present a distinctive overlapping on inequity, the lack of public participation and injustice debates. In respect to this, first of all, the second section theoretically argued the social and urban movement. This debate aimed to reveal how class struggles of a society are turned into urban public movements. Afterwards, similar protests against public interferences of different societies from all over the world are examined by aiming to find the common characteristics of the acts. Lastly, determinations about ghetto neighborhoods’ historical experiments of urban actions and current appearance of Istanbul are taken into consideration. The section includes a table of the group of actors against urban regeneration that followed by the comments about the ghetto neighborhoods’ actions. In addition to the various of arguments about urban regeneration, there are various of contrary acts. It should be admitted that the struggle of ghetto neighborhoods are intended on the right of conserving the housing and the way of life.In this regard, commitment to the neighborhood, having good affairs with the neighbors, countrymen networks and promises of the urban municipality are the important factors that affect the power of the resistance. The character of the campaign can be determined by the other effective factors, such as ethnical and religious balance, political view and the activities of the dominant political groups within the neighborhood. The third chapter that consists of three sections focuses on the field study of the Kazimkarabekir neighborhood. In the first section, the physical and social characteristics are detailed. Especially, investments in the neighborhood within the last 10 years targeting high income leveled residents and the factory shut downs are listed. On the other hand, planning process is checked and the neighborhood relevant plans are examined.In the second section, resistance movement and its historical basis are examined; social solidarity networks and demand based movements are presented. Thus, the way of the inhabitants ‘neighborhood’ perceptions, such as political view, ethnical identity or generation difference, are defined. In the last section, inner dynamics and public relations of the neighborhood union are examined. The opinion of the local habitants about the union and the institutionalization of the movement are stated.Nonetheless, according to different perceptions of neighborhoods, political views or ethnical relations and generation contrasts, manners of claiming neighborhood has marked. At the last chapter, internal and external relationships of neighborhood association is studied, as well as the thoughts of the neighborhood inhabitants about the association and the institutionalization of the formation has been emphasized. In conclusion, it would not be wrong to say the activity in slum areas is related with the previous slum movements or maybe continuation of them. However the new- slum movement is being shaped, in a way that inhabitants utter their demands freely, concerning about environmental, cultural issues or other neighborhoods. It is difficult to say a movement which contains plenty of different communities has a strong organization structure. Still, one of the features of the slum movement is, in an urgent case, whichever political view people support or whatever ethnical identity they belong, people take part in that movement.

The aim of this study is to contribute to the urban social movement literature of Turkey which is lacking particularly for &ldquo / gecekondu resistance&rdquo / and to reveal and study the gecekondu resistance as a grassroots movement against the demolition of gecekondus, in the name of urban renewal projects in Istanbul, especially since 2004. It also investigates the &ldquo / urban social movement&rdquo / concept whose meaning is under discussion in the literature due to its usage in different aspects of resistance in the urban area. The literature review focuses mainly on the production of space, focusing particularly on urban renewal, urban resistance and social movements especially reflecting on the theoretical perspectives of prominent scholars like Lefebvre and Castells. The research focuses on neighborhood resistance in gecekondu areas / however in an attempt to make a categorization of ways of urban resistance in Istanbul. This thesis is based upon the field study pursued in the period between January and October 2006, in G&uuml / zeltepe neighborhood, in Ey&uuml / p, being a remarkable example of resistance for various reasons which will be elaborated in the thesis. G&uuml / zeltepe which is a part of the urban renewal project in Istanbul is investigated with participant observation and in-depth interviews comprising people both participating directly in the resistance and &ldquo / ordinary&rdquo / dwellers, who do not have political affiliations. The study is supported by a systematic analysis of representations of gecekondu resistance and its demolition in the Turkish press, from July 2005 until August 2006.

The aim of the master thesis is to understand how neighborhood, family and school influence on the educational attainment of young people. Within the scope of this work, I conducted thirty two in-depth interviews with youth living in the G&uuml / zelyaka gecekondu (squatter) neighborhood in Ankara. Gecekondu neighborhoods are residential areas where rural migrants might initially or permanently move when they come to the city in order to improve their life standards. However, many of them have to survive here against conditions such as poverty and the insufficiency of social services during the early years of their migration. Nevertheless, families can develop survival strategies based on self-help networks like kinship and hemSehri (people with same geographic origins) connections. Throughout this master thesis, I discuss how young people&rsquo / s interactions within the disadvantaged neighborhoods, school climate around the neighborhood, family background, conditions at home and parental involvement influence the educational attainment of youth The research revealed that despite the specific conditions of gecekondu neighborhoods and heterogeneity amongst working class families, there is little variation in educational attainment of the youth. The main reason for this low level of educational attainment is the poverty they experienced or are still experiencing at home. While such poverty may compel them to take up positions in the labor market participation early in life, the influence of peer groups also discourages school attendance, as the environment is one in which schools provide neither a good quality education, nor a competitive educational environment. Furthermore, poverty, the disadvantaged nature of the neighborhood and the strength of the family network among the residents all serve to reproduce the inferior value of iv education in their life. On the other hand, family practices regarding education vary with the transformation towards a nuclear family life, improvement in household income and with increasing length of stay. Early migrant families who have better life standards are more likely to encourage their children to stay in school in order to find regular income jobs than are newcomer families who need a supplement to the family budget since they are exposed to the worst conditions in the neighborhood. The younger parents among early migrant families are more involved in their children&rsquo / s schooling, and provide personal space for their children, enabling them to adequately complete school work.

FRAME ALIGNMENT STRATEGIES IN THE RIGHT TO SHELTERING MOVEMENT: THE CASE OF DIKMEN VALLEY, ANKARA Aykan, Beg&uuml / m M.S., Department of Sociology Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Helga Rittersberger Tili&ccedil / July 2011, 146 pages By the increasing hegemony of neoliberalism following the 1980s, urban transformation projects are becoming increasingly widespread. The present market oriented and rent seeking formulations of the urban transformation projects, leave the gecekondu dwellers who live in the areas to be transformed, outside the redistribution process of the produced rent and lead to the eviction of lower-income gecekondu population from the city to the periphery. Dislocations of this sort as they impose additional burdens to the already disadvantageous populations enhance the urban unevenness. Nevertheless there is an expanding gecekondu resistance against those projects. And Dikmen Valley Right to Sheltering Movement (DVRtSM) is a successful social movement that has been emerged by the organization of this gecekondu resistance which has developed against the implementation of the 4th and 5th Phases of Dikmen Valley Urban Transformation Project. DVRtSM has a strong influence over similar cases of grievances sourced by the neoliberal urbanization: as to this it can be regarded as a model of Right to Sheltering Movements. v The thesis aims to make an analysis of the strategic framing processes of the organization of the DVRtSM, by exploration of the frame alignment strategies which are regarded as decisive factors of movement