Everyday Fear and Tension in Declining Informal Settlements of Turkish Cities: An Outcome of Refugee-Inflow or Neoliberal (Urban) Policies?

The increasing social isolation, dramatic decline in relations of trust and solidarity, emerging feelings of everyday fear/anxiety and inter-group conflicts among urban poor are indicators mostly identified with the inflow of Syrian refugees in declining neighborhoods of Turkish cities since 2012. By means of a qualitative analysis of inter-group relations in a multi-ethnic informal (gecekondu) inner-city low-income neighborhood in İzmir, this article aims to question this identification by putting the ‘refugee problem’ in the context of the neoliberal (urban) policies that have been practiced in the last two to three decades in Turkey. The deterioration of social relations in informal poor settlements of large cities in Turkey is rather a function of the multifaceted impacts of neoliberal (urban) policies that have been practiced in Turkey particularly during the last two to three decades, which precedes the influx of refugees. Consequently, it is intended to build a general typology of the impacts of these macro policies on socio-spatial dynamics at the local scale. Taking the growing anxiety and discomfort among migrant groups within urban spaces in Turkey into account, the study explicitly aims at providing indicators for a novel research and furthermore political action steps that consider inter-group relations and social cohesion at the local level.

Dar Gelirli Konut Alanlarında Artan Gündelik Korku ve Gerilimler: Sebep Suriyeli Göçmenlerin Varlığı mı, Yoksa Neoliberal Kentsel Politikaların Etkileri mi?

Son yıllarda düşük gelir enformel konut alanlarında artan toplumsal izolasyon, güven ve dayanışma ilişkilerindeki dramatik bozulma, mahalle sakinlerinin artan gündelik korkuları, kaygıları ve gruplar arası gerilim, genellikle son yedi, sekiz yılda yapısal olarak bozulma sürecindeki bu mahallelere Suriyeli göçmenlerin yerleşmesiyle ilişkilendirilir. Bu çalışma, İzmir Agora/Basmane bölgesinde yer alan buna benzer çok-etnili bir mahallede yapılan niteliksel araştırmanın verilerine dayanır. Sosyo-mekansal bir perspektiften, gruplar-arası ilişkiler, mahallenin yapısal sorunları ve kaygı/güvenlik olgularını inceleyen bu araştırma, ‘mülteci sorunu’ olarak nitelendirilen problematiğin daha genel neoliberal kentsel politikaların bağlamı içinde değerlendirilmesi gerekliliğini ortaya koyar. Suriyeli göçmenlerin son yıllardaki varlığı ile birlikte düşünülen yerel toplumsal sorunlar, aslında neoliberal kentsel politikaların buna benzer ihmal edilmiş/bozulma sürecindeki enformel düşük gelir konut alanlarında yarattığı kümülatif etkinin bir sonucu gibi gözükmektedir. Genellikle, kente ya da mahalleye göçün zamanına, sosyo-ekonomik farklılıklara ve zaman içinde oluşan güven ilişkilerinin var olup olmamasına dayanan gruplar arası ‘tanıdık’ ve ‘yabancı’ algıları, işte bu bağlam içinde gündelik kaygı ve korkulara yol açabilmektedir. Bu çalışma, makro politikaların yerelde yarattığı etkileri anlayarak, toplumsal birliktelikve dayanışmayı güçlendirecek ve artan ‘yabancı’ algısını tersine çevirmeye yönelik olarak yapılacak proje ve siyasalara veri sağlamayı amaçlar. Oluşturulacak siyasalar, bu mahallelerin fiziksel yapısal sorunlarını toplumsal sorunları ile birlikte ele aldığında, gerçekçi ve başarılı sonuçlara ulaşmak mümkün olacaktır.

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ISSN: 2667-5617
Yayın Aralığı: Yılda 6 Sayı
Başlangıç: 2006
Yayıncı: ASOS Eğitim Bilişim Danışmanlık Otomasyon Yayıncılık Reklam Sanayi ve Ticaret LTD ŞTİ