Ozan Karaman
Laboratoire Techniques, Territoires et Sociétés (LATTS), LATTS, Faculty Member
- Ecole des Ponts ParisTech, LATTS (Laboratoire Techniques Territoires Sociétés), Department Memberadd
With this paper, we analyse an ordinary urban process, which has received little attention so far, and propose a new concept to take account of it: plotting urban-ism. It is usually subsumed under terms like "urban informality" or... more
With this paper, we analyse an ordinary urban process, which has received little attention so far, and propose a new concept to take account of it: plotting urban-ism. It is usually subsumed under terms like "urban informality" or "incremental urban-ism" and not studied as a distinct process. In comparing Lagos, Istanbul and Shenzhen we captured four defining features of plotting urbanism: first, it unfolds in a piecemeal fashion with limited comprehensive planning. Second, it emerges from specific territorial compromises often resulting from conflicts between overlapping modes of territorial regulation, land tenure and property rights. Third, plotting is based on commodification of housing and land, which might accentuate socioeconomic differentiations between property-owners, who often live in the same area, and their tenants. The term "plot-ting" highlights the key role of the plot in the process. It also alludes to strategic acts of collaboration for individual and collective benefit.
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Contemporary processes of urbanisation present major challenges for urban research and theory as urban areas expand and interweave. In this process, urban forms are constantly changing and new urban configurations are frequently evolving.... more
Contemporary processes of urbanisation present major challenges for urban research and theory as urban areas expand and interweave. In this process, urban forms are constantly changing and new urban configurations are frequently evolving. An adequate understanding of urbanisation
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In June 2013, Istanbul and many cities across Turkey became stages of massive demonstrations and occupations, which were sparked by a conflict over Gezi Park in central Istanbul. For many, the 'park issue' was simply the last straw, and... more
In June 2013, Istanbul and many cities across Turkey became stages of massive demonstrations and occupations, which were sparked by a conflict over Gezi Park in central Istanbul. For many, the 'park issue' was simply the last straw, and it led to unprec edented revolt, reflecting a huge number of grievances against the government for some, while for others it emphasized the impoverishing consequences of the Justice and Devel opment Party's (AKP's) urban policies. Instead of disentangling causes and effects, we think that a productive way of approaching the oppositional surge that erupted in Gezi Park is through the political work that space does in the context of the increasing prominence of speculationdriven and authoritarian interventions in urban spaces. Gezi, as an event, not only disrupted the routinized scripts of an increasingly autocratic government and defied the presumed consensus over realestate and infrastructureled economic growth policies, but also helped to articulate a series of political agendas across the urban–rural continuum that came before it. Even after the occupation, the Gezi spirit continued to politicize space through various delocalizations. By elaborating on a particular phrase popularized during Gezi, namely yaşam alanı (life space), the article discusses how the riot's political impact deepened and expanded not only through defending a space but also by creating new ones, both materially and conceptually.
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In this article I examine grassroots responses to state-directed urban renewal in two poor neighborhoods in Istanbul. Through detailed analysis of resident perspectives and urban association tactics, I explore various factors that shape... more
In this article I examine grassroots responses to state-directed urban renewal in two poor neighborhoods in Istanbul. Through detailed analysis of resident perspectives and urban association tactics, I explore various factors that shape the trajectories of
resistance to urban renewal, including solidarity networks, levels of participation and trust in local neighborhood associations, strength of neighborhood identity, extra-local support, and the traditions and channels of negotiation with state actors. I argue that these factors are articulated by a distinct “politics of compensation”—a term that I borrow from Ananya Roy—that is particular to the contemporary neoliberal condition. I find that grassroots mobilizations in Istanbul do not necessarily operate in opposition to neoliberalism; in fact, many struggles remain within the conceptual space of neoliberalism and its cost-benefit calculations. These findings contribute to the emerging literature on struggles against urban renewal in the global south.
Keywords: Istanbul; urban renewal; grassroots resistance; neoliberalism; displacement
resistance to urban renewal, including solidarity networks, levels of participation and trust in local neighborhood associations, strength of neighborhood identity, extra-local support, and the traditions and channels of negotiation with state actors. I argue that these factors are articulated by a distinct “politics of compensation”—a term that I borrow from Ananya Roy—that is particular to the contemporary neoliberal condition. I find that grassroots mobilizations in Istanbul do not necessarily operate in opposition to neoliberalism; in fact, many struggles remain within the conceptual space of neoliberalism and its cost-benefit calculations. These findings contribute to the emerging literature on struggles against urban renewal in the global south.
Keywords: Istanbul; urban renewal; grassroots resistance; neoliberalism; displacement
Research Interests: Social Movements, Law, Poverty, Global cities, Urban Planning, and 17 moreGentrification, Urban Studies, Resistance (Social), Housing, Urbanization, Urban Transformation, Gated Communities, Urban Renewal, Politic, Kentsel Dönüşüm, Istanbul, Politika, TOKI, Kanun, Kentleşme, Migration and Diaspora Studies, and Cultural and Spatial Representations of the Urban Poor
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This paper discusses the changing urban policy framework in Turkey through a detailed analysis of a unique coupling of neoliberalism and Islamism. In this, rather than political projects with clear ultimate ends, both neoliberalism and... more
This paper discusses the changing urban policy framework in Turkey through a detailed analysis of a unique coupling of neoliberalism and Islamism. In this, rather than political projects with clear ultimate ends, both neoliberalism and Islamism are approached as distinct political rationalities aiming to reconfigure all aspects of social life. Turkey’s Justice and Development Party has successfully established networks of economic and political interdependence (or has tapped into existing networks) by appeasing both the emergent Islamic capitalist class through lucrative contracts and business-friendly reforms, and the urban poor through gracious gestures ingrained in traditional Islamic community values and morality. The working of this co-articulation is examined in the case of an urban renewal project in a peripheral
neighbourhood in Istanbul.
neighbourhood in Istanbul.
Research Interests: Globalization, Human Rights, Poverty, Property Law, Global cities, and 22 moreGovernance, Law and Development, Gentrification, Urban Studies, Housing, Neoliberalism, Social Exclusion, World Bank, Urban Policy, Gated Communities, Power, Urban Renewal, Privatization, Informal Sector, Land Use, Istanbul, Squatters, Informality, Deregulation, Economic and Social Rights, Migration and Diaspora Studies, and Cultural and Spatial Representations of the Urban Poor
The article discusses Turkey's property-led residential redevelopment model. This entails the demolition of an existing settlement, replacing it with blocks of apartments (usually constructed on the exact same site and at a higher... more
The article discusses Turkey's property-led residential redevelopment model. This entails the demolition of an existing settlement, replacing it with blocks of apartments (usually constructed on the exact same site and at a higher density), some of which are then made available to displaced residents for purchase via mortgage loans with long maturities. While the authorities promote this model of urban renewal as an innovative public housing policy, I argue that, far from being an exception to market-rate housing, the model is in fact a market-disciplinary tool. It seeks to incorporate into the formal market not just spontaneously developed and only partially regulated spaces, but also the conduct of residents living in these informal neighborhoods. The article contributes to the immense literature on urban renewal and organized struggles around the right to housing by showing that urban renewal is not simply about dispossession and displacement. In the Turkish case, urban renewal does not necessarily seek to displace poor residents (even though it often ends up doing so), rather to incorporate them into a nascent mortgage origination market. The second half of the article introduces and elaborates on a case study in Istanbul.
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This paper is a critical engagement with immanentist approaches to cities. Geographers approaching the urban through an immanentist lens—primarily inspired by Gilles Deleuze’s work—have called into question transcendent determination,... more
This paper is a critical engagement with immanentist approaches to cities. Geographers approaching the urban through an immanentist lens—primarily inspired by Gilles Deleuze’s work—have called into question transcendent determination, namely the determination of material reality by an external and ontologically distinct substance. This has been an implicit assumption in approaches that reduce contemporary urban developments to “effects of globalization” or “impacts of neoliberalism”. I identify two major shortcomings within the recent immanentist critique: first, their rejection of the notion of a structure in toto, and second, their noticeable silence on Louis Althusser despite his unique contribution to the question of complex causality and his shared trajectories with and influence on Deleuze. By using illustrations from the ongoing urban renewal
program in Istanbul, I speculate on the ways in which an Althusserian notion of “immanent structure” could contribute to a better understanding of cities as multiplicities.
program in Istanbul, I speculate on the ways in which an Althusserian notion of “immanent structure” could contribute to a better understanding of cities as multiplicities.
Research Interests: Critical Theory, Marxism, Post-Marxism, Communism, Urban Studies, and 10 moreLouis Althusser, Materialism, Capitalism, Jacques Derrida, Althusser, Structural Marxism, Jacques Ranciere, Etienne Balibar, Urban Theory History, Urban Design, Urban Ecology, Urbanization in Developing Countries, Housing Issues, and Deleuzean Immanence
This essay questions the nature of intra-urban borders from a politico-ethical point of view. Namely: to what extent are intra-urban borders acceptable at a time of proliferating discourses about a borderless world, and open cities? We... more
This essay questions the nature of intra-urban borders from a politico-ethical point of view. Namely: to what extent are intra-urban borders acceptable at a time of proliferating discourses about a borderless world, and open cities? We discuss this through a case study of Sulukule – a historic neighborhood home to a millennium old Roma community located within the historic city center of Istanbul – in the context of the urban renewal project launched by the local municipality. The often cited ‘‘humanitarian’’ pretext for the renewal project is ‘‘incorporating’’ the Sulukule’s poor Roma community into the city and tearing
down the borders demarcating their ghetto. Eventually, this discourse of incorporation served to instigate a rapid episode of gentrification in the area. Offering a critical perspective on the municipality’s renewal project, and through a discussion of the often conflicting premises of the discourses of the ‘‘right to the
city’’ and the ‘‘group right to difference,’’ this essay argues that intra-urban borders are ‘‘undecided’’ separators and calls for policy tools that are responsive to the enabling aspects of bordering processes.
down the borders demarcating their ghetto. Eventually, this discourse of incorporation served to instigate a rapid episode of gentrification in the area. Offering a critical perspective on the municipality’s renewal project, and through a discussion of the often conflicting premises of the discourses of the ‘‘right to the
city’’ and the ‘‘group right to difference,’’ this essay argues that intra-urban borders are ‘‘undecided’’ separators and calls for policy tools that are responsive to the enabling aspects of bordering processes.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This paper provides critical reflections on the urban transformation campaign launched by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) as part and parcel of its ambitions to upgrade Istanbul to “world city” status. I focus on two main... more
This paper provides critical reflections on the urban transformation campaign launched by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) as part and parcel of its ambitions to upgrade Istanbul to “world city” status. I focus on two main aspects of “urban transformation” in Istanbul: prestige mega-projects and (re)development of informal housing areas, with particular
emphasis on the latter. I examine how poor residents’ livelihoods are put at stake in spite of the IMM’s claim that “urban transformation” is ultimately beneficial for all citizens. I conclude with the unique policy challenges that the local governments face in developing participatory models for urban renewal and regeneration in Istanbul. [Key words: urban transformation, urban
renewal, squatter redevelopment, gecekondus, Istanbul.]
emphasis on the latter. I examine how poor residents’ livelihoods are put at stake in spite of the IMM’s claim that “urban transformation” is ultimately beneficial for all citizens. I conclude with the unique policy challenges that the local governments face in developing participatory models for urban renewal and regeneration in Istanbul. [Key words: urban transformation, urban
renewal, squatter redevelopment, gecekondus, Istanbul.]
Research Interests:
This article introduces the concept of popular urbanization to describe a specific urbanization process based on collective initiatives, self-organization and the activities of inhabitants. We understand popular urbanization as an urban... more
This article introduces the concept of popular urbanization to describe a specific urbanization process based on collective initiatives, self-organization and the activities of inhabitants. We understand popular urbanization as an urban strategy through which an urban territory is produced, transformed and appropriated by the people. This concept results from a theoretically guided and empirically grounded comparison of Mexico City, Istanbul and Lagos. Based on postcolonial critiques of urban theory and on the epistemologies of planetary urbanization, we bring urbanization processes in these urban regions into conversation with each other through a multidimensional theoretical framework inspired by Henri Lefebvre focusing on material interaction, territorial regulation, and everyday experience. In this way, popular urbanization emerged as a distinct urbanization process, which we identified in all three contexts. While this process is often subsumed under the broader concept of ‘urban informality’, we suggest that it may be helpful to distinguish popular urbanization as primarily led by the people, while commodification and state agencies play minor roles. As popular urbanization unfolds in diverse ways dependent upon the wider urban context, specific political constellations and actions, it results in a variety of spatial outcomes and temporal trajectories. This is therefore a revisable and open concept. In proposing the concept of popular urbanization for further examination, we seek to contribute to the collective development of a decentered vocabulary of urbanization.
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Contemporary processes of urbanisation present major challenges for urban research and theory as urban areas expand and interweave. In this process, urban forms are constantly changing and new urban configurations are frequently evolving.... more
Contemporary processes of urbanisation present major challenges for urban research and theory as urban areas expand and interweave. In this process, urban forms are constantly changing and new urban configurations are frequently evolving. An adequate understanding of urbanisation must derive its empirical and theoretical inspirations from the multitude of urban experiences across the various divides that shape the contemporary world. New concepts and terms are urgently required that would help, both analytically and cartographically, to decipher the differentiated and rapidly mutating landscapes of urbanisation that are being produced today. One of the key procedures to address these challenges is the application of comparative strategies. Based on postcolonial critiques of urban theory and on the epistemologies of planetary urbanisation, this paper introduces and discusses the theoretical and methodological framework of a collaborative comparative study of urbanisation processes in eight large metropolitan territories across the world: Tokyo, Hong Kong/Shenzhen/Dongguan, Kolkata, Istanbul, Lagos, Paris, Mexico City and Los Angeles. In order to approach these large territories, a specific methodological design is applied mainly based on qualitative methods and a newly developed method of mapping. After the presentation of the main lines of our theoretical and methodological approach we discuss some of the new comparative concepts that we developed through this process: popular urbanisation, plotting urbanism, multilayered patchwork urbanisation and the incorporation of urban differences.