Loretta Lees 'Cities Of The World' By Stanley Brunn

Gentrification and Urbanization in Istanbul

The process of gentrification is defined as the process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces poorer residents. Both ‘Cities of the World’ by Stanley Brunn and ‘Global Gentrifications’ by Loretta Lees highlight case studies on the gentrification, expansion, and development that has taken place in Istanbul, Turkey since the early 1980’s. Global Gentrifications focuses more on the breakdown and renewal of poor neighborhoods, while Cities of the World focuses on the ecological sustainability of the city and how it is impacted by environmental degradation.

Global Gentrifications by Lees focuses on two main

In the 1990’s, both Suluke and Tarlabasi were considered low income neighborhoods filled with displaced people. While neighborhoods adjacent to Tarlabasi were all gentrifying, Tarlabasi became a frowned upon area that was home to stigmatized groups such as sex workers and other low income workers. Suluke was once a residential inner city neighborhood that was the hub of entertainment houses and nightlife. After these entertainment houses closed down, the economy plummeted and the upkeep of the houses fell short. Similar to Tarlabasi, Suluke became highly stigmatized and looked down upon by the middle and upper classes. In 2005, both Tarlabasi and Suluke were designated as renewal areas with renewal project laws being enforced. Occupants of the renewal area were either forced to give their property rights to the government, or be a part of the project. The occupants were not given the opportunity to stay put, so most of them ended up being displaced by wealthier citizens. This caused a great amount of contestations against the renewal projects. However, since the projects had already caused many citizens to lose their homes, jobs, and

Water security has a huge impact on urbanization, and is extremely necessary for growing populations, agricultural demand, and climate change. Most cities do not use their water sources efficiently, which results in a fiscally unsustainable water supply. Desalination is also a costly investment, especially if the infrastructure isn't efficient. The low income residents in cities like Istanbul lack access to sufficient water sources. In a evolving city such as Istanbul, environmental degradation and urbanization have a cyclical relationship: when urbanization occurs it causes environmental degradation such as pollution and noise level, and when environmental degradation occurs it threatens urbanization. The poorest residents usually live in the most polluted areas of the city, despite causing the least amount of pollution, which is a huge injustice. Urbanization causes more waste such as air pollutants from cars, and more waste thrown into water and dumps. Another area of urbanization that impacts residents is housing. Informal housing is a large trend in Istanbul, and conditions in these areas are usually very poor. Higher income residents started moving away from the densely populated areas such as the center of the city, and opted for more expensive living in gated communities. Despite these urban issues, cities in the Middle East are