City, Capital, and Gentrification: Case Studies of Istanbul and Ankara in the Context of David Harvey’s Spatial Theory
Keywords:
David Harvey, Sermaye Birikimi, Kent Kuramı, Mekân Üretimi, Marxizm, Kentsel Dönüşüm, Jel SınıflandırmasıAbstract
This study analyzes the relationship between capital accumulation and gentrification through the framework of David Harvey’s spatial theory, focusing on urban transformation cases in Istanbul and Ankara. According to Harvey's analysis of capitalist urbanization, space is an active instrument that is reproduced to overcome crises of capital accumulation. In this context, the commodification of urban space is examined through Harvey’s concepts such as the "secondary circuit of capital," the "spatio-temporal fix," and the "accumulation-destruction-reaccumulation" cycle. Using a comparative case analysis method, the gentrification practices in Tarlabaşı and Sulukule in Istanbul, and Hacı Bayram and Dikmen Valley in Ankara, are addressed as concrete reflections of neoliberal urban policies. The study reveals that projects in these areas, carried out in collaboration between the state (e.g., TOKİ, municipalities) and the private sector under the discourse of "urban renewal," displace existing low-income residents and redistribute urban rent. This process leads to the transfer of property, the deepening of class and spatial segregation, and the dismantling of the social fabric. In conclusion, while demonstrating with the Istanbul and Ankara examples that urban space is both an instrument and a product of capital accumulation, the study also provides a holistic evaluation by discussing Harvey's theory in light of Lefebvre's critiques.
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