Gated Communities in the Socio-spatial Segregation Process: The Istanbul Case

Gated communities are a forerunner in the new form of urbanization emerging in Istanbul. Among the main factors affecting this urbanization process are the new elites, new lifestyles and the demand for physically-secured housing settlements. Triggered by these factors, gated communities have become the impulsive force of social and spatial segregation. This segregation and its dimensions, which compose the research question of this paper, are analyzed and discussed herein with the help of spatial mapping and interviews. First, the locations of the existing private housing projects in Istanbul are mapped and the location criteria for these projects are determined. Second, some factors affecting the segregation, i.e. the residents’ reasons for preferring to live in a gated community, their usage habits of the facilities within the community and their daily commute to the city, are evaluated via interviews. Finally, the main findings are discussed.