#inequality – Urban Issues

How Utopia Became a Real Estate Leaflet?

December 17, 2017October 17, 2020Posted in ENG, Thinking Out LoudTagged #branded housing, #capitalism, #cities, #city, #commodification, #discourse, #housing, #inequality, #media, #neoliberal urban space, #right to the city, #urban development, #urban spaceLeave a comment

When it comes to gated communities, recurrences of similar everyday life images and spatial representations in mass media form a discourse of the future everyday life. It depicts an ideal living environment that aligns neoliberalization with an idealization of private urban services, commodified forms of housing production, enclave living and exclusiveness, as well as the glorification of consumerism. This aligns with neoliberalism’s “pervasive effects on ways of thought to the point where it has become incorporated into the common-sense way many of us interpret, live in, and understand the world” since the 1970s (Harvey, 2007, p. 3).

Understanding the role of this discourse in the imagining and producing of future everyday life in cities is critical for the production of urban space in the future and for the role of utopian thinking. In this respect, a critical investigation of the representation of future everyday life in housing developments would provide some insight on these issues. This particular case study focuses on mass media representations of the branded housing projects developed in Istanbul, which provide some clues.

To read the full short article on Public Seminar, click here.

Another Embodiment of Housing Crisis: Co-living Spaces

November 15, 2017Posted in Urban IssuesTagged #architecture, #branded housing, #capitalism, #cities, #city, #commodification, #housing, #inequality, #London, #neoliberal urban space, #New York, #urban development, Commodity, everyday life, home, ProjectsLeave a comment

Helen Lock wrote for CityMetric on recent trend of co-living and its discontents.

Co-living buildings provide small apartments or rooms as well as communal spaces such as a library, restaurant, or co-working space. Freelancers or entrepreneurs can get work done, then sign off and mingle with people doing the same thing in the evening.

But my knowledge of housing is what I’ve learnt from my own expensive, mould-laden, experiences of renting, and I was initially quite taken with the idea. I am, after all, a target demographic for the model: freelance, young, jaded by private renting and unlikely to ever own my home.

Instead of worrying about those concerns, I could embrace being, “mobile” and “experience-led” along with lots of other people in the same situation that is, if I were to put all my trust in the developers I’ve spoken to. “People don’t care about ownership, nowadays,” I’ve been told several times by people, who, by nature of their very profession, own a lot of property. (CityMetric)

The article points out important issues regarding this trens such as its connections with precarious work and housing problems young, urban, professionals are facing.

While there are some positives in the model, such as the social aspect, it’s hard to shake the feeling that these options represent a sticking plaster fix to two converging problems: precarious work and not enough decent, spacious, affordable places to live.

Co-living spaces also benefit, in my opinion, from the current trend of seeing anything associated with words like “start-up” and “tech” as inherently exciting and good – and therefore not requiring much scrutiny. Housing experts say that building standards in such spaces are often lower than normal. (CityMetric)

It shows a different version of commodification of urban space by packaging various everyday experiences in these establishments as well as providing very limited living spaces with higher costs.

The article provides some insights about these issues, see the article for details here.

Documentary: Paris MegaCities ShortDocs Citizen Film Festival

July 27, 2017March 16, 2018Posted in Urban IssuesTagged #architecture, #art, #branded housing, #building boom, #capitalism, #cities, #city, #commodification, #condo, #daily life, #documentary, #housing, #inequality, #neoliberal urban space, #Paris, #segregation, #urban development, #urban space, megacitiesLeave a comment

Short Documentaries filmed by Citizens to Show Existing Solutions and Inspire New Initiatives?

Megacities of the world present lots of opportunities, but are also full of challenges.

So we need your help to bring to light, through the lense of your documentary, local inspiring solutions that have been implemented by a person or a community, near your home that have met those challenges head on. Through your story you could potentially change the lives of a friend, a neighbor, a family in another Megacity.

Your short documentary will change the world. (megacities-shortdocs.org)

Commodifying Urban Space: The Clash of Promises and Everyday Life

May 26, 2017Posted in TalksTagged #architecture, #branded housing, #building boom, #capitalism, #cities, #city, #commodification, #condo, #daily life, #housing, #inequality, #neoliberal urban space, #public space, #right to the city, #segregation, #Turkey, #urban development, #urban planning, #urban space, #İstanbul, Commodity1 Comment

Cities have been experiencing neoliberal urbanisation processes since the 1970s globally and with a greater pace since the early 2000s. As part of these, housing enclaves –segregated and under-controlled living areas- have been expanding with different versions across the countries. Via this practice, the commodification of urban space has been deepening while also transforming the everyday life of the citizens. The talk focuses on the case of branded housing projects in Istanbul, Turkey as a particular version of housing enclaves and discusses their recent emergence in this locality regarding the projects’ development processes, discursive formation and spatial practices.

The talk was given as part of Open Talk Series of the Space+Place+Society Research Network at Heriot-Watt University (3 May 2017).

A Questionable Robin Hood Story: Branded Housing Projects and Public-led Commodification of Urban Space

July 15, 2016May 7, 2020Posted in ENG, Thinking Out LoudTagged #architecture, #branded housing, #building boom, #capitalism, #cities, #city, #commodification, #condo, #daily life, #hostile architecture, #housing, #inequality, #mega projects, #neoliberal urban space, #public space, #right to the city, #segregation, #Turkey, #urban development, #urban space, #urbanism, #İstanbul, Commodity1 Comment

Abstract

Inequalities in urban space have been on the rise since the 1970s with global neoliberal restructuring processes. This rise in inequality fosters segregation in urban space which has become observable through gated enclaves. Housing enclaves became a way of urban space production in many countries. Aligning with this global trend, since the early 2000s, following the 2001 economic crisis, a new version of housing enclaves has been emerging in Turkey- branded housing projects. The projects are produced under certain brands as urban spatial commodities by private developers or public private partnerships, and widely use various types of advertising like any other commodity on the market. The role of state institutions in the production of this commodified and marketed form of housing provision is illustrative of the practices of the neoliberal state. This article[1] discusses branded housing projects in relation to the role of the developing neoliberal state in Turkey, firstly by giving an overview of the neoliberal urbanisation processes which Turkey has been going through; secondly by discussing the main characteristics of the projects; and thirdly by focusing on the role of public institutions in the production of such places, and criticizing the role of revenue-sharing model. The article thus questions the role of the neoliberal state in contemporary commodification of urban space in Turkey.

For full article on Research Turkey, click here

Serin B. (July, 2016), “A Questionable Robin Hood Story: Branded Housing Projects and Public-led Commodification of Urban Space ”, Vol. V, Issue 7, pp.06 – 23, Centre for Policy and Research on Turkey (ResearchTurkey), London, Research Turkey. (http://researchturkey.org/?p=12324)

Şaibeli Bir Robin Hood Hikâyesi: Markalı Konut Projeleri ve Kent Alanlarının Kamu Eliyle Metalaştırılması

July 7, 2016May 7, 2020Posted in Thinking Out Loud, TRTagged #architecture, #branded housing, #building boom, #capitalism, #cities, #city, #commodification, #condo, #daily life, #hostile architecture, #housing, #inequality, #mega projects, #neoliberal urban space, #public space, #right to the city, #segregation, #Turkey, #urban development, #urban space, #urbanism, #İstanbul, CommodityLeave a comment

Özet

Kentsel alandaki eşitsizlikler 1970’lerde küresel neoliberal yeniden yapılanma sürecinin başlamasından bu yana artagelmiştir. Eşitsizlikteki bu artış etrafı çevrili yaşam alanlarıyla (anklav) birlikte görünür hale gelen kentsel alanın ayrışmasını hızlandırmaktadır. Konut anklavları birçok ülkede kentsel alanın bir üretim yolu haline gelmiştir. Bu küresel trendle birlikte 2000’li yılların başlarından itibaren, özellikle 2001 krizi sonrası Türkiye’de konut anklavlarının yeni bir versiyonu olan ‘markalı konut projeleri’ ortaya çıkmıştır Bu projeler özel firmalar ya da kamu-özel işbirliği ile belli markalar altında geliştirilip piyasadaki diğer ürünler gibi çeşitli pazarlama yöntemlerini kullanmaktadır. Devlet kurumlarının bu metalaştırılan ve pazarlanan konut projelerinin üretimindeki rolü neoliberal devletin uygulamalarını anlama açısından açıklayıcıdır. Bu makale, öncelikle Türkiye’de meydana gelen neoliberal kentleşme sürecinin genel değerlendirmesini yaparak, ikinci olarak projelerin ana özelliklerini tartışarak, son olarak da kamu kurumlarının bu tür projelerin oluşumundaki rolüne odaklanarak ve gelir paylaşımı modelini eleştirerek markalı konut projelerini Türkiye’de neoliberal devletin gelişmesindeki rolü çerçevesinde incelemektedir. Çalışma, böylelikle neoliberal devletin Türkiye’deki kentsel alanın metalaşmasındaki rolünü irdelemektedir.

Research Turkey’de yayınlanan tam metin için tıklayınız

Makaleyi şu şekilde referans vererek kullanabilirsiniz:

Serin B. (Temmuz, 2016), “Şaibeli Bir Robin Hood Hikâyesi: Markalı Konut Projeleri ve Kent Alanlarının Kamu Eliyle Metalaştırılması”, Cilt V, Sayı 7, s.06 – 19, Türkiye Politika ve Araştırma Merkezi (Research Turkey), Londra: Research Turkey (http://researchturkey.org/?p=12324&lang=tr)

Beauté Brut: The Alexandra Road, London

April 25, 2016May 10, 2018Posted in BEAUTÉ BRUT, Urban IssuesTagged #architecture, #capitalism, #city, #dailylife, #housing, #inequality, #London, #London housing crisis, #urban spaceLeave a comment

Residents on the Alexandra and Ainsworth Estate have made a documentary film exploring the ideas behind the design of their landmark estate and in the process interviewed neighbours, the architect who designed the estate and others. An intergenerational group of residents worked with arts and educational charity, digital:works, to decide on themes and questions to explore. Throughout the production the residents learnt practical film making skills, conducted interviews and operated the camera and sound.
Rowley Way speaks for itself. (rowleyway.org.uk)

Image Credits: bdonline, municipaldreams, greatbuildings, camden50, alexandraandainsworth, london-architecture, new-brutalism

Beauté Brut: Trellick Tower, London

April 15, 2016March 6, 2018Posted in BEAUTÉ BRUT, Photos, Urban IssuesTagged #architecture, #capitalism, #city, #daily life, #housing, #inequality, #London, #photography, #segregation, #urban spaceLeave a comment

Whenever space is enclosed a spatial sensation will automatically result for persons who happen to be within it… it is the artist who comprehends the social requirements of his time and is able to integrate the technical potentialities in order to shape the spaces of the future. – Ernö Goldfinger, Architect of Trellick Tower

Image Credits: Steve, Dorothy, Galinsky, Guardian

Meet Gurgaon: A Patch-work Private City without Sewage System

April 6, 2016May 7, 2018Posted in Urban IssuesTagged #authoritarianism, #branded housing, #building boom, #capitalism, #cities, #city, #commodification, #condo, #daily life, #hostile architecture, #housing, #india, #inequality, #nature, #neoliberal urban space, #public space, #right to the city, #segregation, #urban development, #urban planning, #urban space1 Comment

Gurgaon is a city in India, where many private housing enclaves are located and run by private management companies. With no municipal services, the private management companies provide key urban facilities only within the gates of the enclaves.

The practice draws a horrendous picture of the piecemeal private provision of municipal services, replacing sewage system with gigantic septic tanks, dumping sewage to public land, replacing police force with the army of private security, dodgy lost spaces between the housing enclaves…

A patchwork of private services emerges, but only within property lines. “If you’re living inside the development, everything looks great. It looks like you have functional sewage, but those lines are not connected to a main line. They go nowhere.” Instead, the sewage collects in a septic tank at the edge of the property. The building’s owner contracts a tanker truck to ferry the sewage to a dumping ground or river.

Gurgaon’s developers can weather shortages in electricity by using diesel-powered generators … which serve only their own properties. They’ve beefed up the city’s 4,000-strong police force with an army of 35,000 private security guards. (ideas.ted.com)

Another controversial topic regarding this developments is their relationship with surrounding slum areas.

Sewage trucks will frequently bypass treatment plants and dump their contents on public land, and while it poses a health hazard to nearby slums, public officials don’t have the resources to counter such infractions.(ideas.ted.com)

What we see here is double exploitation of the urban space: on one hand, exclusive private provision of municipal services is hampering public provision; on the other hand, the enclaves expulse their unwanted bits to the surroundings such as dumping their sewage on public land.

All in all, we should ask ourselves, if we want to live in such an unsustainable dystopia before it is too late. Because this is what we are heading towards with a speed of light in this level of the commodification of urban space.

High Rise (2016) – Ever wanted something more?

March 2, 2016February 11, 2017Posted in Urban IssuesTagged #architecture, #authoritarianism, #branded housing, #building boom, #capitalism, #cities, #city, #commodification, #condo, #daily life, #housing, #inequality, #London, #neoliberal urban space, #public space, #right to the city, #segregation, #urban development, #urban space, #urbanismLeave a comment

Ben Wheatley shot a movie about my thesis 😀 Can’t wait to see 🙂

The movie is based on J.G. Ballard’s novel written in the 1970s. However, considering the housing situation, condo developments, branded housing projects, housing enclaves, and various forms of exclusionary housing, it is very much about contemporary urban issues.

High-Rise is a 2015 British science fiction action thriller film directed by Ben Wheatley, starring Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans, Elisabeth Moss, James Purefoy and Keeley Hawes. The screenplay by Amy Jump is based on the 1975 novel of the same name by J.G. Ballard. It was produced by Jeremy Thomas through his production company Recorded Picture Company.

In September 2015, the film received its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, and its European premiere at the 63rd San Sebastián Film Festival. The film is scheduled to be released in the United Kingdom on 18 March 2016 by StudioCanal.

Check amazing trailers out! I absolutely love that they shot the first trailer as a housing project advertisement.