An Insight Toward Experienced Reality
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Power Struggles in the Production of and Changing Perceptions over the Contemporary Public Space: An Insight toward Experienced Reality Thesis presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Newcastle University Tugce Sanli School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape January 2016 Abstract Cities have been invaded by the tools of the capitalist systems which transform the built environment while leaving the scars of this transformation on the societies. The demands of market forces generate new life styles and social contexts reshaped via relations of power and expression of political and economic hegemony. The nature of urban landscape, particularly the condition of public spaces, has shifted towards most profitable use while private interests have taken over public spaces and contemporary public spaces have emerged such as shopping malls. This study contributes to the debates that explore the ‘veiled’ side of planning and hegemonic relations of power in decision making processes that actually in a strong relation with cultural structuring and traditional praxis of a community. In addition, the study has a comprehensive approach by exploring societal influences emerging through power relations and their reflections on contemporary public spaces via exploring perceptions. The study conducts an investigation using qualitative methods and adopting case study approach via three shopping malls from Ankara (Turkey) to answer how urban power relations are generated and become effective on planning and production of contemporary public spaces and how the perceptions upon these public spaces are being transformed? Therefore, the study is founded on two main themes as pillars: power relations and public spaces. In addition, the empirical chapters at the end are set in parallel with the research objectives and data is gathered via archive analysis of the municipalities and interviews conducted with key informants and users of the selected cases. The thesis concludes with contributions to the fields of policy and theory through the above mentioned themes. On one hand, it emphasise the urgent necessity for a comprehensive transformation in Turkish planning structure, on the other hand draws an attention to the inefficiency of ‘western’ literature to elucidate different cultures and power relations that shape the cities of those cultures. In addition, the study also highlighted that the nature of the public space is changing while engendering further change in the perception of public. i ii Acknowledgements There are a lot of people and various feelings that I need to thank as all helped me during, before and after this PhD process. I am really grateful for all these situations and people, despite not all were positively contributing, yet still pushed me to complete this journey of PhD, which until now has been one of the exciting, sometimes frustrating and proud thing I have ever done. Among the people there are some who deserves special attention. First of all, I would like to deeply thank to my supervisors Tim Townshend and Ian Thompson for their guidance and intellectual support which I much appreciate. Without their support the completion of this project would have been impossible. I also would like to highlight a special tutor, Nihan Ozdemir Sonmez, even if she may not be aware; she has been my inspiration during all my undergraduate and master’s degree. She has been a perfect example for me (as a tutor, as an academic and as a person) and use this chance to sincerely thank her. I am also very much thankful to Tuna Tasan-Kok for her valuable comments and supports during the period of EMSDP in Leuven. I should also thank all my interviewees, both professional and public ones, for sparing their time and knowledge and trusting me in this project. I strongly feel in need of sharing my gratitude for all my friends, some of whom have been and will be with me for a life time, yet I will have to mention few of them as their support will be appreciated forever like their friendship. I am thankful to Lale, Aslihan, Ayca, Ozlem, Chryssa, Kerrie, Burak Kaan, Joy Hatice, Adem, Kallia, Ekaterina, Dareen&Ibrahim, Gokmen, Ozge, Hakan K. and Hulya Abla whose kind supports have always been with me. Especially to Sahin, even though words would not be enough to thank, for his caring love and support that make me feel special and lucky. I also feel thankful to my landlord Imran Ahmad, who I assume is a real angel yet put on earth among humans by accident. And to Alkin who once more reminded me that whatever happens we all should try to stay as positive as and as happy as possible, who I met and lost in the last period of this journey, I hope my friend you will rest in peace. But most of all, to my great mom Aysegul, amazing brother Tuna and kind father Ibrahim who have been giving unlimited and unconditional love and support. Surely without them I would not be able to even to graduate from nursery. Therefore, I dedicate this thesis to my brother and mom, to my hero and heroine; and to my beloved dad for whom I dedicated myself to this adventure just to make him proud, yet I lost at the very beginning of this journey. Babacigim, I hope you are somehow able to see what is happening here and hope your soul would rest in a better peace after I get this degree… iii iv Contents Abstract .............................................................................................................. i Acknowledgements .......................................................................................... ii List of Tables ................................................................................................... ix List of Figures ................................................................................................... x Abbreviations ................................................................................................ xiv CHAPTER 1 - Introduction ............................................................................... 1 1.1 Problem definition ..................................................................................... 1 1.2 Research question, aims and objectives ................................................... 5 1.2.1 Significance of the research ................................................................ 8 1.3 Research settings ..................................................................................... 9 1.4 Research methodology ........................................................................... 11 1.5 Structure of the research ......................................................................... 12 CHAPTER 2 - Production of space through power and planning .............. 15 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................. 15 2.2. Conceptualising space and space production ........................................ 15 2.2.2 Critical concepts over the understanding of space through contemporary explorations: reproduction of space ........................................................... 18 2.3 Conceptualising power ............................................................................ 21 2.3.1 Power and relations of capital ........................................................... 24 2.3.2 Positioning power in urban space and urban politics ........................ 26 2.3.3 Power to plan or power over planning ............................................... 29 2.4 Conclusion .............................................................................................. 35 CHAPTER 3 - Production of and perception over public space: contemporary dimensions ..................................................................................................... 37 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................. 37 3.2 From public sphere to public space ......................................................... 37 3.3 Public–private relationship: the intertwined dichotomous and the non-linear relationship .................................................................................................... 39 3.4 The characteristics of public spaces ....................................................... 40 3.4.1 The critiques over and the emergence of contemporary public spaces42 3.4.2. Seeking investigation models on publicness .................................... 46 3.5 Evolution of shopping malls and shopping malls through the lenses of public space ............................................................................................................ 49 v 3.5.1 Shopping malls as public spaces ...................................................... 51 3.6 Planning for public spaces and planning for shopping malls ................... 54 3.6.1 Position of public space within regulatory systems ............................ 54 3.6.2 Position of shopping malls within regulatory systems ........................ 56 3.7 Experienced sociality: dynamics shaping perceptions ............................. 58 3.8 Conclusion ............................................................................................... 61 CHAPTER 4 - Methodology ............................................................................ 65 4.1. Introduction ............................................................................................. 65 4.2. Qualitative research as a research strategy ........................................... 65 4.2.1. Case studies ....................................................................................