A Visual Retrospect of Istanbul's Galata Neighborhood: Pursuing the Path of Socio-Spatial Segregation

This paper will examine the visual effects of gentrification in the historic neighborhood of Galata in downtown Istanbul, Turkey. Revisiting the research I have done in 2004 and conducting a new fieldwork in the neighborhood, I intend to examine the evolution of visual contrasts between physical proximity and social distance, revealing the differences and similarities concerning residential segregation and neighborhood change. Galata is a historical district which was inhabited by non-Muslim minorities until the first half of the twentieth century when these had to leave the country for various reasons, including the creation of the State of Israel, the events of 6-7 September 1955, the "wealth tax" in 1964 and the cancellation of the residence permit for more than eight thousand Greeks. These years also represent a significant wave of migration from underdeveloped regions of southeastern Turkey towards Istanbul. These migrants have settled in the neglected and abandoned apartments mainly in Galata. In the '70s, small factories moved into the area, usually in the ground pavements, destroying the walls in order to install machines and thus worsening the condition of the buildings. Since the 2000’s the dilapidated buildings are restored and the migrant population is gradually displaced and replaced firstly by the middle and then upper classes. Using the concept of territoriality, enrolling in both frames of time and space, this study aims to elaborate the interpenetration of these two structures and to identify the vernacular ways, developed by different social groups living in the district, of appropriating the same urban space.