Abstract
Cities, in the process of modernization, make historical progress parallel to the dynamics of capitalist development. Capitalism uses urban structures to overcome crises and increase the fluidity of capital. Changes in the labor force, agricultural policies, migration, urbanization or being otherized in the city, new consumption habits give clues of how capitalism uses the urban space to reproduce itself. In this article, which economic and sociological reasons emerged in the recent history of urban transformation, is examined. It is also the subject of the documentary how the transformation that has occurred since the 2000s has been shaped in line with the needs of capital in the transition to the new capitalist model. In this context, the questions raised in the documentary and the relationship between political economy and urban transformation were tried to be understood.
TopWhen writing the history of urbanization, the point that stands out is generally how the city has a production logic unlike the countryside. From this perspective, the city corresponds to a social organization that incorporates the elements of development and continuity of capitalism such as trade and industry. The capitalist city corresponds to a process rather than a static formation. The continuous transformation of social relations means the transformation of the city, and in this context, the city is not merely a reflection of capitalist social relations, but one of the founding elements of these social relations (Şengül, 2002, p. 1).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Urban Transformation: Replacement of a particular part of the city by destruction or other practices.
Spatial Segregation: The physical separation of people from certain income groups or social classes in a city and living in completely different places.
Gentrification: The changing of the neighborhood's inhabitants as houses in the old quarters became available to the upper middle class.
Global City: The cities that are in competition with the international market and at the same time in the market relationship, generally above a certain population.
Displacement: Forced displacement of people who have been subjected to an urban transformation-like practice.
Urban Poverty: It is the situation where people who live below a certain amount of income in the city and who have limited access to some social means.
Depression Areas: The places where the city is not receiving service or having a certain infrastructure, but these are inadequate.