Rural gentrification in the North Aegean Countryside (Turkey)

Abstract

This article examines rural gentrification as experienced on the North Aegean coasts of Turkey. The study area chosen is the closest Aegean coast to İstanbul and it attracts attention because of its archeological and mythological values, as well as its natural beauty and vernacular landscape. The most important element determining the rural landscape of the region is olive production. The study is based principally on indepth interviews with village mukhtars, local people, newcomers, tourism entrepreneurs, and professionals.While the rural gentrification process in Turkey, a Mediterranean country, shows similarities with the gentrification process in rural areas of developed Western countries, differences can be observed as well. Depopulation in rural areas since 1950s and development of tourism in coastal areas after 1980 has brought about the investmentdisinvestment cycle, which is in the rural gentrification theory. It has been observed that in the rural area where tourism facilities have been improved, gentrification occurs in parallel. The migration of middle class to the villages has transformed the traditional land use and rural

MOVEMENT TO COASTAL TOWNS IN TURKEY: Urban Rescaling, Local Deregulation and New Prospects for the Predatory Construction Sector

“…High prices have therefore triggered a gentrification process that affects not only the prices of real estate but also of basic consumer goods. Reinvestment of capital in the form of new constructions and renovations, social upgrading of locales by high‐income groups in the form of newly opened luxury cafés, restaurants and retail shops, and direct or indirect displacement of low‐income people have created mobility problems for fixed‐income groups that have become visible in Datça as a multifaceted effect of gentrification (Davidson and Lees, 2005, cited in Başaran Uysal and Sakarya, 2018: 102). Leasing practices have also taken different forms in the past few years.…”

“…However, property ownership has started to change hands. Başaran‐Uysal and Sakarya (2018: 108) indicated in their study on gentrification in an Aegean village that, from the 2000s onwards, young‐generation locals started selling their land and houses to new settlers—an act elderly locals in the villages deemed disgraceful. This led to depopulation and loss of agricultural lands.…”

“…Over the past two decades, growing urban problems in major Turkish cities such as İstanbul, Ankara and İzmir have fuelled a trend of returning to villages or small towns in the countryside and closer to coastlines. This movement since the early 2000s has been discussed in the relevant Turkish literature mainly under the themes of ‘lifestyle migration’ (Südaş and Mutluer, 2010; Zekiroğlu, 2020; Kılıç and Buzlukçu, 2021); ‘rural gentrification’ (Başaran‐Uysal and Sakarya, 2018; Südaş, 2018) or ‘second home tourism’ (Kozak and Duman, 2011; Zoğal and Emekli, 2020; Zoğal et al ., 2022). Particularly within the context of lifestyle migration and rural gentrification, studies define the social class positions of these migrants as upper‐middle and high‐income educated—many of them freelance professionals, managers, artists, writers and academics (Başaran‐Uysal and Sakarya, 2018; Zekiroğlu, 2020).…”

“…This movement since the early 2000s has been discussed in the relevant Turkish literature mainly under the themes of ‘lifestyle migration’ (Südaş and Mutluer, 2010; Zekiroğlu, 2020; Kılıç and Buzlukçu, 2021); ‘rural gentrification’ (Başaran‐Uysal and Sakarya, 2018; Südaş, 2018) or ‘second home tourism’ (Kozak and Duman, 2011; Zoğal and Emekli, 2020; Zoğal et al ., 2022). Particularly within the context of lifestyle migration and rural gentrification, studies define the social class positions of these migrants as upper‐middle and high‐income educated—many of them freelance professionals, managers, artists, writers and academics (Başaran‐Uysal and Sakarya, 2018; Zekiroğlu, 2020). These people had been either frustrated by having to work under time pressure or wished to escape their hectic city lifestyle, preferring Turkey's vacation towns for the more ‘rural’ lifestyle they offered.…”

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“…Bozcaada is a small Turkish island located in the north of Aegean Sea, four miles away from mainland Turkey and connected to it via a regular ferry service. The North Aegean coast of Turkey has recently become one of the most popular areas amongst ex-urbanites who decide to leave cities and set up a life in the countryside (Başaran Uysal & Sakarya, 2018). Bozcaada, as being one of the first settlement in the region that have been experiencing this increasing popularity, presents excellent examples of socio-economic and cultural changes that are seen in contemporary rural areas.…”