Policies Concerning Urban Safety and Urbanization in Istanbul

Taking Newman’s “Defensible Space Theory into consideration, data presented in this article was collected by the International Strategic Research Organization as part of the four year, 2008 – 2012, Istanbul Urban Safety Project. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used in the study. Quantitative methods included a large questionnaire survey administered to two samples: households and workplaces; together with analysis of secondary data. The qualitative dimension comprised semi-structured, open-ended interviews with a number of senior officials involved in urban safety in Istanbul. This study argues that the state has abandoned its regulatory role within democratic urban politics; instead taking urbanization measures to further advantage the privileged elites at both a local and national level. Furthermore, it proposes that undemocratic urbanization policies are legitimised mainly on the basis of earthquake anxiety, together with some unsubstantiated issues such as security concerns, criminalization and marginalization.