Does gentrification displace the urban poor? The case of Bursa, Turkey

Abstract

Gentrification is probably the most debated category of all the urban renewal strategies. This is because, as a consequence of the gentrification process, there is a possibility that social change may occur that may lead to changes in the social pattern (Ball, 2002, p.833). This possibility is, for some, an inevitable consequence and for some others a case to be approached with relativity. Our stance in this study is that local conditions, such as cultural or historical capital, should be taken into consideration not only due to their formation but also to their consequences. In this regard, the goal of the study is to identify whether the urban renewal observed in the Tophane Hisar district in Bursa, one of the historical cities in Turkey, could be analyzed through the concept “gentrification”. In addition, if it could, what will its scope be? And is the displacement of the urban poor by gentrification an issue for this district?