| dc.description.abstract | This paper investigates the meaning of squatter (gecekondu) and apartment housing
for rural-to-urban migrant residents and their perceptions and preferences regarding
this issue in the context of Turkey. The research, conducted in Ankara in a gecekondu
settlement, a newly developing apartment district and an established apartment
district, reveals that gecekondu and apartment housing hold different meanings for
their different types of residents. Gecekondu housing is perceived very positively by
those rural migrants who are oriented to the rural community, particularly for the
‘gecekondu-rooted’ women who spend much of their time in the neighbourhood. This
is so because of the way of life gecekondu housing provides, for example, close relationship,
with neighbours and spontaneous relationships with the outside. On the other
hand, the association of gecekondu settlements with rural migrants in the larger society
creates a very negative perception of gecekondu housing in the case of those rural
migrants who are oriented to established urban society, particularly for young women
(‘younger modernizers’). Low standard of housing, and inadequate services and
infrastructure are major problems with squatter housing shared by all residents. On
the other hand, apartment housing is perceived by its rural migrant residents as a
means of becoming closer to established urban society, and hence as a means of
granting them higher status. Unlike the case of gecekondus, this perception of apartments
creates a general feeling of satisfaction and a higher degree of commitment
among apartment residents, shaping their preferences for apartments. Apartments are
further perceived as housing environments which offer ‘clean and comfortable lives’
and urban services to their residents. However, apartment residence is not preferred
by those migrants, particularly women, who are oriented to rural community and
who need community support and ‘squatter spirit’ in their lives.
Gender, time spent in the city, socio-economic status and age were found to be
associated with gecekondulapartment preferences of migrants. Copyright 0 1997
Elsevier Science Ltd | en_US |
