Public space formation in peripheral urban development: a comparative analysis of Batıkent and İncek districts

Abstract

Parallel to its growing population, Ankara expanded beyond the morphological basin in which it was situated. As a result, the past four decades witnessed peripheral urban developments around the city. These developments emerged under the influence of different urbanization trends and approaches over the years. These approaches have been shaped by varying actors, origins and motivations. In this study, it is aimed to examine public space formation in peripheral urban developments through a comparative analysis of Batıkent and Incek districts. In this context, the concept of public space, its attributes and characteristics, the predicaments of its privatization and the roles of determinant actors in this process are discussed. Following this discussion, the location and topography of Batıkent and Incek districts, their historical development, the formation of public spaces in each of them are comparatively scrutinized. While Batıkent has developed through the collaboration of cooperatives, the central government and the local administration, Incek was shaped through the investments and initiatives of private companies, as a product of neoliberal urbanization. Thus, public spaces in the two districts exhibit significant differences, which are illustrative of public space formation under different modes of urban space production.