Unlocking urban potential in governance

Entrepreneurial and growth-oriented urban development models perceive neglected areas as untapped opportunities for revitalization and transformation. In a new article, PhD candidate Ebru Kurt Ozman (University of Amsterdam) and Prof. Dr. Tuna Tasan-Kok (Chair of Urban Governance and Planning, University of Amsterdam) delve into the dynamics of redevelopment and upgrading processes, examining how pathbreaking trajectories unfold based on the adaptive capacity of urban communities and the flexibility of planning practices.

The article explores how transformations in neglected areas are not simply straightforward, but rather involve complex pathbreaking trajectories influenced by legal and institutional factors and the adaptive capacity of marginalized communities. By adopting a historical institutionalism perspective, which focuses on the role of past events and decisions in shaping political and social development, they analyze critical junctures that have the potential to alter the course of development.

This approach helps us understand how historical events and contexts have influenced the current political and social structures. Using path analysis, they uncover unexpected elements in the regeneration of neglected areas and identify emerging patterns of transformation in Istanbul. Using the case study of squatter areas in Istanbul, they analyze the institutional and policy contexts to understand the societal responses that shape these trajectories.

Ultimately, they reveal the intricate interplay between authoritarian entrepreneurial governance, the re-politicization of urban communities, and their engagement with policy networks, highlighting the diverse outcomes that can emerge within this dual landscape.

Read the full article here: Özman, E. K., Taşan‐Kok, T., & Erkut, G. How to unravel pathbreaking trajectories in the left‐behind areas of Istanbul?. Regional Science Policy & Practice.