Speaker
Description
Cities have many layers, networks, and relations that include different activities while they house diverse groups that constitute the minority or majority of society. Cities also create their own written and unwritten rules while they are formed and reformed from their unique relations and networks. These rules are usually set by the majority and/or the authority, excluding—and even criminalizing—some groups in public spaces. Regardless of the pursuer, vulnerable individuals and groups are often left ignored, marginalized, and displaced not only from public spaces but also from the neighborhood and city they live in. Even if they remain in their city, their vulnerability deepens through deprivation of economic and social circles, narrowed living spaces, and increased risk of crime and loneliness. Adding to this the gentrification- and displacement-induced urban transformation practices, the conditions become even more dire.
Consequently, the overarching exclusion of vulnerable individuals from public and private spaces suggests that the city is usually a public domain ruled by the majority and authority. However, urban theorists argue that public space should promote democratic interaction and inclusivity. For instance, Lefebvre's ‘right to the city’ emphasizes fair access and participation (Lefebvre, 1996), while Soja's ‘spatial justice’ advocates for spatial arrangements that foster social inclusion and challenge systemic inequalities. Based on such speculations and the aspiration to fulfill the premises of social inclusion, this study aims to examine the concept of public space in relation to the socio-spatial exclusion of vulnerable groups at different levels, contexts, and geographies. It offers a multi-faceted investigation involving an international comparative analysis of legal and governmental frameworks and a close-up examination of a local case study in central Istanbul fueled by urban regeneration, focusing on a specific-but-immanent vulnerable group at both levels: laborers of the sex industry.
Today, there are estimated to be upwards of 40 million commercial sex workers worldwide, and the annual global income of the sex industry they work in is thought to be between 40 and 50 billion dollars (Taylor-Robinson et al., 2021). Despite high figures, the taboo around sex and sex work translates into social stigma, resulting in socio-spatial exclusion of sex workers. Furthermore, the majority of the sex industry is not regulated or under-regulated by the governments. By shedding light on the realities and perceptions of this vulnerable group, this study aims to address deep-seated inequalities and advocate for social and spatial justice in the case of the historic Pera quarter of Istanbul. One of the most well-known sex work areas of Turkey and located in central Istanbul, Pera has gone through urban transformations that affected the centuries-old sex work in the area, particularly in the last two decades.
The study's methodology is divided into four main phases. The first phase examines various perspectives and regulations on sex work from a global standpoint, incorporating both social and authoritarian approaches, with a particular focus on Turkey and Istanbul. The second phase explores spaces associated with sex work within the historical development of the Pera quarter. The third phase analyzes urban infrastructure and transformation projects in Pera, particularly in relation to the displacement of sex workers. The final phase synthesizes the findings by a superposed mapping exercise of sex work nodes in public space, urban regeneration projects, and their connection to the exclusion of sex workers. The results show the gap between urban regulations and the spatial needs of sex workers in Istanbul, highlighting social equity's role in reducing systemic exclusions to encourage more inclusive practices. It thus hopes to enrich the discourse on the sustainable development of public space by advocating for the implementation of inclusive, accessible, and socially equitable spaces.
References
Soja, E. (2010) Seeking spatial justice. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Lefebvre, H. (1996) The right to the city. Translated by E. Kofman and E. Lebas. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers. (Originally published in 1968).
Taylor-Robinson, S.D., De Souza Lopes, P.A., Zdravkov, J. and Harrison, R. (2021) ‘Should commercial sex workers have unrestricted healthcare access across the world?’, International Journal for Equity in Health, 20(1), p. 237.
| Keywords | Sex workers; socio-spatial exclusion; urban transformation; public space; Istanbul |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
