In Search for Upgrading Slum Settlements in Turkey: Sustainable Housing Strategies in Low-income Communities

According to UN-Habitat, at the start of the millenium, Turkey had a slum population consisting in 17.9% of the total urban population. Followed by the policies, the country reduced this proportion of slum households to 12.4% in 2010. Evolving from these facts, this book seeks the reflection on built environment whilst pointing to the squatters as the settlements of low-income communities in Turkey. Revealing the existing social, environmental and design issues of those settlements, the book pieces together the potential role of sustainable housing strategies within the frame of social justice and environmental development. The author carefully documents the issues that came along with the slum upgrading projects in Turkey. Through a specific case located in Istanbul; author furthermore addresses social and design strategies on the findings for better and sustainable outcomes to meet the needs of environmental and social imperatives in slum communities.