GECEKONDU PHOTOREPORT

Gecekondu – (Plural: Gecekondular) a Turkish expression meaning informal, oftentimes improvised built matter and quick building process – are frequently a result of previously forced disappropriation. During the 1960s and 70s, while the urban development of Istanbul was on the rise, more and more Gecekondular settlements developed and were quickly demolished. Nevertheless, until today they are an integral practice of a social and spatialized resistance movement in Turkey. Turkish law gave way to some organisational methods to turn temporary buildings into permanent settlements – yet also acted forcefully against such attempts by minor players in urban development.