Recovery of social housing and infrastructure costs in urban renewal: Some lessons from Turkey

The provision of urban infrastructure and provision of social housing in cities are of critical importance. In developing countries, where informal development is prevalent, investment in urban infrastructure and social housing is needed for the renewal of inner city areas, as well as for new developing areas. However, financing is a major factor constraining the capacity of city governments in this respect. As a general tendency, both the provision of infrastructure and social housing has become increasingly marketdriven. Approaches used to facilitate provision of infrastructure and social housing in urban renewal processes include developer exactions, planning agreements, delegation and land readjustment. This chapter examines different approaches and their outcomes in financing urban infrastructure and social housing in urban renewal. The case of Turkey is analysed to examine and discuss urban renewal practices for regeneration of urban infrastructure and social housing. Lessons are proposed for developing countries that intend to improve urban renewal processes, in terms of the financing of urban infrastructure and social housing..