Can mixed-income housing reduce socio-spatial stigmatization? The case of Çinçin, Ankara

The mixed-income housing approach suggests that stigmatization will decrease when different socio-economic groups live together in the same residential area. In this context, the study aimed to examine how the mixed-income housing approach transforms stigmatized spaces and the social stigma that is associated with them. The Ankara-Çinçin region, where the Gültepe Neighborhood (2nd Stage Site), the focus of the case study, is located, is stigmatized in Türkiye as a result of the prevalence of crime. The urban transformation of the area, which began in 2011, displays some similarities with mixed-income housing practices elsewhere due to how the project was financed and because it includes different income groups. Within the scope of the study, 251 surveys and 34 in-depth interviews were conducted with residents selected by snowball sampling. The participants were divided into squatter house right holders and those who had moved into the neighborhood by buying or renting housing there. The questions were designed to try to understand the change in stigmatization throughout the neighborhood and city. The study also included interviews with relevant institutions. The surveys were conducted using the SPSS program. Of the respondents, 56% reported a change in neighborhood stigma: 52% of respondents believed that stigma had decreased within the neighborhood, while 15% thought that the neighborhood’s bad reputation within the city had decreased. This study, which emphasizes the importance of social interactions in influencing levels of stigma, shows that there may be a decrease in stigma in proportion to the amount of social interaction between individuals of different socio-economic status.