A planning examination via class structure and residential differentiation theory: The case of Karabük

Abstract

Based on the argument that urban construct can be formed through social classes in capitalist societies, this article investigates the class effects of spatial formation in Karabük, an industrial city in Turkey. The research discusses the reflection of class positions and stratification on space by referencing David Harvey’s theory of “class structure and residential differentiation”. In the context of the study in which archival research was also used in addition to the theoretical perspective, the spaces of the working class and upper-middle class in Karabük were examined. When the positions and architectural qualities of the structures in settlements where the upper-middle class and working class were located were examined, it was observed that the space was organized depending on the hierarchy of the social class. Accordingly, the spatial inequalities and divisions brought by the capital system also determined the hierarchy of the urban structure. Spatial segregation, which is not a product of the self-preferences of individuals, was formed as a result of production relations led to changes in urban space and different groups of classes experienced differentiation in the possibilities of access to resources.