A destructive urban transformation project resulting with a social transformation process in Ankara-Turkey

Abstract

Introduction

Dikmen Valley is a slum district where the Municipality of Ankara intended to start an urban transformation project. Dikmen neighborhood includes nearly 1000 houses which the Municipiality attempted to pull down suddenly at night in the winter of 2007.

Residents of Dikmen Valley resisted and managed to stop this attempt. Whole event was experienced as an acute trauma as well as a continuous experience of anxiety because of ongoing risk of another attack.

Aim

The aim of the present study was to investigate the psychological consequences of the whole process.

Methods

The study sample consisted of 201 individuals from 106 households, and a total of 178 individuals from 102 households was taken as comparison group from another slum neighborhood where residents did not experience any threat to their houses. The Beck Depression Inventory, the Spielberger Trait Anxiety Scale, and the General Self-Efficacy Scale were used for assessment.

Results

Dikmen sample was found to have a statistically significant higher mean score of anxiety and depression compared to the comparison group. Dikmen had a higher level of general self-efficacy belief than the comparison group after controlling for depression and anxiety scores.

Conclusions

Although the traumatic process after an attack of pulling down and the threat of losing one's house resulted with a depressive state and anxiety in Dikmen residents, unexpectedly they had a high level of general self-efficacy. To the researchers’ observations, a social transformational process has been realized resulting with an overall high general self-efficacy level in Dikmen neighborhood.