Considering spatial profit and inclusive city approaches together: an example (Ankara city) from underrepresented geographies


Öksüz M., ÖZGÜR E. M.

Planning Practice and Research, 2026 (ESCI, Scopus) identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Publication Date: 2026
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/02697459.2026.2635412
  • Journal Name: Planning Practice and Research
  • Journal Indexes: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, Geobase, Public Affairs Index
  • Keywords: inclusive city, Spatial capital, spatial profit, urban segregation, urban social geography
  • Ankara University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

This study rethinks the discourse of the inclusive city through the concept of spatial profit. Drawing on qualitative research in two socioeconomically contrasting neighborhoods of Ankara, Mutlu and Ayrancı, it demonstrates that inclusivity, despite egalitarian rhetoric, operates through selective and exclusionary mechanisms. In Mutlu, lower-class residents pursue educational access with limited economic, social, and cultural capital. In Ayrancı, middle and upper-middle classes protect accumulated spatial profit through symbolic boundaries, property relations, and institutional support. Based on participant observation and in-depth interviews with forty-five residents, the study shows that inclusivity often reproduces exclusion unless spatial profit is redistributed through urban policy.