ABSTRACT
side areas of Istanbul near Sultanbeyli and Sarigazi are close to US$62 per month. This is more than half the income of many of the squatters and, at that price, they would not have enough money to feed their families. With Istanbul continuing to grow, it is quite possible that selling private titles could set off a frenzy of speculation in Sultanbeyli. Illegal ownership, while perhaps legally precarious, is possibly safer for poor people because they don’t have to go into debt to build their houses. They build what they can afford and when they can afford it.
