ABSTRACT
Introduction In the Fall of 2004, İstanbul newspapers published a rash of stories on the tearing down of illegal housing in the city’s shantytowns. This was unusual: the authorities had never been adamant about claiming land that had been unlawfully occupied. For the usual reasons of populist accommodation, politicians and law enforcers alike have found it expedient instead to allow settlers peace after the inevitable initial clashes. Once settlers were granted a foothold, de facto recognition of their rights followed in due course. Bus routes were established, roads and sewerage systems constructed, mosques allowed to go up, and schools opened. This is how the city grew tenfold in population since the early 1950s.
