Studentification under hybrid governance: Housing and neighbourhood transformation in Ankara

Abstract

This thesis explores the process of studentification in the urban areas with high market pressure, limited formal student accommodation, and weak institutional control. Studentification is defined as a process of urban transformation that is characterised by the concentration of student populations. While much of the studentification literature has been developed through cases from cities with regulated rental markets and widespread purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA), comparatively little attention has been paid to how this process happens under conditions of widespread informality. To help fill this gap, the study focuses on student-driven neighbourhood change in İşçi Blokları, a cooperative housing area in Ankara located next to Middle East Technical University (METU). The research used a mixed-methods case study approach. Primary data were collected through a structured survey conducted with 200 participants. Participants included students and non-student residents who were reached through snowball sampling. The survey provides descriptive findings on housing conditions, neighbourhood perceptions of residents. In addition, 30 in-depth interviews were done with students, long-term residents, landlords, real estate agents, local shopkeepers, the neighbourhood head (muhtar), and university representatives. After collecting qualitative data, my approach was to use content analysis, so I analysed it with NVivo 14. The analyses were based on codes that came from interview participants related to students' presence and living among them. The information that came from their answers created a new theme. Also, survey data were analysed by using descriptive statistics. They used to support qualitative findings. According to findings, the studentification process in İşçi Blokları is distinguished, as this district is shaped by informal rental strategies. In the absence of effective rental regulation, such as the rules of purpose-built student housing, student accommodation in this area is based on flexible payment strategies and landlord decisions. While these practices make centrally located housing accessible to students, they also cause rent increases and housing insecurity. Social relations between students and long-term residents are characterised less by open conflict or deep social integration and more by negotiated coexistence. Differences in lifestyles and high residential turnover generate tensions, but everyday order is largely maintained through tolerance, interpersonal relations, and informal arrangements involving landlords, neighbours, and the muhtar. Students' support of local shops and services strengthens economic interdependence and improves neighborhood vitality while also increasing vulnerability to market fluctuations and affordability shocks. According to these findings, the thesis develops the concept of adaptive studentification. This concept captures a form of student-driven neighbourhood change that develops through informality, hybrid governance, and everyday adaptation rather than through formal planning frameworks or large-scale institutional investment. The study shows that informality is not a marginal or temporary condition, but a central organising feature of studentification in high-pressure, weakly institutionalised housing contexts. From a policy perspective, the findings point to the limits of PBSA-focused or heavily regulatory approaches and instead emphasise the need for context-sensitive, hybrid strategies. These include cooperative housing renewal, affordability thresholds, and partnerships between municipalities and universities. Overall, the thesis demonstrates that studentification in such contexts takes the form of a distinct, adaptive, yet fragile mode of urban transformation, and that achieving housing justice and neighbourhood sustainability requires new conceptual tools and policy responses.