Istanbul’s Cihangir undergoes sensory changes with gentrification
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Researchers studied how gentrification reshaped the sensory experiences of residents in Cihangir, a neighborhood in Istanbul, Turkey.
They approached the topic by moving beyond traditional studies of economics and demographics to focus on how people perceive and experience the changing urban environment. The team used a multi-phase method involving guided walks with residents and architects, combined with photography, video, and sound recordings, to document sensory details.
The study found that gentrification in Cihangir created curated commercial areas and altered sound and smell environments, leading to both new sensory intensities and selective feelings of belonging. While some aspects of the neighborhood were standardized, researchers also observed the persistence of historical traces, social diversity, and even negative sensory experiences like traffic and crowding.
The researchers argue that gentrification causes not only spatial displacement but also “sensory displacement,” where familiar environments are reorganized perceptually, even as remnants of the past remain. This process reproduces class divisions and urban inequality through everyday sensory experiences within a neoliberal economic system.
