Dr. Öğr. Üyesi GÖKÇE UZGÖREN

I am an urban planner and hold a Ph.D. in Urban Planning from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (Istanbul, Turkey). Since 2015, I have been working as a research assistant at Istanbul Gelisim University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design. I hold a BSc in City and Regional Planning (2015) and an MSc in Urban Transformation and Planning (2018) from Yıldız Technical University (Istanbul, Turkey). My master’s thesis is titled: “Airbnb as a Global Factor that Triggers Gentrification: The Case of Rasimpasa Neighborhood in Kadikoy, Istanbul.”

My Ph.D. dissertation, “Housing Under Platform Capitalism: Airbnb-Mediated Housing Hyper-Commodification in Cihangir,” examines the impact of short-term rentals on housing markets through the lens of platform capitalism and hyper-commodification.

I was a scholarship student in a three-year research project at Yıldız Technical University, funded by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK), from March 2018 to May 2021. The project, “Drivers and Scenarios for Reconfiguration of Historic City Centers: The Case of Beyoğlu, Istanbul” (Project Number: 117K317), analyzed the multi-layered transformation of Beyoğlu and future challenges concerning its urban dynamics.

Additionally, I conducted research under the supervision of Dr. Valesca Lima at Dublin City University, School of Law and Government (2214/A International Research Fellowship for Ph.D. Students funded by TUBITAK) on the regulation of short-term rentals in Dublin and Istanbul between January and July 2023.

My research interests focus on capitalist urbanism, neoliberal urban policies, digitalization, gentrification, touristification, housing issues, platform capitalism, and short-term rentals (e.g., Airbnb) as drivers of the hyper-commodification of housing.