State-Led Development and Transformation in Ordinary Cities: Spatial Inequality Profiles and Urban Planning Practices in Batman, Türkiye

Abstract

Batman is an overlooked case of state-led urbanisation in T & uuml;rkiye, evolving from a company town into a model of state-directed development. This trajectory produced a fragmented spatial order and socio-spatial inequality profiles. Based on the 'Ordinary Cities' framework, this study examines how urban planning practices have been associated with these inequalities. Positioned between metropolitan and small-town dynamics, Batman represents a 'distinctive yet ordinary' non-Western context. A descriptive spatial inequality analysis was conducted quantitatively using the Dissimilarity Index at the neighbourhood scale yielding a value of 0.358. The research results indicate that planning documents insufficiently address inequalities, often ignoring both the outcomes and the causes of the existing inequalities. Ultimately, Batman provides a critical lens for understanding social justice within non-Western urbanisation, highlighting the necessity for locally grounded, justice-oriented urban planning approaches in ordinary cities worldwide.