Considering spatial profit and inclusive city approaches together: an example (Ankara city) from underrepresented geographies

Abstract

This study rethinks the discourse of the inclusive city through the concept of spatial profit. Drawing on qualitative research in two socioeconomically contrasting neighborhoods of Ankara, Mutlu and Ayranc & imath;, it demonstrates that inclusivity, despite egalitarian rhetoric, operates through selective and exclusionary mechanisms. In Mutlu, lower-class residents pursue educational access with limited economic, social, and cultural capital. In Ayranc & imath;, middle and upper-middle classes protect accumulated spatial profit through symbolic boundaries, property relations, and institutional support. Based on participant observation and in-depth interviews with forty-five residents, the study shows that inclusivity often reproduces exclusion unless spatial profit is redistributed through urban policy.