AN ANALYSIS OF SPATIAL CHANGE/TRANSFORMATION OF HOUSES AS ITEMS OF CONSUMPTION OVER ADVERTISEMENTS: THE PROCESS OF HOUSING COOPERATIVES

Abstract

Houses have been spatially configured regarding various criteria including the social structure, culture, technology and technical facilities of a given society as they have been primarily used to meet the sheltering needs of that society and many controversies emerged on the way to making decisions. Housing spaces were affected by each and every change in the social structure and with the coming of the consumer society in the 20th century they were regarded as objects of consumption. With the increasing urban population in Turkey, governments not only constructed service, healthcare, education and industrial structures but also undertook social housing construction projects and encouraged the private sector to do so. Diversity in the construction sector rapidly increased and the competition among major construction companies resulted in marketing of lifestyles. In this study, the spatial variation in housing based on the change/transformation related to the process of housing cooperatives and the free market economy after 1980s was investigated using the housing advertisements in the press and visual media. The spatial perception was studied through selected housing advertisements in view of marketing elements (location, space, plan type, material, technical equipment, social equipment etc.). It was observed that housing advertisements promoted, encouraged and even imposed the lifestyles they offered. It was also observed that the advertisements have emphasised ephemerality and consumption