The State as an Entrepreneur Who Transforming Public Spaces: The Case of Zeytinburnu Fabrika-i Humayun

Abstract

This study explores the privatisation of public lands under neoliberal policies and the evolving role of the state through entrepreneurial approaches, using the Zeytinburnu Fabrika-i Hümayun as a case. Over time, the state has shifted from serving the public good to prioritising capital interests, centralising authority in the process. Institutions like TOKI have transferred public lands to the private sector via opaque procedures and public-oriented discourse. In the examined case, a state-owned factory site was transformed into a luxury housing project by TOKI and its subsidiary Emlak Konut REIT. Although the process followed legal steps, its legitimacy remains questionable. Ultimately, the project restricts public access, serving as an example of dispossession framed as serving collective national interest under neoliberal urban governance.