THE ALTERNATIVE MEDIA AS A STRUGGLE ARENA IN THE PROTECTION OF THE RIGHT TO THE CITY: THE SAMPLES OF TAKSIM PROJECT AND GEZI PARK

Today, neoliberal policies accelerate the period of urbanization that is constructed increasing hegemony of capital and affect deeply processes of urbanization. as a result of inadequate of liberal democracy on representation and participation, it is seen that local governments are unable on participation of citizens. the model of representative democracy relies on a majority rule and enables participation only through voting. thus, it constitutes a closed system for direct influence on decisions. the practice of urban democracy which aims at creating a democratic discussion forum requires citizens to be in interaction. in this study, it is aimed to be debated the function of creating a dynamic public sphere of alternative news media in relation to the effects of taksim project which is part of the urbanization process on urban life in the context of urban democracy, participatory citizenship and public interest. the problematic of this study is the function of media as a struggle area of the citizens in the face of neoliberal urbanization practices such as preparing of public spaces in accordance with the priorities of the capital, the exclusion of urban citizens in local decision-making processes and the surrounding of taksim by highways, intersections, concretes and closing to pedestrians. in this study, it has been discussed the creating function of public sphere of alternative media and its contributions to urban democracy in terms of the right to the city by way of the samples of taksim project and gezi park. in this respect, it has been used the method of qualitative analysis in order to indicate the meanings and the ideological dimensions in the news discourse.