Following the devastating 1999 Marmara Earthquake in Turkey, a raft of legislation for urban renewal projects was passed following public outcry against shoddy private contractors in the construction sector, and public officials who had refused to enforce building codes regarding earthquake-resistant designs. For Roma, urban transformation did not make their lives safer but instead led to forced displacement, gentrification, and human rights violations. This report is based on monitoring visits to the Bağlarbaşı neighbourhood of Yalova carried out by activists from the ERRC's partner, Romani Godi, in December 2023 and June 2024. It shows that that the needs of Romani residents  have not been adequately ...

This publication was undertaken as part of the EU-funded RISE project, in which an ERRC-led consortium brought Roma activists and volunteers, known as our Roma Rights Defenders, together to foster transnational and inclusive approaches to combating anti-Roma racism.