The Socio-Economic Impact of the Commercial Street in Achieving Sustainability for Refugees in the Host Community

Türkiye has always been a major destination for the displaced around the world. Recently, Türkiye has hosted a large number of Syrian refugees who have settled in camps and many Turkish cities. It is believed that for the refugee groups to develop themselves and create and augment links with the host community, it is vital to use their culture and previous professional and economic experience to adapt their spatial position and enhance their social life. Hence the significance of the central commercial street in the refugee area is a key point for urban transformation, socio-economic participation, and the ability to integrate later. The study has used a qualitative observational approach to explore the social and economic impact of refugees on the Önder region (Selçuk Street), where the activities of refugees were recorded, documented, and mapped through behavioral observation. Observations were done in three days (two days a week and one day off). The street is divided into three sections of similar length. One-minute short films were recorded from each section every three hours from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm. Then, the films were transferred to street maps, documenting activities, gender, and age through the use of appropriate images. Lastly, the study offers an insight into the details of the daily social life of street users as the socio-economic life of the street can provide academics and designers with clear evidence on which to base future research and design.