This paper presents an attempt to initiate community empowerment within the participatory neighbourhood upgrading context of the Şengül Hammam Neighbourhood (İstiklal). We adopted the Participatory Action Research methodology, which aims to generate knowledge meaningful for the community towards upgrading and revitalizing the neighbourhood. Respectively, a series of workshops, focus groups, and community activities were implemented in parallel processes with different neighbourhood groups. In order to change the situation in the neighbourhood, the inquiry began by mobilizing neighbourhood stakeholders and planning the future with primary school children. Later, this gained the active support of parents, women, the municipality, local leaders, and civil associations, and led them to take collective action over garbage collection, cleaning up the neighbourhood and building a playground-park. The mayor at the time of the research showed interest in İstiklal but did not or could not give any financial or political support to upgrade the physical setting as a whole. The lack of support from the municipality in that regard and the neighbourhood being left to its own destiny caused a gradual dilapidation and loss of historic and cultural values.

本文介绍了在 Şengül Hammam 社区 (İstiklal) 的参与式社区升级背景下启动社区赋权的尝试。我们采用了参与式行动研究方法，旨在产生对社区有意义的知识，以升级和振兴社区。一系列研讨会、焦点小组和社区活动分别与不同的社区团体并行实施。为了改变邻里的状况，调查从动员邻里利益相关者和与小学生一起规划未来开始。后来，这得到了家长、妇女、市政府、地方领导和民间团体的积极支持，并带领他们对垃圾收集采取了集体行动，清理社区并建造游乐场公园。研究时的市长对 İstiklal 表现出兴趣，但没有或不能提供任何财政或政治支持来升级整个物理环境。市政当局在这方面缺乏支持，邻里只能听天由命，导致历史和文化价值逐渐破败和丧失。