Living on the Margins: Poverty, Exclusion, and Segregation in Muğla.

This study marks the initial phase of a project aimed at exploring how urban poverty affects children's educational processes through an analysis of space-related issues. Cities, increasingly home to growing populations, serve as hubs where people globally encounter contemporary opportunities and challenges in accessing fundamental rights such as education, health, housing, and security. The distinguishing factor among residents sharing the same city is the pervasive phenomenon of inequality. Inequality not only shapes spatial experiences but also influences the conditions of poverty and deprivation in terms of consumption patterns. Thus, consumption behaviors permeate all aspects of life and serve as crucial criteria for social inclusion and exclusion, reflecting one's social existence. The exclusion of those unable to consume as much as others from social environments and living spaces is a widespread consequence of capitalist urbanization. This study focuses on the lived experiences of poverty and deprivation within the framework of urban poverty, social exclusion, and spatial segregation--common outcomes of inequality in modern cities. Conducted in neighbourhoods heavily populated by the urban poor in the Menteşe district of Muğla province, the study employs a case study model. It aims to illuminate participants' experiences related to space, issues concerning urban life practices, experiences with social assistance, and consumption behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]