Urban renewal projects seek mainly to address improvements in the quality of life. However, this is more often linked to economic gain upgrading of cultural and retail provision to business and residential attraction. The emphasis is on physical renewal, which leads to gentrification, displacement and social problems. Nguyen (1) adds socio-cultural sustainability to the three main aspects of sustainability The definition of community development includes culturally-determined actions and roles of people in society. Culture, therefore, runs through the other three sustainability concepts. The aim of this article is to examine socio-cultural sustainability in a historical case area - one of the oldest districts in Istanbul: Beyoglu. Beyoglu has undergone a number of partial urban renewal and gentrification projects over the last 30 years. The case area is largely surrounded by these partial urban renewal projects. It is assumed that the area will be affected by the dynamics of its surroundings. The methodology of this study includes an area survey, questionnaires, photographs, interviews and information from secondary data. The findings from this study provide a discussion of ways for creating socio-culturally sustainable communities and its findings can be generalized for similar cases. The introduction to the article includes definitions of socio-cultural sustainability in urban renewal and its effects on communities. The next stage includes a case study and its results. The last stage includes an evaluation of the findings and suggestions for future improvements.
