State‐Led Development and Transformation in Ordinary Cities: Spatial Inequality Profiles and Urban Planning Practices in Batman, Türkiye

Abstract Batman is an overlooked case of state‐led urbanisation in Türkiye, evolving from a company town into a model of state‐directed development. This trajectory produced a fragmented spatial order and socio‐spatial inequality profiles. Based on the ‘Ordinary Cities’ framework, this study examines how urban planning practices have been associated with these inequalities. Positioned between metropolitan and small‐town dynamics, Batman represents a ‘distinctive yet ordinary’ non‐Western context. A descriptive spatial inequality analysis was conducted quantitatively using the Dissimilarity Index at the neighbourhood scale yielding a value of 0.358. The research results indicate that planning documents insufficiently address inequalities, often ignoring both the outcomes and the causes of the existing inequalities. Ultimately, Batman provides a critical lens for understanding social justice within non‐Western urbanisation, highlighting the necessity for locally grounded, justice‐oriented urban planning approaches in ordinary cities worldwide.