Türkiye’de Toplu Konut İdaresi (TOKİ) Kentsel Dönüşüm Uygulamalarında Kütüphanelerin Yeri

Abstract

Cities are a part of communal and social life. Since the earlier times that they were formed, they have reached their present forms through the influences of social processes and variables. Especially the Industrial Revolution has become the starting point of many social, cultural, and societal changes in cities. After the industrial revolution, the relationship between the city and people has made progress. In addition, urbanization and being urban have gained importance. In Turkey, since the 1950s, with domestic migration movements, the population started to concentrate in the cities, and urbanization accelerated. Cities have turned into complex and dynamic systems that directly affect every aspect of life. As a result of urbanization, the increase in technical and socio-cultural problems such as housing, infrastructure, and transportation in cities has prompted urban transformation. In this sense, the concept of urban transformation has gained importance day by day. Social reinforcement areas, which are the most important elements to solve cities' cultural and social problems, have not critical importance in urban transformation applications. Libraries, the most common socially known information center, are located within the social reinforcement areas. Libraries prevent social and cultural harmony in urban life and ensure the adoption of a distinct urban culture. Libraries, which make it easier to be an urbanite and adapt to the city with their services, are not considered in urban transformation projects. This situation, which also shapes the study's hypothesis, is the starting point of the research. This study aims to reveal the share of libraries as a social reinforcement area in urban transformation projects in Turkey. In line with this, the official information shared with the public by Housing Development Administration (TOKİ), the planner and executive of urban transformation projects in the country, was taken into account, and urban transformation projects were examined. According to the data obtained, there are certain applications for urban transformation applications (in total, 3,387) in Turkey that include social reinforcement areas (42.60%). The share of libraries in these projects as a social reinforcement element (1.09%) is not at an acceptable level. Turkey is one of the countries where the most intensive urban transformation application is carried out globally. However, the figures and details obtained within the scope of the research show that social reinforcement areas, especially libraries, are not given much importance in urban transformation projects. The study will be successful when it draws attention to this problem and is considered as a solution.