Urban Development and Planning in Istanbul

Abstract

The papers gathered here focus on the transformation of the social and spatial structure that has been underway in Istanbul since the end of the last century. They offer a range of perspectives on the dynamics of what in English is called 'Urban Regeneration'. In much of Western Europe and North America, the age of 'Urban Regeneration' was officially announced in the mid-1990s. It reflected a shift towards urban-focused economic strategy-making, the rise of new urban consumer groups, and the diversion of capital from industrial investment to asset markets and property development. Since the recession of 2008 brought an end to the credit-fuelled house price boom, 'Urban Regeneration' has lost its lustre. For many it is now discredited. The promises held out in its name generally failed to materialize, and the built environment engineered in its name has often turned out to be superficial and unsustainable, socially divisive, and of dubious architectural and urban design value. Owen Hatherley (2010) mocks urban regeneration in Britain-dominated by architects, urban designers, large-scale developers, property financiers, and local politicians desperately seeking a 'competitive image'-as the hyped-up architecture of Blairism. But if urban regeneration has lost credibility in its western homelands, in Turkey it is still fashionable, especially amongst those with access to State power and investment capital. And the measures introduced in the name of regeneration, or renewal, are rapidly transforming the look of at least the central parts of many Turkish cities. This is

State Response to Contemporary Urban Movements in Turkey: A Critical Overview of State Entrepreneurialism and Authoritarian Interventions

“…The capital available in the Gulf countries has been vital to the government in its pursuit of high growth rates in an effort to legitimise its neo‐conservative policies. In this context, we discussed the increasing dominance of the “interventionist” regime of urban regulation with “authoritarian” and “entrepreneurial” aspirations (Lovering and Evren ), emphasising the changes in urban institutions via amendments to existing legislation.…”

Political Dilemmas in the Making of a Sustainable City-Region: The Case of Istanbul

“…As stated in the Revision Plan Report [28] (pp. [14][15][16][17], the settlements here are among the oldest settlements in the Near East and Europe, and for this reason, the region is considered to have a very important place in the history of world civilization. The Yarımburgaz Caves, located on the northern shore of Küçük Çekmece Lake, which have been used by humans and animals for about 400,000 years, will be critically affected by Canal Istanbul.…”

“…It frequently made revisions in the planning legislation and vested a number of central state departments with rights and responsibilities in planning [12]. Besides, it took on an entrepreneurial approach especially in metropolitan areas such as Istanbul [14], strategically intervening in the socio-spatial restructuring of space through a variety of mechanisms. A primary mechanism that the AKP government resorted to was frequently and arbitrarily changing the norms, procedures and institutions of planning, thereby creating "exceptions" in order to pave the way for large-scale urban transformation projects.…”

Defining semi-public space: a case study in the gated communities of Yaşamkent, Ankara

“…As scrutinized in the previous part, gentrification and suburbanization are two main domains in identifying the residential preferences of newly emerged upper classes after 1990s. In this vein, social inquiry on urban development in Turkey turned out to be based upon lifestyle, consumption culture and social segregation with 2000s (Ayata, 2003;Danış & Pérouse, 2005;Marmasan, 2014) As a component of these research areas, gated communities have been at the center of theoretical and empirical discussions about middle classes (Hazır, 2013;Yücebaş, 2013) Yet, in the context of urban transformation in Turkey, academic literature usually takes Istanbul as example (Aksoy& Robins, 1994;Geniş, 2007;Lovering & Evren, 2011) However the effects of neoliberal expansion can be seen in various cities of Turkey -especially for last decade there have been a lot of urban redevelopment projects in Ankara, İzmir, Bursa and others.…”