Policy Recommendations for the Planning of Multi-Level Redevelopment and Social Housing Practices

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15320/ICONARP.2019.97

Keywords:

Urban redevelopment, Social housing, Policy development, Istanbul

Abstract

Considering the urgent need for intervention in areas affected by problems such as gecekondu settlement and earthquake risk, redevelopment is inevitable in Istanbul. Such interventions, however, have proven problematic in meeting the local community’s needs. There is a gap between the Istanbul experience and Western—in particular Western European—redevelopment practices, after which the Turkish experience has been modelled. The study aims to fill this gap through a review of these practices, a close examination of the hands-on redevelopment experience, and the lessons derived from two pioneering redevelopment projects in Istanbul: the gecekondu renewal of Ayazma-Tepeüstü and the earthquake-based regeneration in Sümer. 26 in-depth interviews were carried out with actors who influenced redevelopment decisions and those who were influenced by them. Data triangulation was employed to compare the two cases and reveal conflicting opinions and claims. Based on insights from informed practitioners (i.e. central government and metropolitan-level housing providers, local municipalities, and NGOs) and residents, the article analyzes the physical, financial, and community aspects of local redevelopment projects. It then derives policy sets for the planning of multi-level redevelopment and social housing practices as suggested by the project practitioners and community. This study argues that whether focused on renewal, regeneration, transformation, slum removal, or earthquake preparedness, redevelopment activities should pursue planning policies at both the general and local levels when designing a project and take into consideration the affected community’s inclusion and wellbeing in corresponding policies, including those of social housing.

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Author Biography

Imge Akcakaya Waite, Istanbul Technical University

İmge Akçakaya Waite, PhD, is a researcher and lecturer at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Istanbul Technical University, where she received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. She earned her PhD at the Urban Planning Department in the Luskin School of Public Affairs at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), with her dissertation titled “Planning, power, politics: Urban redevelopment in Istanbul.” Among her recent fields of interest are decision-making and governance mechanisms, inclusive and collaborative planning, urban planning project organization, and planning education.

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Published

30-12-2019

How to Cite

Waite, I. A. (2019). Policy Recommendations for the Planning of Multi-Level Redevelopment and Social Housing Practices. ICONARP International Journal of Architecture and Planning, 7(2), 540–567. https://doi.org/10.15320/ICONARP.2019.97

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