Gezi Resistance in the Absence of Participation

Abstract

Construction sector was an engine of last ten year’s economic development and this sector has nurtured by rapid urban regeneration processes. In this period, Turkeys last quarter’s popular concepts; localization, governance and participation had put on the shelf totally. Therefore, in the last 5 years, urban policy and planning became the most important issues of the central government. Construction facilities put on the agenda directly by central government. Naturally, as Turkey’s biggest metropolitan area Istanbul has been the focus of construction agenda. Projects and plans leading spatial development also leads and gives direction to fundamental rights and life styles. Decision-making processes of such urban plans and projects also reflect the way of using participation rights. Experiences from Istanbul, particularly Gezi resistance, give an opportunity for critical evaluation of the participation problematic in our planning process. Civil resistance and disobedience that has been arising from and urban movement has revealed that how the space has been politicized day by day. Urban planning has gone out of controlling mechanism of the planning system and became an intervention tool of the authority for daily life. As an abandoned concept, “participation in planning” constitutes the main theme of this article. OZET On yillik ekonomik buyumenin lokomotifi rolundeki insaat sektorunu kentsel donusum surecleri beslemistir. Bu surecte, Turkiye’nin son 25 yillik gundeminde yer alan; yerellesme, yonetisim ve katilim kavramlari henuz basarili bir ilerleme kaydedemeden tumuyle rafa kalkmistir. Boylece ozellikle son 5 yil icinde kentsel politika ve planlama giderek ulkenin en onemli gundem maddelerinden biri olarak dogrudan merkezi hukumetin ilgi odaginda yer almistir. Dogal olarak, insaat gundeminin odagina da ulkenin en buyuk kentsel alani olan Istanbul yerlestirilmistir. Mekânsal gelismeye yon veren proje ve planlar ayni zamanda kentlilerin temel haklarini kullanmalarina ve yasam bicimlerine de yon verir. Boylesi plan ve projelerin karar alma surecleri ise kentlilerin kendi yasam alanlariyla ilgili olarak kentlilik haklarini, bir baska deyisle katilim haklarini nasil kullandiklarini yansitir. Planlama kurumumuzdaki katilim sorunsalini elestirel bir cercevede dusunmek icin Istanbul’daki deneyimler, ozellikle Gezi deneyimi onemli firsatlar sunmaktadir. Kentsel muhalefet hareketinden dogan sivil direnis deneyimi, mekanin giderek ne denli siyasallastigini ortaya koymustur. Kent planlamasi, planlama kurumu icindeki denetim sureclerinin disina cikarilarak iktidarin gundelik yasama mudahalesinin bir araci haline gelmistir. Bu yaklasim icinde terk edilen “planlamaya katilim” meselesi bu yazinin konusunu olusturmaktadir. 45 Gelis tarihi: 27.11.2013 Kabul tarihi: 03.12.2013 Iletisim: Erhan Kurtarir. e-posta: erhankurtarir@gmail.com Planlama 2013;23(1):45-51 doi: 10.5505/planlama.2013.58077