Sustainability Awareness in Urban Transformation Projects: The Case of Ankara

In this study, it is understood that Turkey is developing rapidly, the increasing need for accommodation due to migration from the village to the city and the distorted structure in the cities, and the urban transformation efforts carried out in order to overcome this skewed construction necessitated the reorganization of the environment and the place. Urban transformation, which brings about significant changes in social life, causes positive / negative effects especially on the social life of women. In this context, the historical process of urban transformation in Turkey and in the world has been analyzed and discussed from the perspective of environment and women's issues. In this context, it is aimed to analyze the reflections of the new place and the surrounding area, which are the result of urban transformation, on the social life of women, by interviewing face to face with the women living in Etimesgut in the city of Ankara and having experienced the process of urban transformation. In this framework, it is aimed to produce suggestions on spatial planning and environmental regulations that take into account the needs of women in urban life. The fact that women spend more time in domestic life, that women play an active role in neighborhood culture, requires that women be treated as a special category in every kind of urban transformation project and the possible effects on women should be examined. At the end of the work; It has been determined that women are not included in decision-making mechanisms in urban transformation projects carried out in Etimesgut region, that the lifestyles and needs of women are not adequately taken into account when domestic and environmental regulations are being made and that urban transformations have more intense and different effects on women.

Urban transformation projects are prepared with the purpose to rehabilitate urban areas and/or to mitigate disaster risk. Urban transformation projects should be realized in the cities where urbanization planning is not well-organized in the past and rapid perfunctory urbanization occurs. Selecting the appropriate urban transformation projects and prioritizing them is important in the cities where there are multiple problems such as earthquake risk, flood risk and landslide risk. Prioritization of transformation projects is a multicriteria decision making problem, in which multiple stakeholders have diverse perspectives. The fuzzy set theory enables us to make mathematical operations with the linguistic evaluations in a multicriteria decision making method. In urban transformation problems, especially for subjective criteria, stakeholders usually prefer making linguistic evaluations. When decision makers show hesitancy in their evaluations, hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets (HFLTS) can be used to integrate various linguistic evaluations without losing any information. Istanbul is the largest metropolitan of Turkey where a probable earthquake is expected in the near future. In this paper, a new linguistic group decision making based hesitant fuzzy TOPSIS approach for evaluating urban transformation projects is proposed and a real world application for Istanbul is provided. Four urban transformation alternatives for Istanbul are prioritized by the proposed method and a sensitivity analysis is conducted.

Urban transformation projects have been implemented throughout Turkey, especially in metropolitan cities, for many years to reuse the idle areas of cities. Neoliberal policies affect many areas and also affect cities and urban transformation policies in Turkey. In this context, it is possible to note that social disintegration with the concern of investment and where equal benefits are not observed during the urban transformation process. To investigate this situation, Mehmet Akif Ersoy Neighborhood, which was implemented in 2010 in Ankara Yenimahalle district, was examined. This project was realized in cooperation with Yenimahalle municipality and the private sector (YDA construction company). YDA Park Avenue Residences, which were built in the region because of urban transformation, deeply affected the social and economic dynamics of the region. This has negatively affected the living standards of the residents of the region. In addition, leaving Mehmet Akif Ersoy Residences allocated to the people of the region lacking in many services has already been insufficient in terms of providing any contribution that will raise the living standards of the people of the region whose lifestyles have changed. Through this research, it has tried to determine the social and economic outputs of urban transformation by making interviews with the participants who live in both sites and use the social facilities in the region. During the research process, the framework of the research was created with the literature research, and then the primary data were obtained with a semi-structured interview. The sample selection during the research process varied according to the research regions. The snowball sampling method was followed in YDA Park Avenue Residences and Mehmet Akif Ersoy Residences. Thanks to this method, it has become easier to reach the former squatter owners, who are among the residents of the region, especially in Mehmet Akif Ersoy Residences. A random sampling method was used to reach the individuals who use the YDA Park Avenue’s public facilities, which is the third group of the research. The research process was continued until the saturation point and a total of 48 people were interviewed. The urban transformation project is generally considered unsuccessful by the participants. The former squatter owners, who are the first addressees of the urban transformation, define the purpose of the transformation as an investment. For this reason, they describe the new lifestyle offered to them as a modern shantytown. For the participants who moved to the region after the urban transformation, the transformation project is quite successful due to the location of the region. However, they also add that the transformation should take place in a more equal. Finally, the participants who used the social facilities by the dynamics of the region after the urban transformation stated that the mobility of the region increased after the transformation, and they could use the facilities safely. For this reason, people who use social areas think that urban transformation is very beneficial for the region. Economic concerns are considered very important in the urban transformation project, and in addition to this, new collapsed areas are formed. Based on the case, urban transformation projects can bring results such as investment and gentrification as well as physical renewal. As a result, Mehmet Akif Ersoy and YDA Park Avenue residences as a single example have the identity of being a prototype for urban transformation projects in terms of neoliberal urban policies. * This study, conducted under the supervision of Dr. Yahya Aydın, was supported by TÜBİTAK within the scope of "2209-A University Students Research Support Program".

PurposeThe facility management (FM) sector, which is developing rapidly, is making slower progress in Turkey compared to Europe and the USA. This paper aims to research the underlying issues leading to FM practices and offer insights into the implications of FM-related policies, especially for large urban transformation projects.Design/methodology/approachThe study used a mixed-methods research design and collected qualitative data through semi-structured interviews with building/site managers and quantitative data through structured surveys with residents. Forty-nine building/site managers and 660 residents participated in the interview and survey from Turkey’s North Ankara and Dikmen Valley urban transformation projects.FindingsThe FM by residents, performed by the managers selected among homeowners, was preferred to the professional FM in Turkey. Education level, age, homeownership and duration of living in the region were associated with selecting FM practices. Cost also had an important place among the selection criteria, and the standard view from the residents was that professional FM would cause a cost increase. However, interviews with building/site managers in North Ankara and Dikmen Valley Urban Transformation areas revealed that a significant part of the problem resulted from insufficient knowledge and experience in FM.Research limitations/implicationsWithin the scope of the research, two urban transformation projects in Ankara Province were selected, and the survey was limited to the North Ankara Entrance Urban Transformation Project and Dikmen Valley Urban Transformation Project areas. Although there is a need to improve the understanding of FM in all facilities, built environments and collective buildings, collective buildings in urban transformation areas due to several constraints, those other identified areas are postponed for future study. In addition, collective buildings located in transformation areas differ from others in discussing the social dimension and the impact of management.Social implicationsWithin the scope of the research, two urban transformation projects in Ankara Province were selected, and the survey was limited to the North Ankara Entrance Urban Transformation Project and Dikmen Valley Urban Transformation Project areas. Although there is a need to improve the understanding of FM in all facilities, due to several constraints built environments and collective buildings in urban transformation areas, are postponed for future study. In addition, collective buildings located in transformation areas differ from others in discussing the social dimension and the impact of management.Originality/valueThis study evaluates two different FM approaches: FM by residents and professional FM, implemented in Turkey and identifies the criteria for choosing the FM practice. In addition, both building/site managers and residents evaluate different perspectives on FM. This study is unique because it compares different FM practices in Turkey and the criteria for residents to prefer different FM practices.

Mahalle is a place name derived from the Arabic roots halel and hulul, meaning “to land, to settle down” (Turkish Dictionary, 1998). In addition to the residential structures within a neighborhood, it has a mosque, primary school, fountain, baths, a grocery store, bakery, parks, etc. It is the smallest settlement in a city. On the other hand, socially a neighborhood refers to a community that is placed somewhere and has organizational relationships. The neighborhood phenomenon is one of the most important legacies that continue from the Ottoman Empire to the Republic. During the Republican period, many new neighborhoods have also been established, often formed by adhering to a plan. In this study, the formation of Fevzi Çakmak neighborhood, one of the neighborhoods designed according to the Kayseri ARU-Oelsner (1945) zoning plan, and the change that the neighborhood has undergone from the past to the present will be examined. According to the data obtained, the aim of the Kayseri ARU-Oelsner zoning plan is to contribute to the Urban Transformation Project of Fevzi Çakmak neighborhood, which will be planned by the local government in the future. Literature and field studies, document analysis and oral history studies will be used as methods in the study. In this context, maps belonging to the neighborhood, zoning plans, Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality and Kocasinan Municipality archive records and old photographs will be provided. The Fevzi Çakmak neighborhood, which was built in the 1960s, has a grid plan type and is one of the modern neighborhoods that have contributed to the development of the city in an east direction. A city analysis will be carried out in historical continuity from the establishment of Fevzi Çakmak neighborhood to the present day. It is believed that detecting interventions in significant areas of change/transformation of the neighborhood will make significant contributions to the future urban transformation project. Accordingly, it is proposed that the analysis to be conducted in the neighborhood be evaluated within a theoretical framework which is known in Urban Planning as “we-zoning and Hoyt classification”. Accordingly, the areas identified in the neighborhood in the present study will be evaluated within the scope of “protection”, “correction” (improvement) and “renewal” strategies. It is expected that this work, carried out in the Kayseri Fevzi Çakmak neighborhood, will contribute to urban planning and transformation projects and architectural discussions throughout the country.

In recent years, Agile methodologies have emerged as promising frameworks for managing complex projects, with applications extending beyond software development into various domains. This article delves into the intersection of Agile methodologies and urban transformation projects, where the dynamic and multifaceted nature of urban development presents unique challenges. By breaking down urban projects into iterative phases, Agile methodologies offer a flexible and adaptive approach that can effectively address the diverse needs and priorities of stakeholders. Through empirical research and case studies, this study explores how Agile principles can enhance stakeholder engagement, facilitate cross-sector collaboration, and promote innovative solutions to urban challenges. Additionally, the article examines the role of Agile methodologies in fostering resilience, sustainability, and inclusivity in urban development initiatives. By synthesizing insights from theory and practice, this article provides a comprehensive overview of the potential benefits and challenges of applying Agile methodologies in the context of urban transformation, offering valuable guidance for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers alike. As cities continue to evolve and face ever-growing challenges, Agile methodologies present a promising avenue for driving positive change and creating more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive urban environments.

In current European practices, actors in real estate and urban transformation are highly dependent on one another. Contemporary inner-city transformation projects are particularly challenging in terms of collaboration and financing, as they need to address the need for housing as well as new demands in mobility, health, energy, climate adaptation and other sectors. Among other things, such cross-sectoral projects need to allocate funding from multiple public and private sources in a timely fashion, which is a challenge in its own right. Moreover, long-term urban transformation projects require large sums of up-front financing due to high land assembly, site preparation and real estate construction costs. Such financing is usually difficult to obtain. Project proposals face strict conditions from private lenders and investors, and limited availability of government funding, value capturing, and legal co-financing possibilities (Daamen et al., 2020). In many countries, these and other trends have spurred a quest for innovative financing instruments for real estate development (e.g. Squires et al., 2015). The Netherlands is a case in point. Here, innovative financing arrangements that combine the realization of public values and private return are believed to offer great potential for inner-city transformation projects. As part of a study funded by a Dutch government-industry coalition, we identified and assessed two of such innovative financing arrangements: Revolving Funds and Area Improvement Districts (Heurkens et al., 2020). The essence of the Revolving Fund is that public bodies – once private finance due to estimated risks in unavailable – pre-finance the realization of local public amenities and/or private real estate investments with sustainability objectives such as energy transition or shared mobility solutions. Such pre-financing has the precondition that the loan is repaid (with interest) to the fund, thus making it available for reinvestment—hence its revolving nature. The idea of an Area Improvement Districts is based on the financing mechanism behind Business Improvement Districts practiced in the US. These are aimed at obtaining a proportional financial contribution from property owners, investors and (potentially) developers for collective amenities or infrastructures in the area. These contributions are based on the expected increase in real estate value and the social impact of investments, which are pre-financed from a privately managed fund. Both innovative financing arrangements provide possible answers to, and might reinforce, increasing interdependencies between the public and private sector in urban planning and development (Heurkens et al., 2015). In addition, they aim to arrange and designate finance collectively in order to synthesize public and private values in the built environment. Potentially, they could prove to be beneficial for financing specific urban transformation projects with innovative sustainability solutions that have not yet proven to generate satisfactory returns. Nonetheless, both arrangements might also involve institutional changes – ranging from adapting government legislation, rethinking real estate financing structures, or changing actor behaviors and cultures – that prohibit a widespread adoption in practice. Moreover, one might ask whether such hybrid financing arrangements, and associated interdependencies such as shared risks, are desirable from a political and financial risk management point of view. Therefore, further research necessitates a closer examination of the features of, conditions for and effects of applications of innovative financing arrangements in urban transformation practices.

Cities transformed by their own socio-cultural, economic, political and technological processes from their existed period. An urban transformation project should be planned from a variety of angles such as physical, economic, social and environmental as well as legal, institutional, financial and partnerships to the implementation of the project, and transformation programs should be prepared. In urban transformation projects, it should aimed to develop strategies to restore economic viability in urban parts that have become physical and social depressions, thereby increasing urban welfare and quality of life should also be the other side of the concern. The construction sector is the locomotive sector of the economy all over the world, with the production and the employment provided by the dozens of sub-sectors attached to it. The Turkish construction sector has an important place in the development of the country. In recent years, urban transformation projects in our cities have progressed very rapidly. This process is taking place in Eskisehir after the 1999 earthquakes. However, there are many economic, social and legal problems in this process. In this study, the urban transformation applications in Eskisehir after the 1999 earthquake is evaluated and solution proposals are presented.

A socio-spatial analysis of urban transformation at a neighborhood scale: The case of the relocation of Kadifekale inhabitants to TOKİ Uzundere in İzmir

Purpose- In Turkey, despite the support of governmental institutions, a substantial part of the contractor companies that carry out urban transformation activities have experienced financial problems due to uncertainties in the markets, exchange rate changes and raw material price increases, and bankruptcy and concordat situations have arisen. The transformation of most of the risky houses in earthquake zones has not been completed yet. In this study, alternative financing methods that can help contractor companies involved in urban transformation projects to provide sustainable cash flow are analyzed. Methodology- Within the scope of the study, the financing methods applied in urban transformation projects and suggested in the literature were examined and compared. In addition, the potential of these methods to provide financial sustainability in markets with high uncertainty has been examined. Findings- It is seen that the most important reason for the companies to come to the point of bankruptcy are the cost increase related cash flow imbalance. In the same period, the profitability of the financial institutions that financed the projects increased. Conclusion- It has been concluded that urban transformation projects can be successful by financing with the methods that enable financial institutions to become partners in commercial risk when environmental uncertainties are high. Keywords: Financial sustainability, financing methods, urban transformation. JEL Codes: D25, M21, R58

The history of marketing urban spaces through showcasing them like commodities has started after the Second World War. The strategists, behind these window displays, are actors possessing political and economic capital. Urban transformation projects occurred as a consequence of the capital orienting to urban land, which brought about upheavals in socio-spatial structure. Considering the urban transformation projects in Turkey, Istanbul, as a city in the running to become a global city, is the preeminent showcase with its historical, cultural and economic potentials for the political and economic actors. The macro-scale urban transformation projects seen in Istanbul after 2000s can be observed on the micro scale in the rebuilding of Istiklal Street as the main artery in Beyoglu quarter, which is one of the historic city centers. In this context, this article analyzes the urban transformation initiatives in Istanbul focusing on the urban transformation of Istiklal Street and its immediate vicinity which has gained momentum from 2005. This research is predicated on a comparative spatial analysis of Istiklal Street. Sixty cross-sections were obtained from Taksim Square to Tunel Square in 2004 with a view to analyze the spatial use patterns on Istiklal Street. The study has been replicated in 2014 in order to analyze spatial transformation. In this regard, the research discusses the spatial transformation appeared in a decade, between 2004 and 2014, through the influences of capital and politics; and it presents the urban planning strategies oriented to global city, neoliberal policies and cultural tourism in Istanbul and the reflections of them in Beyoglu quarter. The spatial transformation of Istiklal Street is evaluated through the analysis per square meter of the cross-sectioned buildings, spatial comparisons, media scanning for monitoring actors and discourses, and interviews with landlords and tenants. In relation to the phenomenon of globalization, the paper deals with the transformation of spaces covered by culture, finance, informatics and tourism sectors, and catering and shopping spaces appealing to service these sectors with reference to the phenomenon of cultural tourism.

PurposeThis study aims to gain a qualitative understanding of the residents’ perspective on the complexities of built environment management in Turkey. In addition, facility management (FM) is a newly emerging field in Turkey and therefore the paper contributes to the existing knowledge base on the global status of the field.Design/methodology/approachIn-person surveys with the residents in the North Ankara and Dikmen Valley urban transformation projects were evaluated. The data have been collected from 660 residents through surveys using the random sampling method. Chi-square tests were used to examine the frequency and percentage distributions of the data, as well as the relationship between categorical variables. If the expected values in the chi-square analysis were low/insufficient, the Monte Carlo simulation method was used. A value of 0.05 was used as the level of significance, and it was stated that there was a significant relationship/dependency in the case of p < 0.05, and that there was no significant relationship/dependency in the case of p > 0.05.FindingsThe research identified that there was a prevailing opinion that professional FM services would likely increase the overall cost of maintenance, but satisfaction was lower in areas where management was carried out by a resident management group. It has been observed that there is a significant dependency between the regions with the answers given to the statements “Management by professional management companies causes an increase in costs” and “Management by the homeowners is more advantageous than working with professional management companies.”Originality/valueThe concept of “gecekondu” is unique to Turkey and the operation, maintenance and quality expectations of gecekondu owners and those of the more affluent residents can be significantly different. This fascinating process of illegal housing-to-urban transformation and the current need for many more urban transformation projects in the country distinguished the Turkish urban transformation approach from other countries. In addition, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is no other study in Turkey regarding the FM of urban transformation areas with data of this size.

ABSTRACTThis article examines the role of state affinity in community struggles against authoritarian, neoliberal urban transformation projects (UTPs) in Turkey. It argues that as neoliberal hegemonic devices, UTPs produce contentious political spaces within which communities negotiate, resist, or comply with state-imposed, pro-market rationales (i.e. common sense). As an alternative to depictions of subaltern communities in mobilization as totally ‘co-opted‘ or ‘victimized‘ in neoliberal renewal or as ’unwilling’ or ’unable’ to produce a collective rights identity, the analysis offers a more complicated picture of community resistance, inactivity, and co-optation. To do this, it adopts a combination of Henri Lefebvre’s theory of production of space and Antonio Gramsci’s theory of hegemony. The analysis is based on the findings from original ethnographic research on two ethnically distinct working-class neighborhoods under UTP threat in Gebze, a satellite city of Istanbul. It compares communities’ affinity with the state-sponsored ideologies (Sunni-Turkish nationalism, neoliberalism) by looking at their ethnic identities and social histories.

Extreme heat events are happening more frequently and with greater severity, causing significant negative consequences, especially for vulnerable urban populations around the globe. Heat stress is even more common in cities with dense and irregular planning and lacking urban blue-green infrastructures. This study investigates the greening and cooling effects of five selected urban transformation projects and their surrounding areas (within a 10-min walking distance) in Istanbul from 2013 to 2021, with a focus on environmental justice and climate adaptation planning perspectives. By employing temporal analysis of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Land Surface Temperature (LST) values derived from Landsat data sets to detect changes in these five selected urban transformation projects in the megacity of Türkiye, Istanbul, this study finds that the distribution of green infrastructures (e.g., tree canopy) is only limited to project sites of long-running and state-supported urban transformation projects in Istanbul. Consequently, the unequal distribution of green infrastructures creates cooling effects only for the locals residing in the new residential projects. However, the surrounding areas have less urban green infrastructure and are exposed more to the urban heat over time. Urban development policies and planning highly contribute to increasing the climate vulnerabilities among those who do not benefit from the recently developed residential units in Istanbul. Such a trend can affect adaptive capacity of vulnerable communities and redress environmental injustices in urban planning in the megacity of Istanbul.

Earthquakes have often produced economic and social disaster. The last destructive earthquake on west side of the NAFZ is 1999 İzmit (Mw = 7.4). On August 17, 1999, a major earthquake occurred in the Marmara region, western Turkey, with a magnitude Mw = 7.4. The total observable length of the rupture was about 100km. The number of condemned buildings after the earthquakes amounted 23,400. There were 18,373 accounted deaths. First reason of this damage is inadequate design and low construction quality of buildings without control and supervision. The second important result is wrong urbanization policies of local and central government. Among the cities of the well developed and developing countries, it is possible to create urban surroundings resistant to earthquakes by comprehensive mitigation activities. Turkish Government has decided to perform many urban transformation projects in Istanbul in order prevent future seismic damages. However these projects have been started without detailed design and analysis. The aim of this study is to analysis performance of urban transformation projects in Istanbul. The feedbacks are collected from the sides of urban transformation projects such as landowners, constructors, officials, non governal organizations (NGO). Especially Fikirtepe Urban Transformation Projects are analyzed with details. Based on studies on site and later analysis, the performances of urban transformation projects in Istanbul are evaluated.