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Saturday, January 1, 2011

THE PLANNING HISTORY OF TURKEY: POLICIES, PRACTICES, BREAKDOWNS

Fatma Pelin ÖZTÜRK
Hale ÇIRACI

14th IPHS CONFERENCE, 12-15 July 2010 Istanbul-TURKEY

ABSTRACT

Turkey went into social and economical regeneration process after pronouncement of the republic in 1923. Although there were many problems and constraints like limited economical sources, external debts from the Ottoman period, and the lack of technical crew the government gave importance to the planned urban development. In the single party period of 1920’s-1940’s, the industrial investments in particular settlements in the country came into prominence. By the beginning of the 1950’s the Marshall aid started to change the economic and demographic structure of Turkey (mechanization in agriculture, migration from rural to urban etc.). In 1950’s as a result of the unconsidered circumstances, immigration from rural to urban areas, unplanned urban development (squatter housing or gecekondu), land speculations, unemployment in the urban areas occurred as other problems. In 1960’s by the foundation of State Planning Organization the planned urban development was started and regional planning approach gained importance for the planning practices. The changing political order in that period also changed the status quo. The 1980’s were interpreted as the time of chaos for the developing cities as a result of intricacy of the 1970’s. The rapid urbanization, migration from rural to urban, unemployment, land speculations, marginal sector developments, the unsustainable uses of land and resources were the primary problems of 1980’s. The military coup between 1980 and 1983, the liberal economic changes of 1984 with the political elections, the private TV channels, changes in popular culture shaped the 1980’s in the context of planning discipline and social durations. After 1980’s the cities were shaped bycapital flow, incremental development approach (project based development), globalisation and rapid urbanization. In this study, urbanization practices, laws and regulations, the breakpoints for social, demographic and urban changes, economic and political processes, planning practices were evaluated in order to execute the relations between different processes.


Istanbul, image by Urban Icon
Blue Mosqu Seagull, Istanbul, image by Urban Icon

More on planning history:

Anglo-American town planning theory since 1945: three significant developments but no paradigm shifts

Howard Park and Howard Garden, Letchworth Garden City, Herts: Archaeological Desk Based Assessment

Top 20 Urban Planning Successes of All Time

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