No politics in urban policies, say architects
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Şubat 03, 2009 00:00
ANKARA - Contemporary urban policies should focus on the preservation of urban identity and cultural heritage, according to Bülend Tuna, TMMOB chairman.
The chairman of an infrastructural organization has appealed to the would-be municipal mayors in next months elections to focus on urban planning for the benefit of their constituents.
Bülend Tuna, from the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects, or TMMOB, said local administrations and new mayors should produce urban policies that benefit residents and harmonize society and the physical environment of the city.
In an effort to reveal the chamber’s expectations on the contemporary urban policies ahead of local elections in March, the TMMOB prepared a report on what the ideal urban policies should cover. "The local elections are more than an election of a mayor; the local administrations play a crucial role in the central decision making processes through their urban policies," Tuna said at a press conference promoting the report last week.
Contemporary urban policies should focus on preservation of the urban identity and cultural heritage of the city and urban transformation projects, which would not only be a physical change but also a comprehensive social change, Tuna said."An increasing number of unplanned and illegal structures and shanty towns have filled the cities because of politics and unplanned urban development policies," he said. "This situation has harmed urban identity and its physical, historical and cultural texture."
Human-oriented transport needed
The politically-motivated construction amnesties should be lifted and human and accessibility-oriented transportation policies should be adopted, said Tuna. Transportation policies should encourage public transportation models and pedestrian lanes.
Emphasizing the importance of transparent and democratic urban policies, Tuna said that local administrations should encourage public participation in urban policies.
Tuna also criticized some of the urban policies that harmed the Republican-period architectural heritage and that historical and cultural urban heritage was an essential part of the urban identity.
Commenting on the mass public housing projects by the Prime Ministry’s Housing Development Administration of Turkey, or TOKİ, Tuna said these kinds of projects promoted a prototype and ordinary architectural style that harmed the urban texture. Environment-related projects and concepts such as ecological architecture and planning and environmentally-friendly structuring should further occupy the agenda of the local administrations, said Tuna.
Municipalities should also produce sound disaster management policies and projects, especially for Istanbul where a serious earthquake is expected to take place, he said. The municipalities should produce more projects and facilities for the disabled, said Tuna.
"Urban policies shouldn’t be based on daily and short-term political interests," he said.
Bülend Tuna, from the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects, or TMMOB, said local administrations and new mayors should produce urban policies that benefit residents and harmonize society and the physical environment of the city.
In an effort to reveal the chamber’s expectations on the contemporary urban policies ahead of local elections in March, the TMMOB prepared a report on what the ideal urban policies should cover. "The local elections are more than an election of a mayor; the local administrations play a crucial role in the central decision making processes through their urban policies," Tuna said at a press conference promoting the report last week.
Contemporary urban policies should focus on preservation of the urban identity and cultural heritage of the city and urban transformation projects, which would not only be a physical change but also a comprehensive social change, Tuna said."An increasing number of unplanned and illegal structures and shanty towns have filled the cities because of politics and unplanned urban development policies," he said. "This situation has harmed urban identity and its physical, historical and cultural texture."
Human-oriented transport needed
The politically-motivated construction amnesties should be lifted and human and accessibility-oriented transportation policies should be adopted, said Tuna. Transportation policies should encourage public transportation models and pedestrian lanes.
Emphasizing the importance of transparent and democratic urban policies, Tuna said that local administrations should encourage public participation in urban policies.
Tuna also criticized some of the urban policies that harmed the Republican-period architectural heritage and that historical and cultural urban heritage was an essential part of the urban identity.
Commenting on the mass public housing projects by the Prime Ministry’s Housing Development Administration of Turkey, or TOKİ, Tuna said these kinds of projects promoted a prototype and ordinary architectural style that harmed the urban texture. Environment-related projects and concepts such as ecological architecture and planning and environmentally-friendly structuring should further occupy the agenda of the local administrations, said Tuna.
Municipalities should also produce sound disaster management policies and projects, especially for Istanbul where a serious earthquake is expected to take place, he said. The municipalities should produce more projects and facilities for the disabled, said Tuna.
"Urban policies shouldn’t be based on daily and short-term political interests," he said.