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

Abstract

Considering the urgent need for intervention in areas affected byproblems 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. Thereis a gap between the Istanbul experience and Western—in particularWestern European—redevelopment practices, after which the Turkishexperience has been modelled. The study aims to fill this gap through areview of these practices, a close examination of the hands-onredevelopment experience, and the lessons derived from two pioneeringredevelopment projects in Istanbul: the gecekondu renewal of Ayazma-Tepeüstü and the earthquake-based regeneration in Sümer. 26 in-depthinterviews were carried out with actors who influenced redevelopmentdecisions and those who were influenced by them. Data triangulationwas employed to compare the two cases and reveal conflicting opinionsand claims. Based on insights from informed practitioners (i.e. centralgovernment and metropolitan-level housing providers, localmunicipalities, and NGOs) and residents, the article analyzes thephysical, financial, and community aspects of local redevelopment projects. It then derives policy sets for the planning of multi-levelredevelopment and social housing practices as suggested by the projectpractitioners and community. This study argues that whether focused onrenewal, regeneration, transformation, slum removal, or earthquakepreparedness, redevelopment activities should pursue planning policiesat both the general and local levels when designing a project and takeinto consideration the affected community’s inclusion and wellbeing incorresponding policies, including those of social housing.