Istanbul, the 2010 European capital of culture, risks losing its place on UNESCO’s World Heritage List as a result of a lack of funding for conservation projects. Since 2006, UNESCO has said Istanbul’s historical sites are not being conserved according to international criteria and Turkish authorities’ protection techniques are not demonstrating improvement.
Istanbul municipality and the world’s governing body on cultural heritage should do more to ensure the 2010 European capital of culture retains its place on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, according to experts at a recent urban development conference.
A lack of funding for conservation projects is putting Istanbul at risk of losing its place on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, President of the Istanbul Chamber of Architects Deniz İncedayı told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review at the conference.
As well, UNESCO could be more flexible in its evaluation criteria for Istanbul considering the city’s particular historical significance for Western culture and in recognizing the needs of modern society, said Laure Kolbe, president of the International Planning History Society, at the “Urban Transformation: Controversies and Challenges Conference” held at Istanbul Technical University in early July.
Since 2006, UNESCO has repeatedly said Istanbul’s historical sites have not been appropriately conserved according to international criteria, and that during this period Turkish authorities’ protection measures have not improved, said İncedayı.
According toİncedayı, some examples of what UNESCO sees as inadequate conservation are the Haliç Metro project’s harming of the Süleymaniye Mosque’s surroundings, residential construction projects in Sulukule that are being built on top of archaeological sites, the restoration of historical houses in Tarlabaşı, Fener, Balat, and Zeyrek that ignore buildings’ original textures and the proposed addition to the Four Seasons Hotel in Sultanahmet that would contain remnants of a palace dating from the Byzantine era.
“Heritage misuse resulting from authorities’ unwillingness to accept the rules of the organization is a common problem experienced worldwide. On the other hand, with its population of 15 million inhabitations, Istanbul has, of course, its own economic and technical needs such as transportation. I hope that different partners can find a way to negotiate in flexible terms,” said Kolbe.
Indicating that urban transportation is an inevitable process in today’s Turkey as much as it is in the world, İncedayı said contemporary and scientific points of view should be included in projects related to urban transformation.
“Gentrification projects in Istanbul lack socio-cultural research in their planning. When you look at successful examples in the West, locals are equally included in planning processes via acknowledging their views through special legal statutes. But, the converse happens here as these people are excluded on the grounds of maintaining funding,” said İncedayı.
Even if Turkey’s Housing Development Institution, or TOKİ, provided housing opportunities for Roma people on the outskirts of the city, the eradication of Roma culture in Sulukule damages Istanbul’s historical texture, said İncedayı, adding that UNESCO thinks the construction site in Sulukule was probably too close to the historical city walls.
“In the case of Tarlabaşı, the Levantine buildings have an authentic texture in their compositions, but will lose their unique characteristics as they are refurbished into luxurious residences and business centers catering to the upper classes,” he said.
Seeing that authorities do not conform to original structures is unfortunately a common pattern, said Kolbe, adding that the method of “facadism” is utilized to build recreation centers out of old structures. “This situation arises especially when there are no families left to claim ‘this house belongs to my grandfather,’” said Kolbe, adding that some of the Levantine buildings should be turned into heritage museums to protect the diversity of the tradition.
According to İncedayı, at the moment more than 300 UNESCO-registered buildings are located in Tarlabaşı. “These buildings should be rescued and returned to the city,” said İncedayı, pointing out that people from outside the neighborhood are not comfortable visiting such withdrawn districts inhabited by a mixed and impoverished population.
“Getting rid of elements creating dangers in the city cannot be actualized by isolating people who have psychological problems. Instead, job opportunities should be provided for Tarlabaşı residents and a healthy environment should be created.
“Protecting the public interest is our responsibility in legal terms and there were times when we filed suits to do so,” said İncedayı, adding that the legal procedures sometimes work slowly and they did not necessarily work to prevent the misuse of heritage property.
“During my trip from the airport to my hotel I was impressed with the historical and contemporary layers that Istanbul maintains,” said Koble. “The biggest challenge facing Istanbul is internal migration.”
“In similar fashion objections are being made about the construction of a third bridge [across the Bosphorus]. The reports demonstrated the project is orientated to opening new construction sites rather than solving traffic problem,” said İncedayı, concerned about the disappearance of forestlands.
Author: Ipek Emeksiz | Source: Hurriyet [July 18, 2010]