Historic Preservation Gone Wild

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-turkey-protests-2013061499.story

Hello Everyone:

Historical Rendering of Gezi Park
theguideistanbul.com

As stated in yesterday's post, I planned to tackle the fallout from the protests in Istanbul, Turkey and I shall not disappoint.  The basis for today's rant comes to us from the Los Angeles Times via a wonderful website dedicated to all things planning, http://www.planetizen.com.  As reported on Friday June 14, 2013, the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to halt construction in Gezi Park after a three hour emergency meeting with anti-government protesters in  the capital of Turkey, Ankara. This helped ease fears of further violence and bloodshed after two weeks of widespread, often violent protests.  The matter still has to be decided by the Judicial branch and a referendum.  The referendum appears to be the biggest concession to the protesters made by the Erdogan government as police gathered at dusk and prepared to enter Taksim Square.  So what does this all mean in terms of urban planning?

Fountain at Gezi Park
en.wikipedia.org

According to Tim Arango in a recent New York Times article (http://www.nytimes.com), "In the current crisis, which centers on a government plan to convert the park into a replica of an Ottoman-era army barrack, Mr. Erdogan has acted more like the mayor of Istanbul, a job he held in the 1990s."  I can honestly see this because, it seems that Mr. Erdogan's primary domestic concern are focused Turkey's largest city while ignoring the real and immediate concerns of country as a whole.  Further, Mr. Erdogan's pro-Islamic stance has raised serious concerns among the secular population and women.  The sentiment raised by Mr. Arango is echoed by Professor Sadik Artunc, FASLA, RLA in The  Dirt (aslathedirt.files.wordpress.com/2013.06/riot.jp).

Gezi Park
azadolu.com

In his post, Professor Artunc accuses Mr. Erdogan of practicing Landscape Architecture without a license.  Professor Artunc believes that the widespread violence and bloodshed can be linked to the top-down planning style of the Prime Minister.  Instead of using his time in the spotlight to calm the protesters and approves a requested dialogue, Mr. Erdogan sent in the riot police and his  supporters.  That pretty much makes the Prime Minister's position quite clear.  What I still don't get is why celebrate the Ottoman?  After all, they ruled their empire with an iron fist for centuries while living in splendor.  From an architectural history point of view, the Ottoman contributed some very ornate and magnificent buildings.  However, let's not forget that the Ottoman oppressed not only indigenous Turks but also the people of the lands they occupied.

Protestors at Gezi Park
pbs.org

The plans announced by the city government and strongly promoted by Mr. Erdogan originally called for the razing of the park to build a shopping mall inspired by the demolished Ottoman Military Barracks.  After initial protests, Mr. Erdogan backed off the plans for a shopping mall (like the world really needs another palace to retail), however, the plans to raze the park an put "something" there is in the works.  I see an opportunity to do something for the benefit of ALL the Turkish people.  Besides that, when you have a bright and vibrant market place like the Grand Bazaar (thankfully not trashed in Skyfall) who needs a mall.  For rests of Taksim Square, the Prime Minister calls for removing several stores to bring an existing church out into the open and build a "major mosque" on the other side of the street in a location that was once reserved for private performances. A mosque near a church why not add a synagogue really let the religious dynamics play out.

Sympathetic protesters
habitants.org

As for the remainder of the proposed design, there are plans for traffic underpasses below the square and pedestrian access (http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/06/07/world/european-to-change-Taksim-Square.html?ref=europe&_r=0).  In order to accomplish this plan the entire park would have to be removed in order to create the underpasses that would alleviate the traffic congestion that plagues the square.  The green space would not be entirely gone.  Instead of a park, a very large tulip-shaped turf would serve as the green space.  The tulip is a revered flower in Turkey and is known to be symbolic of the Prophet Muhammed.  What is troubling is Mr. Erdogan's statement that "something" will be built implies that no one has a clue as to what to build.  Nor is there even an iota of hint about the master or street level design.  This should really worry everyone.  No clue, no plans equals trouble.

Ottoman Military Barrack (destroyed c. 1923)
openurban.org

Professor Sadik Artunc labels the proposed plan and design as "sophomoric at best."  Professor Artunc points out that over the years, the park has been encroached upon along the edges and received minimal maintenance.  The trees have matured and provide the only shaded areas and refuge from the congestion.  While he admits something does need to be done to take advantage of the green space, "paving paradise and putting up a parking lot"  of that vague "something" is not the answer.  Professor Artunc also questions the previous use of the Ottoman Military Barrack as a source of inspiration.  Historically, the barracks were the site of one of the bloodiest uprising by the mullahs, who wanted Sha'aria imposed during the last decades of the Ottoman Empire.  Atatürk Kemel, founder of modern Turkey, was the Ottoman military commander who suppressed the rebellion in the late nineteenth century.  Kemel later ordered the barracks destroyed after modern Turkey was established in 1923.  Thus,  Professor Artunc concludes that the use and promotion of the barracks by Mr. Erdogan begs the question: "How much respect does the current government have for its strong secular tradition?"

And there it is, the conflation of religion and politics.  It seems that every issue, no matter how important or trivial, in this region of the Asian continent is fraught with religious overtones.  As an American, it seems rather strange to me.  I can see why some people tend to stray from the religion they were raised with.  Speaking for myself, I find that when religion is used as a method of controlling every aspect of life, there is something definitely wrong.

What seems evident in the proposal is that, despite the inclusion of pedestrian access, there is not thought given to the needs of walkers.  Nor is there any element that is at human scale.  Professor Artunc postulates that Mr. Erdogan's unstated objective is to minimize and eventually remove the monument to the Independence War, which contains commemorative sculptures of Kemel, his commanders, and unknown soldiers during the final days of the occupied Ottoman Empire.  I would theorize that the Prime Minister is trying to rewrite history.

Professor Sadik Artunc explains the significance of this ill-conceived plan in a very succinct manner.  Let's say the United States government wanted to sell George Washington's Mount Vernon or the National Park Service wanting to sell off cherished open land to a private developer  to turn into a shopping mall?  If you're not in the United States, you can use your own example.  The point is this is what's happening in Turkey today and the source of the protests.  All this could been avoid if there was a public hearing system in the planning and designing process.  Instead of opening a dialogue, the Prime Minister has dismissed the protesters as "marginal and extreme."  This is ironic because the Erdogan government is currently holding talks with a convicted killer and head of an internationally recognized terrorist group, the PKK (Kurdish Separatists).

Finally, Professor Artunc makes this blunt statement, first, Mr. Erdogan and his ministers need to recognize the fact that they represent ALL THE PEOPLE of Turkey, not just those that elected them.  Second, Mr. Erdogan needs to decide what he wants to be, the Prime Minister of Turkey or the Mayor of Istanbul.

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