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Urban Renewal (Kentsel Yenileme) |
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reviewed by Dilek Aydemir |
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Author: Pelin Pinar Ozden |
ISBN:
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Publisher:
Ýmge Kitabevi Yayýnlarý |
Page:
286 |
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Type:
Paperback |
Price:
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Place of Publication:
Istanbul |
Published in:
2008 |
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Review: |
The developments in Turkey, especially after the 2000s, in accordance with the European Union integration process find their place in ‘urban renewal’ as well. Several changes in the laws related to cities and regional governance shows that these changes are also supported by the legal system. In this context, cities have been transforming a lot over the years in line with the new understanding of urban areas. In this respect the volume titled ‘Urban Renewal’ (Kentsel Yenileme) presents the diverse aspects of urban renewal in Turkey, including the highly discussed topics such as the legal and governmental dimension, planning and the practice of urban renewal in Turkey. The author of the book, Pelin Pinar Ozden, who is a distinguished name on the topic is an assistant professor at the School of Urbanization and Environmental Problems, Department of Public Administration, at Istanbul University, and has experience in city planning as a member of the Istanbul City Planners Center as well.
The volume, which was sourced from author’s dissertation study presented at Istanbul Technical University in 2002, is defined in the introduction as aiming to figure out the practices that will enhance the applicability and strength of the urban renewal in Turkey. In this respect urban renewal scenes from other countries, along with the successful cases, are presented in the book in line with the aim of the volume.
The book primarily consists of six parts that focus on different subjects, including the aim, context and limitations of the study presented in the book. Conceptualization of urban renewal, effects of diverse historical stages on urban renewal, the strategic dimension of urban renewal, and the role and place of urban renewal are the topics covered under these six parts in the book whereas the last part ends with an evaluation and suggestions on the topic.
The volume includes an introduction which gives the outline of the book in detail. Since the book consists of six different parts that emphasize numerous diverse aspects of urban renewal and may be hard to follow for the reader, the summaries in the introduction and at the end of every section are very helpful for comprehending the complex aspects of the issue without getting lost. The introduction is followed by the first parts in which a detailed definition and the context of urban renewal are introduced. According to one of the definitions in the volume, urban renewal is the transformation and renewal of the old structures of the city in line with the social and dynamic conjuncture of the age (Ozden, 2008, p.43). The aim of the urban renewal within this context is to revitalize the coerced and old parts of the urban areas which lost their usefulness for diverse reasons. According to the author, this renewal not only focuses on protecting and aiding the survival of the cultural inheritance of the city but it is also highly related to the economic gains. These economic gains, moreover, are basically created by the efficient usage of the resources after the renewal.
To highlight the aims of urban renewal, the book refers to Aaen and gives the five basic purposes of the urban renewal as follows: 1) Urban renewal should better the environmental standards and should provide a higher quality of life to the residents of the area. 2) In principle, the expenses of urban renewal should be met by the residents of the area and should not exceed 20 % of their wages. 3) Aid should be provided to low income residents. 4) Urban renewal should encourage people to own their houses instead of being renters. 5) In the long run, urban renewal should provide better social services and better living conditions for large families (p.48).
The volume also deals with the changes in the application and philosophy of urban renewal in time. Urban renewal changed in tandem with the historical stages and ideological transformations of the age, as well. According to the book, urban renewal, which accelerated with the rise of the industrial revolution, emerged with the era of capitalism. In this respect, the author claims that urban renewal cannot be evaluated separately from the social and cultural transformations of the societies. Thus, tracing the deep footprints of capitalism in urban governance, production, consumption, industry, trade as well as in urban renewal is possible and necessary within this context (p.111).
Moreover, the book highlights that modernization, which is also identified with planning and control, become another significant factor which has been influencing urban renewal. Since modern cities developed further and diversification of the institutions occurred, urban renewal and city planning became significant topics for the modernization process. In this sense, according to Ozden, urban renewal is described as the reflection of modernism on the city arena (p.116). The author also mentions the effects of Fordism, post-Fordism, and post-modernism on urban renewal, along with the effects of modernism and capitalism on urban renewal in her analysis on the historical transformation of urban renewal.
The volume also includes different urban renewal strategies with detailed references to the instances from different countries, including the Netherlands, England and the US. The book presents multiple aspects of urban renewal and different applications of it in numerous countries. The author also focuses on the highly discussed aspects of urban renewal to give a more comprehensive picture of urban renewal in Turkey within a global context. In this sense immigration, illegal settlements, old city centers, the threat of an earthquake and the need for legal reforms are counted as the basic problems standing before urban renewal in Turkey.
To increase the practicality of urban renewal in Turkey, Ozden develops alternative methods as well. The author believes that the curriculum on urban renewal, governance, strategy and planning are the basic pillars of this alternative model that aims to place urban renewal in Turkey in a more comprehensive and global model. Here, instances from European countries and the US show that these countries practice successful urban renewal projects thanks to some factors such as the presence of a strong central authority, entrepreneur regional authority, rational programs which directly guide the process, a strong founding mechanism and a conscious public who follow up the changes and take part in the process as well.
To conclude, the volume stands as an intense study of urban renewal which not only focuses on the social and historical changes in the urban renewal issue, but it also highlights the current problems with urban renewal practices in Turkey. Moreover, the author emphasizes the necessity to focus on different characteristics of the city and to develop urban renewal programs accordingly with these characteristics as the major suggestion in her conceptualization of urban renewal and its practices. The volume’s context, which includes short but richly detailed parts, creates a major source for researchers and presents the well-researched insights of the author as well. However, since urban renewal covers diverse as well as intense topics, the author’s intention to present all these issues in one volume creates a difficulty to catch the topic from time to time. Thus, the volume covers titles which are of great value for further, more detailed investigation by researchers. Thus, the volume is a more than beneficial in terms of its contribution to the current literature on urban renewal studies.
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about book: |
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Turkey has witnessed significant changes during the 2000s which have found their reflection in the urban renewal projects as well. Reform on provincial governance and other reforms on city planning were much more centered on urban renewal. In this detailed study, Asst. Prof. Pelin Pýnar Ozden analyzes the urban renewal projects in Turkey from several perspectives, such as, their legal aspects and principles which go beyond the city planning. |
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Being an
intellectual platform for social sciences, JTW contributes to
this area by promoting new publications in its Book Reviews
section. Publishers can send newly published books to be
reviewed to this section's
editor. Or else, book reviews are
also welcomed by JTW.
Editor for Book Reviews:
Dilek Aydemir
bookreviews@turkishweekly.net
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