{"id":85895,"date":"2013-10-21T16:42:14","date_gmt":"2013-10-21T13:42:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/?p=85895"},"modified":"2014-01-08T15:31:20","modified_gmt":"2014-01-08T13:31:20","slug":"quo-vadis-istanbul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/2013\/10\/21\/quo-vadis-istanbul\/","title":{"rendered":"Quo Vadis Istanbul?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Construction<\/div>\n
Take your pick of a name for Istanbul: Would you prefer Konstantinoupolis,\u00a0Islambol, the\u00a0Poli\u00a0or even\u00a0Istanbul-not-Constantinople?<\/div>\n
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About This Article<\/h3>\n
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Summary :<\/p>\n
Istanbul\u2019s future development is also tied to the memories of its past.<\/div>\n

Author:\u00a0Riada A\u0161imovi\u0107 Akyol
\nPosted on:\u00a0October 20 2013<\/p><\/div>\n

Categories :\u00a0Originals\u00a0\u00a0Turkey<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Two recent articles from\u00a0Al-Monitor<\/em>\u00a0sparked a lively debate on whether\u00a0Gulf Cities\u00a0have become the new\u00a0leading centers of the Arab World. While reading the response of\u00a0Michael C. Dunn, the editor of the\u00a0Middle East Journal<\/em>, who argues that \u201cthe contrasts between the old capitals and the new, the old culture and the new, are going to be features of the Middle East over the coming generation,\u201d I could not help but ponder on the future of Istanbul in similar dichotomy.<\/p>\n

First, it should be noted that global trends suggest an increasing necessity of \u201cparadiplomacy, or subnational foreign relations,\u201d referring to strengthened local power in order to protect cities\u2019 interests abroad. In that light,\u00a0Rodrigo Tavares praised S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s\u00a0acquired global diplomatic power in\u00a0Foreign Affairs<\/em>, observing, \u201cThe insularity of the Greek city-states is a thing of the past, along with the absolute centralization of power in national capitals.\u201d<\/p>\n

This might be bad news for Turkey, where the decision-making process seems as centralized as it could get. According to academic\u00a0Guven Sak, \u201cMicromanagement is a Turkish trait, embedded strongly in our psyche.\u201d With 60% of cabinet decisions in 2012 made about local construction projects, Sak criticizes the further lack of decentralization as a negative development.<\/p>\n

This sort of unhealthy decision-making often includes even Istanbul \u2014 the essential heavyweight among country\u2019s urban centers \u2014 due to its importance as the most effective platform for Turkey\u2019s global branding. On that note, in 2013,\u00a0Travel and Leisure Magazine<\/em>\u00a0recognized Istanbul as Europe\u2019s \u201cBest Tourism City,\u201d and second on the global list. There is also lot of positive official involvement in the international arena, including twinning agreements with 67 cities and active membership of the major international NGOs and in the UN system, as explained in detail in \u201cCity diplomacy and Istanbul.\u201d Nevertheless, the report criticizes Istanbul\u2019s prioritizing mainly on business promotion and economics. Leadership is probably content with the currently positive outcomes of their efforts. According to predictions, Beijing and\u00a0Istanbul\u00a0will have twice as many company headquarters by 2025.<\/p>\n

Moreover, there are many new government plans for Istanbul\u2019s further development. The latest issue of\u00a0Turkish Review<\/em>\u00a0published a very comprehensive report \u201cIstanbul 2023: Toward a Megacity.\u201d Though it is debatable how necessary some of the 17 envisaged \u201ccrazy projects\u201d are, many are commendable. As expected, there is a large number of both staunch supporters and harsh critics of government investments (from ecological, architectural, archeological, even legal standpoint).<\/p>\n

Yet, it should be noted that all of these Turkish discussions on Istanbul take place through certain ideological lenses. In \u201cIstanbul’s Pasts: Raw Material for Constructing the City’s Future,\u201d academic Malte Fuhrmann explains in a very insightful and informative manner how identity and history strongly influence all aspects of everyday life. He notes, \u201cas a metropolis [that had repeatedly] achieved the status of one of the foremost centers of political and military might, ecclesiastical authority, trade and the arts in Europe and the Middle East, Istanbul’s past tends to intrude onto the present more vigorously than it does in less prominent sites.\u201d Neglecting this context means botching an important debate.<\/p>\n

Fuhrmann identifies four historical names of the city:\u00a0Konstantinoupolis,\u00a0Islambol, the\u00a0Poli\u00a0and\u00a0Istanbul-not-Constantinople.<\/em>\u00a0It is crucial to understand each as separate visions of different \u201cimagined communities\u201d they were to create.<\/p>\n

First, the perception of the pre-Ottoman past as a threat has led to present \u201cnegation and commodification of Konstantinoupolis.\u201d Though Byzantine remnants are impossible to avoid in Istanbul, they are used \u00e0 la carte, according to city\u2019s reputation-enhancing needs. Second, a currently popular idea [at least among Turkey\u2019s majority and upholders of the ruling leadership\u2019s vision] is of Istanbul as\u00a0Islambol.\u00a0More precisely, it suggests \u201cNot the radical, ahistorical Islamic city, but a post-modern megalopolis that has readorned itself with the Ottoman dynasty’s emblem.\u201d Third, there is\u00a0Poli,\u00a0\u201cThe city of Western order and multicultural harmony,\u201d based on the 19th-century Pera (Beyoglu district). Fuhrmann explains that the district is once again perceived as \u201ca gathering place for\u00a0g\u00e2vurs<\/em>(infidels).\u201d Yet, as opposed to the case in Riyadh or Tehran, Beyoglu\u2019s lively domestic art, music and nightlife scene doesn\u2019t pose problems, since it is understood as entertainment that attracts numerous expatriates who [are welcome to] work in foreign companies. Finally, Fuhrmann calls the idea of\u00a0\u201cIstanbul, not Constantinople\u201d\u00a0as<\/em>\u00a0the \u201cRequiem for a republic.\u201d The Kemalists see the current pro-Islamist government, and their mayors, as breachers of the \u201cfounding principles of the state.\u201d Hence, nostalgic republicans defend the spaces related to historical ideas from the past, such as Istiklal Caddesi or the Atat\u00fcrk Cultural Center (AKM) on Taksim Square, even despite the fact that \u201cthe building hardly conforms to present-day popular architectural taste.\u201d<\/p>\n

To sum up, it seems that ideological glorifications of buildings like AKM on one hand, or of a\u00a0museum celebrating the Ottoman conquest\u00a0of Istanbul on the other hand, won\u2019t easily disappear. Additionally, it is important to acknowledge a specific framework of discussions on urban politics in Istanbul. According to Fuhrmann, \u201cthe question is rather on which of the multitude of elements of the urban past they [political activists or commentators] choose to base their worldview.\u201d (For example, Islamist writer Ali Bulac argues that \u201cA new\u00a0\u2018city-civilization perspective\u2019\u00a0is needed for Islamic centers.\u201d)<\/p>\n

Then there are controversies on the very nature of future development. Some perhaps really blindly\u00a0oppose any construction\u00a0in Istanbul. But, there are reasonable concerns about the rampant construction effort in the city, and criticisms that a \u201cconcrete civilization\u201d is in the making. What Istanbulians ultimately need is more local conversations on projects, even more so for those of huge scale, before the government endorses them, as it should be the case in a participatory democracy.<\/p>\n

Moreover, considering more collaboration between\u00a0developers and creative people\u00a0\u2014 like the recent \u201cbuilt-in art\u201d gaining momentum in London \u2014 might also bring a breath of fresh air to those who feel suffocated by consumerism and myriad shopping centers. Here is to state of the art performance centers, like in the new\u00a0Zorlu Center, or par excellence new\u00a0opera centers\u00a0like the upcoming one in Bakirkoy. Those who direct Istanbul\u2019s development should manage it while not neglecting the fact that cities with reputations for\u00a0a high quality of life, as opposed to just sightseeing or business, will always rule the game.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, an outcry for stopping city\u2019s further development is as futile as saying \u201cenough of globalization already.\u201d Istanbul\u2019s past legacy might be both blessing and curse. So, the idea of\u00a0Istanbul as the \u201cfuture capital of the world\u201d remains an ideal for some, and \u201cas a perverse instance of wishful thinking\u201d for others. Yet, a propitious economic climate, with all its ups and downs, has indeed been a unique opportunity for Turkey to leave a durable civilizational mark with Istanbul\u2019s new architectural and cultural legacy. It should not be wasted.<\/p>\n

Renowned writer Orhan Pamuk might be right to describe a\u00a0peculiar feeling of \u00a0melancholy (h\u00fcz\u00fcn<\/em>\u00a0in Turkish) as the fundamental trait of Istanbul: \u201ca state of mind that is ultimately as life-affirming as it is negating.\u201d Hence, in a similarly contradictory way, Istanbul\u2019s aficionados swear on leaving the city for its unbearable traffic, overwhelming crowdedness, unpleasing new aesthetics, you name it\u2026 But they remain helplessly opiated by their love for the city.<\/p>\n

Riada A\u0161imovi\u0107 Akyol\u00a0is an independent analyst and writer. Her articles have been published by the Al Jazeera Center for Studies and Turkish daily\u00a0<\/em>Today\u2019s Zaman. She is obtaining her doctorate in international relations at the Galatasaray University in Istanbul. On Twitter:\u00a0@riadaaa<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Read more:\u00a0http:\/\/www.al-monitor.com\/pulse\/originals\/2013\/10\/istanbul-future-development-globalization-megacity.html#ixzz2iMbFgtrA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Take your pick of a name for Istanbul: Would you prefer Konstantinoupolis,\u00a0Islambol, the\u00a0Poli\u00a0or even\u00a0Istanbul-not-Constantinople? About This Article Summary : Istanbul\u2019s future development is also tied to the memories of its past. Author:\u00a0Riada A\u0161imovi\u0107 Akyol Posted on:\u00a0October 20 2013 Categories :\u00a0Originals\u00a0\u00a0Turkey Two recent articles from\u00a0Al-Monitor\u00a0sparked a lively debate on whether\u00a0Gulf Cities\u00a0have become the new\u00a0leading centers of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":85896,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2938],"tags":[102],"class_list":["post-85895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east-middle-east-regions","tag-istanbul"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85895","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85895"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85895\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}