Minister’s confession in the city center
Urban As concerns grow that the houses of the poor and shops of merchants will be confiscated with the law that will accelerate the transformation, Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Mehmet Özhaseki made a notable statement. Özhaseki said that as a ministry, they will build city centers and prestigious streets ‘ex officio’, with the powers of the urban transformation law. It was claimed that Özhaseki’s ‘ex officio’ statement meant that the ministry could confiscate houses and shops on high-rent streets as reserve areas without seeking the consent of the rights holders.
Mehmet Özhaseki’s statements increased concern about urban transformation
‘WE WILL DO IT’
Özhaseki made statements about the legal regulation enacted to accelerate urban transformation in his ministry’s budget presentation. Stating that they have made a new decision, the Minister made the following statement that will reinforce the concern that the main objective is not urban transformation but profitability:
“As a ministry we will build the most important squares and prestigious streets in our cities. The symbols of a city are its centers, its squares. These squares will live for hundreds of years and will be the subject of postcards, poems and songs. Hopefully, after our zoning activity here, our citizens will be able to build their own houses with on-site transformation in safe areas on the periphery of city centers where land surveys have been carried out.”
When the bill reached the Turkish Grand National Assembly, accusations emerged that the authority to declare reserve areas could be used for profit, and that homes and workplaces in cities with the highest rents could be demolished and converted into rentals.
They will send citizens to another place
New Under the law, for example, beneficiaries who live in buildings located in the city center and that are not at risk of earthquakes can request a “reserve area” by donating 30 percent of their property. In this case, when the ministry demolishes that place and rebuilds it, the beneficiaries will be able to continue staying in the renovated place. However, when the ministry ‘ex officio’ declares the same place as a reserve zone even if it is not requested, it can send the beneficiaries to another place and take the city centers completely under its control.