NAI Debate on Tour in Ankara, Bursa and Istanbul

Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAI) 15 -18 Ekim 2012 tarihleri arasında Tükiye'de "Debate on Tour" düzenliyor.

In a country that lacks an established culture of urban design and spatial planning, how is it possible to regenerate neighbourhoods and provide housing for the masses at an unprecedented speed and scale? How can national policies be implemented in local contexts? And how might Dutch and UN-Habitat experiences be relevant to Turkish issues?

From 15 to 18 October 2012, the Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAI) is organising a Debate on Tour in Turkey.

Unprecedented growth
Turkey is a country in rapid transition. In recent years, informally built neighbourhoods have been cleared and mass housing has been produced on an unprecedented scale. In response to earthquake threat, a new law makes large parts of cities eligible for urban regeneration. The future of the construction industry, a pillar of Turkey’s economic boom, continues to look bright, and Turkey’s Housing Development Administration (TOKI) is playing a lead role in this.

Growing opposition
Opposition is also growing. Protests have been staged against the demolition of culturally significant neighbourhoods and the displacement of communities. Critics point to the destruction of nature and the creation of dormitory towns, which lack amenities and public space. A significant amount of newly built high-rise housing could be left unoccupied.

Lack of planning culture
This raises the question of how mass housing and regeneration could be better tailored to satisfying communities’ needs. Unlike the Netherlands, Turkey lacks a firmly embedded culture of urban design and planning. What role can planning and design play in an industry that shows little concern for local contexts? And how might the experiences of Dutch designers and planners be relevant to these issues?

Ankara, Bursa and Istanbul
In order to find answers, three debates will be staged throughout the country. Economic models and the political and legal frameworks for housing and regeneration will be examined in Ankara. The participation of local communities will be addressed in Bursa. The series will be concluded during a major annual housing conference in Istanbul organised by The Building Information Centre.

UN-Habitat
UN-Habitat is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. UNHabitat will join this series of debates in Turkey by sending architect and urban planner José Chong as a participant. He will report on possibilities for future collaboration with Turkish partners and the NAI.

Programme
Monday 15 October 18.00 Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara
Tuesday 16 October 18.00 Chamber of Architects, Bursa
Thursday 18 October 15.00 The Building Information Centre (YEM), Istanbul

Confirmed speakers

Endry van Velzen
Endry van Velzen is an architect and partner in De Nijl Architecten. De Nijl specialises in transformations of inner city and residential neighbourhoods, at the intersection of architecture and urban design. Their work has been exhibited and published regularly. Van Velzen has initiated several research projects regarding the restructuring of post-war development areas and the role of services in urban regeneration. He frequently publishes about urban regeneration.

Bart Vink
Bart Vink is a spatial planner and geographer at the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment in The Hague. He was deputy director of the National Spatial Strategy and programme manager for the Randstad 2040 structural vision. His current focus is a structural vision for the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area’s southwest quadrant (which includes Schiphol Airport) and he occasionally serves as deputy director for national spatial planning. Vink lectures on spatial planning at the NOVI Academy of Transport Studies in Utrecht and he stood as a candidate in the Dutch parliamentary elections in 2010 and 2012.

José Chong
Peruvian architect and urban planner José Chong works for the Urban Planning and Design Branch at UN-Habitat. Aided by a masters degree in International Cooperation and Urban Development from the Technische Universität Darmstadt in Germany, he focuses on strategies, policies and methodologies to achieve sustainable urban development, particularly in developing contexts. He was founding partner of architecture studio MAP arq in Lima and has been lecturer of Urban Design, Human Settlements and Architecture Design at Ricardo Palma University and Sustainable Architecture and Urbanism at Pontifical Catholic University of Peru.

Cagatay Keskinok
Cagatay Keskinok studied city planning, public administration and political science at Middle East Technical University in Ankara. Here he has been teaching City and Regional Planning Department since 1984 and became associate professor in Urbanization Policies in 1997. He has worked for the municipality of Ankara and published several books in Turkish and English, including ‘The State and the (Re)production of Urban Space’. Keskinok will moderate the debate in Ankara and speak in Istanbul.

Collaborating partners
Netherlands Architecture Institute, Rotterdam www.nai.nl/debates
Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara www.metu.edu.tr
Chamber of Architects, Bursa branch www.bursamimar.org.tr
The Building Information Centre (YEM), Istanbul www.yem.net
UN-Habitat, Nairobi, Kenia www.unhabitat.org
With the support of Dutch Design Fashion Architecture www.dutchdfa.com