La cultura del procedimiento administrativo

The designated renewal area in Gaziakdemir and Alemdar neighborhoods⁶¹ is a former industrial site. Most of the buildings in the area have been vacant for almost a decade. The neighborhood used to be occupied by small and medium size manufacturing plants specialized in the leather industry. Due to the heavy industrial production in the past, primary use of the area is not residential. There are only around 90 residents living in the designated renewal area (Ministry of Environment and Urbanization 2014 Budget Report). Remaining limited residential use is concentrated on two streets in the east and the west ends of the designated renewal area. Figure 6.6 shows the current condition in the designated renewal area.

61 Almost one-thirds of the designated renewal area is located in Soganli neighborhood but in official documents this renewal area is referred to as Gaziakdemir-Alemdar renewal zone. In the northern part of the Soganli Neighborhood a separate area is designated as renewal site. To avoid confusion I refer to this specific area as Gaziakdemir-Alemdar instead of including Soganli as well. Soganli Neighborhood is discussed separately in section

Figure 6.6 Designated renewal area in Gaziakdemir and Alemdar neighborhoods (above) (Source: Bursa Metropolitan Municipality) and vacant manufacturing plants located in the renewal area (below).

Figure 6.7 shows the satellite view of the designated renewal area in Gaziakdemir-Alemdar and the neighborhood boundaries. The shaded region is designated as a “risky area”

based on Renewal Act II. These satellite views are from July 2006 and September 2014, covering the period of urban renewal program starting with the Renewal Act I until the two years after the enactment of Renewal Act II.

Figure 6.7 Gaziakdemir, Alemdar and Soganli neighborhood boundaries and designated renewal area across these three neighborhoods. Satellite views from July 2006 (above) and September 2014 (below) (Source: GoogleEarth).

The area has been stable over the years after the manufacturing plants moved to the industrial park developed in another part of the city. The designated renewal area physically differs from its surrounding. Within the designated renewal area, there are vacant plots and also debris from the old manufacturing plants. Only a part of the designated renewal area has been cleared of industrial debris. Outside the renewal area, there are other small-scale manufacturing plants and also substandard residential units occupied by low-income residents.

6.3.2 Urban Renewal Actors

Gaziakdemir-Alemdar has been a part of Bursa Metropolitan Municipality’s urban renewal program since 2006. The City Council approved the renewal area designation in April 2006

based on the Renewal Act I. The Municipal Administration subcontracted with a planning consultancy firm for preliminary plans and architectural projects.⁶² In 2010, the Metropolitan Municipality agreed on a preliminary protocol to partner with TOKI in the Gaziakdemir-Alemdar redevelopment project but the Municipality did not take any further steps on renewal in partnership with TOKI. Figure 6.8 (left) presents the initial proposal and the Figure 6.8 (right) is a more recent version of the proposed development in the area. The Metropolitan Municipality’s objective is to develop residences, hotels and commercial centers in the area in order to create a city attraction to “showcase Bursa” (Metropolitan Municipality Press Release 2013; 2010).

Figure 6.8 Proposed redevelopment in the Gaziakdemir-Alemdar neighborhood initial proposal from 2011 (above) and more recent version of the proposed development in the area from 2013 (below) (Source: Bursa Metropolitan Municipality)

Although this area is designated as a renewal site based on Renewal Act I, the Council of Ministers announced the same area as “risky area” based on Renewal Act II in September 2013 and the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization authorized the Metropolitan Municipality to implement the urban renewal program in the area. Despite the change in the legal framework for urban renewal, the proposed redevelopment projects and the objective of renewal did not change.

This indicates that both Renewal Acts are used for similar objectives. Although the reasoning behind redevelopment is different for each Act, in practice municipalities use both legislations to pursue similar goals.

The Gaziakdemir-Alemdar neighborhood is not a residential area; there are only very few residents who are at risk of being pushed out from their living environments. In this designated renewal area, the affected property owners mainly have commercial interest. Many of these small and medium-sized enterprises in the area moved their business to the industrial park and chances of enjoying their property rights in the designated renewal area is minimized due to the lengthy process of the redevelopment planning. In order to voice their concerns over the redevelopment process, property owners established “Bursa Sicaksu Redevelopment Association.” Property owners demand the Municipality to end the uncertainty involved with redevelopment in the area by informing the property owners about the process. Apart from the uncertainty, property owners are concerned about chances of getting their “fair share” from the anticipated value increase due to the redevelopment. In other words, the property owners demand equitable sharing of the value increases to compensate for their economic loss since 2006.

6.3.3 Summary

Gaziakdemir-Alemdar area is a former industrial zone. It is a planned area so there is no complicated tenure structure or informality. Yet, the implementation of urban renewal program is characterized by uncertainty and lingering process. The redevelopment initiative in the area dates back to 2006 when the Metropolitan Municipality announced the area as an “urban renewal site” based on Renewal Act I. Shortly after the announcement of renewal program for the area, industrial units were relocated and partly cleared but the majority of the redevelopment site has been covered in rubble for almost a decade. The ruins in the area became home to activities like

conceptually approaches the area in isolation from its immediate surroundings. The renewal program for this former industrial zone later became a part of operations under Renewal Act II;

the protracted redevelopment agenda is burdening the property owners mainly in economic terms by limiting their rights to property.

6.4 Renewal Area b23: Soganli Neighborhood