The controversy over the fate of Istanbul’s Gezi Park provided the backdrop for protests that took everybody by surprise in late spring.
At home, the unrest and the government’s response have increased polarization; abroad, they have caused many to question what really lies below the surface of economic expansion and rapid urban development in Turkey, and to wonder about the political and social consequences.
On 11.14.13, a panel discussion held in New York at the Center for Architecture, titled “Gezi Park, Istanbul: Reconsiderations,” focused primarily on the context: the city itself, the Taksim area and the political and economic environment fuelling the rapid changes in the city. The spark for the protests was provided by attempts — currently shelved — to redesign Taksim and rebuild the Ottoman Artillery Barracks, remodeled as a shopping mall and luxury residence complex, on the current location of Gezi Park. Continue reading “Political Urbanism”