Unveiling Istanbul’s demands: Urban transformation is key for voters

The upcoming local elections in Türkiye bring the key city of Istanbul to the forefront as well as what it means to Istanbulites.

The residents of the historic city will carefully consider its unique needs as it relates to their own when they head to the polls on March 31.

Over the years, the city has witnessed many transformations. Key issues at the top of voters’ minds are earthquake risk, the economy, and urban management policies including traffic congestion, overpopulation, and air and noise pollution.

With the city’s countless challenges come many promises from candidates battling for Istanbul.

Murat Kurum is a first-time candidate for the governing Justice and Development (AK) Party.

His platform consists of implementing projects to build living spaces for stray animals, a cultural academy for the city, as well as addressing the issues related to car parks and taxis, urban transformation, and earthquake preparedness and renovating the landscapes of the historical sites of Istanbul like Fatih, Sultanahmet, and Suleymaniye.

His competitor from the main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, is the incumbent Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu.

Imamoglu is campaigning to secure a second term with promises of social support programs for families, projects that include amusement parks for children and green spaces, restoration of historical groves, and fighting climate crisis.

However, his candidacy has been overshadowed by his first term, as some of the promises he made during previous elections remain unfulfilled.

Presented with two different visions for Istanbul, Istanbulites share what is important to them in choosing their new mayor.

Urban transformation along with earthquake preparedness

Seyma, who is 24 years old, and a video editor, thinks that urban transformation projects would have a significant impact on her vote because they will also be crucial for earthquake preparedness.

However, she says that those projects should prevent neighbourhoods from losing their essence, which requires measured and meticulous planning.

This should be accompanied by the identification of building damage to prepare for a possible earthquake.

Urban transformation is a public endeavour aimed at minimising potential risks related to earthquakes.

By determining the risk levels of existing buildings and taking risky soil and structures out of use and replacing them with foundational elements suitable for the soil, it aims to prevent potential damage to the city.

While earthquake preparedness and urban planning are some of her main concerns, Seyma believes that overpopulation is the most pressing challenge for Istanbul.

That’s why Seyma thinks urban transformation should go hand in hand with a population-reduction policy, which would lead to broader and more spacious neighbourhoods and recreation centers.

She has been living in Istanbul for six years and says that she sometimes considers migrating due to the earthquake risk despite loving the city.

Seyma worries that the city would be destroyed to a great extent by a possible earthquake, even if she survives.

‘Municipal elections should not be approached ideologically’

Born and raised in Istanbul, 31-year-old Meryem, a magazine editor, expresses her relationship to the city, saying, “Istanbul is my home.”

She criticises the people approaching local elections ideologically instead of focusing on solutions to the city’s ongoing problems.

These include earthquake preparedness, traffic congestion, and excessive population, according to her, although she says earthquake policies should take priority.

She thinks that efficient urban planning can solve these issues, as well as making it safer and more ordered.

In the end, she expects the promises for Istanbul projects to be fulfilled.

‘Istanbul is the city where I will spend the rest of my life’

Cetin, a 50-year-old publisher, posits that urban transformation can make the city more livable if it rescues the city from irregular planning and makes it greener with more facilities like playgrounds and parking spaces.

Having spent more than half of his life in this city, he says, “Istanbul is the city where my children were born and raised, even if I wasn’t. It is a city where I will probably spend the rest of my life, and I can call it my home.”

He also argues the urgency of earthquake preparedness.

To minimise the damage an earthquake can cause, he points to the necessity of public education and increasing the number of community shelter areas.

However, his foremost demands are more affordable public transportation with expanded networks of rail systems and metro lines to render every part of the city accessible.

That would resonate with the general public, according to him, along with solving the housing problem and increasing rents through creating affordable housing.

‘Local elections should not be confused with general elections’

Rumeysa, who is 27 years old, points out that people in Türkiye generally confuse the local elections with general elections.

It does not make sense when people say they will or will not vote for a municipality candidate because of some of their party’s policies at the national level, she says.

Since local elections will determine one’s daily life, she says people should vote for the candidates, not parties.

Affecting her decision most is what candidates propose for the overpopulation in Istanbul, which everyone in the city grapples with daily and which carries great risks, especially in case of an earthquake.

She will vote for a candidate with a solid plan to prepare Istanbul for a major earthquake, as it became the main concern after the February 6 earthquakes in the country.

Earthquake preparedness should include first aid training for every segment of a society organised by mukhtars in every neighbourhood, an adequate number of containers in every neighbourhood containing food and medical supplies, and quick examination and earthquake-proofing of current buildings, according to her.

As a resident of Istanbul for 14 years, she finds the city extremely charming despite being tiring for her.

‘What they have done before will be decisive’

Ibrahim, who is a 52-year-old agricultural engineer, believes that if strong municipalities working in collaboration with a powerful government engage in preparing for earthquakes, a definite solution can be obtained.

Political unity is key to getting things done, according to him.

He cites some successful examples of urban management in regard to earthquake preparedness in Uskudar and Esenler, districts both led by AK Party mayors.

Urban transformation should be a priority, not only to mitigate earthquake risk but to improve the daily lives of people, Ibrahim says

It will, he hopes, bring a new environmental paradigm for the city, maybe broadening green spaces.

In addition to that, he points out the problem of stray dogs wandering around the city, fostering fear among parents.

“Who can really carry out these kinds of projects — when we look at what they have done before — becomes apparent,” he says, as he considers the policy positions that will determine his vote on March 31.

Having lived in Istanbul for about 35 years, he says this city is his homeland and is not like other cities, neither in Türkiye nor in the world.

Despite his connection to the city, he wants a more livable Istanbul, with proper digitised transportation systems and regulations related to environmental issues.

Urban spaces shaping the identities of its residents

Deniz, who is 25 years old, will base her vote on the candidates’ short- and long-term visions of regulating urban spaces for all citizens.

In managing urban spaces, students and young people should be represented during the decision-making process, she states.

Through providing incentives for people to participate and engage in solving the city’s problems, they feel represented in this space, she adds.

The local election is important for her in the sense that the daily life of citizens for 5 years will mostly depend on how the mayor will govern this urban space.

“From transportation to studying spaces, people’s lives are affected by space-making,” she says, referring to city governance.

Bearing vital importance in people’s lives, earthquake-related policies will be the most decisive ones for her without a doubt.

Implementing effective policies for earthquake preparedness involves collaboration between central and local administrations, Deniz says.

Born and raised in Istanbul, she says the city reminds her of her childhood, her whole education process, her loved ones, her social and cultural relations, and most importantly her identity.

“I form and continue to develop my identity here. So I deeply feel Istanbulite. I have experienced almost all spaces of Istanbul and I’ve found different things in different spaces. I know the tricks and develop strategies for different places in Istanbul to live easier and more practical. So it enriches my view and perspective with its history, its diverse population, its always changing social sphere, its opportunities,” she says.

Apart from what the city means to her, for Türkiye, it is also the most important one, with its infrastructure, resources and opportunity that it provides, even on a global level, Deniz points out.

“As people have the right to live in the city, the city also has the right to sustain itself.”