PARK(ing) Day with a Turkish Twist

The parklet is provided by The Turkish Policy Center.The Turkish Policy Center is a non-partisan, volunteer-run, non-profit organization founded in 2010. The Center aims to bring new and objective perspectives, critiques and fact-based analyses about Turkey to an U.S. audience and ensure a plurality in policy debates related to Turkey.

Get monthly updates on The Turkish Policy Center’s webcasted panel discussions, publications and exhibitions and learn more at www.turkishpolicycenter.org

A volunteer group of Turks and Americans came together to host an interactive “Pop-Up Park” in Washington, DC on PARK(ing) Day, September 20, 2013. Inspired by recent protests of Turkish mega-projects that adversely affect human health and well-being, the parklet invites viewers to contemplate the appropriation of public space, and the value of participatory planning in creating a healthier built environment. Celebrated in 35 countries, on 6 continents, in hundreds of municipalities, PARK(ing) Day unites citizens from all walks of life to protect their parks, urban forests, and sustain a dialogue about the role urban centers can have in shaping community.

The Wishing Tree is an ancient way-finding tradition in Turkey, whereby a colored ribbon tied to a tree signifies a wish. The legend suggests that the wish is granted if one sincerely believes in its power.

image crediTs left: Bill Petro

The park invited passersby to pin comments regarding local projects to an “Anatolian Wishing Tree.” Illustrations, multi-lingual notes, and Turkish good luck charms accumulated over the day, visually capturing the value of participatory planning in creating healthy, cohesive communities. Participants were also given the opportunity to make traditional yogurt-based drinks on a bicycle-powered blender, built with the help of local bicycle shops, nurseries, and local farmers’ markets. Unlike in DC’s sister city of Ankara, Turkey, which lacks participatory planning processes, the community comments collected in the park will be shared with the DC Office of Planning.

image crediTs The Turkish Policy Center

URBAN TRANSFORMATION IN TURKEYSince the early 1980s, Istanbul has transformed into a rapidly growing metropolis. Then numbering around 3 million, the population of Istanbul is now estimated to exceed 17 million. With population growth has come an increased need for housing, often pushing residents from their traditional homes outward, far beyond historic borders. Throughout the city, new gated communities are displacing established local communities, creating cultural and economic inequities. Balancing equitable access to resources and healthful spaces is an international challenge as urban centers grow.image descripTion An apiarist look across the new satellite city Narcity in Zumrutevler quarter of Maltepe district on the Anatolian side of Istanbul.

image crediTs Saner Sen

Subsequently, major changes to Turkey’s infrastructure through mega-projects challenge government officials and planners to reconcile human well-being with profit. These mega-projects are often executed with little consideration of the environmental impact. Proposed legislation may further eliminate environmental assessment reports for mega-projects in Istanbul, where proposed construction threatens Gezi Park, one of the last remaining urban green spaces. Elsewhere more than 2.3 million trees will be removed to create a third airport and a major bridge. These projects will increase traffic and vehicular pollution which directly affects respiratory health. image descripTion Detail from a boat that serves as a grilled fish sandwich buffet at Eminonu, Istanbul. Eminonu is a historical district and a public transport hub.

image crediTs Orhan Kolukisa