Minister vows to slash scale of constructions

ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency

Around 70 percent of the urban renewal projects have been conducted in the Istanbul districts of Esenler, Bağcılar, Gaziosmanpaşa, Kartal and Kağıthane. AA photo

The Turkish environment minister has vowed to stop constructions in Istanbul and to raise the number of green spaces in the city, adding that urban renewal projects, currently concentrated in Istanbul, will be spread to Anatolian cities.

“We will stop the rise of constructions in line with the interests of the people of Istanbul,” Erdoğan Bayraktar, Turkey’s environment and urbanization minister, said on June 1, speaking at a seminar organized by the Istanbul Contractors’ Association (İNDER).

“The green urban spaces rose in Istanbul at least 20-fold but it’s not at desired levels right now,” he said, claiming the controversial Gezi Park project was one of those “greening” projects. Addressing the demonstrators protesting against the demolition of Taksim Gezi Park, the minister claimed the aim at the project was also “increasing green spaces and pedestrianized areas.”

The same day, during a different conversation, the minister also said the urban renewal projects, which are currently concentrated in Istanbul, would be spread to Anatolian cities as well.

“Until now, 70 percent of the [urban renewal] studies that we have conducted were in Istanbul while 30 percent were in other cities,” the minister said. “In the new plans 70 percent will be Anatolian cities.”