Residents angry over pouring concrete on park’s floor
ISTANBUL
Following the pouring of concrete in the name of renovation on the ground of a park, the only green area in a neighborhood in Istanbul’s Maltepe district, residents have become furious, sparking a social media debate, where many are questioning the motive behind such a move.
Concrete was poured in the name of a renovation project on the soil floor of Atatürk Park, which is the only green area of the Çınar (plane tree) neighborhood in the district, on April 30.
The current state of the park, also one of the earthquake gathering areas in the district, has become a topic of debate, with residents angry over the move.
As a result of the work, all the park’s plane trees that gave the name to the neighborhood now lie surrounded by the concrete floor.
The photos shared on social media showing the works of the district’s municipality in the park soon caught the attention of people and went viral with the hashtag #betonpark (Concrete Park) on Twitter.
Some famous social media influencers joined residents and environmental activists who voiced their criticism about the latest state of the park.
“Not only people but also the soil, animals, trees and plants need to be seen as the inhabitants of the city,” a Twitter user said, while others questioned whether the needs and demands of residents were taken into consideration for the renovation of Atatürk Park.
“Why was the concrete floor chosen when we should be more concerned about the soil and living things?” another social media user asked.
Vural Kantar, a resident in the neighborhood, stated that the work started with the pruning of the trees, after which signs were placed denoting that the park was under renovation.
He added that when the signs were removed, they saw an area completely covered with concrete.
Speaking about the project, the Maltepe Municipality stated that only 40 percent of the project has been completed, and the area of green space would be increased by 5 percent by the end of the project.