France to look up Turkey for urban renewal

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet

France is applying the Turkish model of urban transformation in attempts to rejuvenate the city’s suburbs and ghettos, which are home to a high concentration of minorities.

“French representatives have approached me wishing to benefit from Turkey’s experience,” Turkey’s Environment and Urban Planning Minister Erdoğan Bayraktar said on March 13 at the MIPIM International Real Estate Fair, held in the southern French city of Cannes.

The country, which is preparing to launch a comprehensive renovation program for some inner-city areas, has started to review urban transformation projects in Turkey, the minister announced after his contact with French representatives.

Sharing his observations on the MIPIM fair, the minister said Turkish companies had the opportunity to market their projects to foreign investors at the Turkish pavilion.

“As Turkey becomes established in the global real estate sector, foreign investors have been lining up to invest in Turkey,” he said.