Preservation Plan Applications for the Historical City Centre, Kemeralti (Izmir, Turkey)

Abstract

The necessity of preserving traditional environments, as a part of cultural heritage, is recognized and accepted in Turkey. Nevertheless, due to the abundance of archaeological sites and areas that are deemed historical, several problems exist regarding the preservation of these areas. The improvements made world-wide, specifically in Europe, regarding urban preservation have also had an impact on Turkey. Yet, as the “awareness of preservation” notion indirectly showed its impact affecting only a small group, the integration process was inherently impeded. Consequently, both regulations and successful plan studies on preservation were delayed. Conversely, the issue of preservation has always been considered a secondary priority for Turkey. Whenever a conflict of interest occurs between development and preservation, development is usually preferred. Due to the fact that preservation does not rank high among our priorities suggests that social awareness regarding preservation is not at a desired level. In this article, the applications of the preservation plan studies of the historical city centre of Izmir (the third largest city in Turkey) will be evaluated. Kemeralti, due to its history, size, archaeological, historical and natural values, and being in Izmir, which is an exceptional city in terms of the emphasis on preservation compared to other cities, is considered to be privileged and, therefore, presents a significant example for study. Besides maintaining the identity of the city as well as national identity, preserving areas which may be considered a part of world heritage depends, above all, on raising social awareness. Furthermore, in addition to the concerns regarding the preservation of historical environments in urban areas in Turkey, this article also discusses the promising developments produced by the gradual increase of positive efforts made concerning this matter. These efforts along with the initiatives and experience that played a successful role in overcoming these concerns may also set an example for other similar fields.

Notes

1. For example “Carnac, in France, is the most important site in Europe for megaliths. High attractive to tourists, the site has become a victim of its own success the flow of visitors has grown into a flood. With the help of the LIFE environment program, a Project for conserving and enhancing the Carnac site ran from July 1994 to January 1999, its aim being to make tourists more aware of the damage they themselves might be causing.” (European Commission, 2002, p. 14).

2. The budget of the Ministry of Culture constitutes 0.5% of the overall budget, and only 3% of this budget is allocated to preservation applications (http://www.kongar.org/makaleler/mak_kul.php).

3. A traditional guild system formed in the Ottoman period by tradesmen, artisans and merchants.

4. A kind of traditional accommodation structure that was used during the Ottoman period. When located in the city centre, these buildings were usually used as large commercial buildings.

5. Includes the region of 88 hectares that will be dealt with in the first phase (within the total 270 hectares of the Kemeralti Urban Preservation Site) (Taner et al., 2002)

6. The management responsibility of the Kemeralti Preservation Oriented Plan was assigned to Professor Dr Tayfun Taner who represents DEU Faculty of Architecture. During various stages of the plan, urban planners, architects, archaeologists, art historians, landscape architects, restorative architects, engineers, economists and many others contributed either by temporarily working on the planning team or submitting reports related to their profession. However, the project was completed by Tayfun Taner, Sibel Ecemiş Kiliç, and Muhammed Aydoğan who were involved throughout the entire project.

7. Regulation concerning the Preservation of Culture and Nature Assets Law and the proposed alterations on various codes. Regulation No: 5226 Approval Date: 14 July 2004. (According to the 8th and 18th articles of Real Estate Tax Law No: 1319, for the purpose of preserving and using cultural assets that are within the jurisdiction of the municipalities, the 10% of the real estate tax is addressed as “Contribution for Preservation of Fixed Culture Assets” and is collected along with the real estate tax by the relevant municipality. The collected amount is saved in a specific account opened by the province administration. This amount is transferred by the governor to the municipalities within the province to be used for expropriation, preparing projects, planning and application subjects within the context of projects prepared for preserving and using cultural assets by the municipalities and this amount is used with the supervision of the governor. The third clause of 1319th Law is applied for the contributions required by this article. Procedures and standards concerning contributions are identified by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. According to 2985th Collective Housing Law, at least 10% of the awarded credits are used for applications regarding the maintenance, repair and restoration of officially registered immovable cultural assets. Preferential projects of this scope are identified collectively by the Ministry and Collective Housing Administration.)

8. Regulation concerning the Funding for Restoration of Immovable Cultural Assets, Regulation No. 25876, Approval Date: 15 July 2005. (The given Euro values have been calculated according to the rate of exchange on 18 October 2006.)

9. This article discusses one of the three local management units that could play a major role in plans and applications in the mentioned area. Izmir Province Administration that have been organized in the province scale, Metropolitan Municipality that covers the urban area, and Konak Municipality that has been organized in county scale.

10. The unit was founded in 2 January 2002 and consists of two urban planners, four architects and one restorative architect (Izmir Buyuksehir Belediyesi Imar Isleri Daire Baskanligi Tarihsel Cevre ve Kultur Varlikari Mudurlugu, 2003).

11. 21 January 2006, TRT (National Broadcasting Agency).

12. The meetings with Muhittin Selvitopu, Deputy Mayor of Konak Municipality, and with the tradesmen from the implementation area on 12 January 2005.

13. Interviews taken place on 12 January 2005, with Muhittin Selvitopu, Deputy Mayor, Konak Municipality and on 13 December 2005 with Servet Ecemis, Izmir Special Provincial Administration Manager.

14. During the Kemeralti plan studies, the emphasis was on community participation beyond the identified responsibilities of the planning team. Other than bringing up the individual roles and responsibilities, the tradesmen, not used to discussing provisions that cover their environment, were encouraged to think about this issue. For example, the founding of the Kemeralti Association, which is a trades association, was supported by the planning team themselves. Beyond the tools people can reach, such as, studies and meetings, announcement signs, magazines, television, brochures were personally handed out to the tradesmen. The implementing institution designates the stages of the applications where the tradesmen could actively participate. All of this originates from the social structure, which is not used to speaking about plans and applications other than the decisions directly related to them (concerning their plots) and to work within an organized structure for the general interests of a group.

15. Petersburg may be illustrated as an example in this subject. Mandatory education in the city is 9 years and beginning with the fifth grade, Petersburg is taught as a class lecture. Students who learn about their city through field trips, will surely become adults that will embrace their city (Sevindi, 2003).

16. Washington Charter (1987), Adopted by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) General Assembly; “16. Specialised training should be provided for all those professions concerned with conservation.”

17. The Declaration of Amsterdam, October 1975, Congress on the European Architectural Heritage; “This should help to create the required pool of qualified planners, architects, technicians and craftsmen to prepare conservation programmes and help to ensure that particular crafts for restoration work, that are in danger of dying out, will be fostered.”