An Evaluation of settlement policies towards national space in terms of globalization and localization

ABSTRACT Recently, an internationalizing part of world geography has been taking place within the wholesale transformation. With the advent of new technologies, some people living in the world have been involved in this transformation process in just the same way the spaces have been involved. A new mode has been penetrated into the on-going system, while the domination of capitalist system keeps its validity all around the world. Now the capitalist accumulation cannot be kept in defined boundaries. We are in the process of which the nation-states make outmode; with the new geographic developments, the boundaries of the nations are redefined and, the concepts of localization, identity and diversity are suddenly taken into account. And, it is not clear how long this process is to continue. On the other hand, the starting point of it should be discussed. The differentiation in the essences of the approaches such as globalization, localization, which attempt to explain current status, are also the main reasons of the speculations in the starting point. It is so natural in a chaotic case where the history, ideologies and paradigms are declared to come to an end. Shortly, in a world described 'new times', the alterations in daily life and science have witnessed the emergence of the 'New Left', too. The 'New Left' emerges as a rising value in a milieu where the classical left has not been able to meet some expectations, and also, the new liberal approaches have not accomplished the promises of the capitalism, both.m Deviating from its original direction of 1960s, the 1990s contributed to a New Left action in Europe. While the left power is attaining control all over the world, considering the probable spatial paradigms, and in what ways it is going to be diversified from the previous developments should be set forth. New spatial formations are aimed that can permit democratic and participatory life in which the profit rules of capitalism replace with the social and equality rules, in which the cultural worthies are exposed overcoming every hierarchical concepts. Instead of rowing against the current direction of globalization and localization, shaping space feature of the 'New Left' by means of maneuvers aiming at changing the direction should not be neglected. In an ideological layout, where the spatial paradigms are re-described, the cases of Turkey and Izmir are also research subjects. While the spatial expressions of the new liberal policies, which have been reflected upon our metropolitan cities and the overall country space in the post- 1980 period, charge the city of Izmir with a diversity of missions during the process of internationalization on one hand, and add new dimensions to the planning problematic of the country on the other. Within the course of the two decades particularly in Izmir, whereas the "image of Izmir" of several actors and the spatial formations directed by modernism both entail considerable attention, the countrywide settlement policies are determined in accordance with the locational demands of the national and international capital. All of these constitute a basis looking for the Izmir of the 'New Left'. Such a research, exposing the spatial paradigms of the 'New Left' in an international-local dialectic, and, accepting that the space is a "determinant", attempts to avail for probable transformations. In such a context, though it departs from the prevailing paradigm by some aspects in spatial terms, it is expected from the New Left to bring forth new changes that, within the prevailing rules of the new world implied by globalization, will not disturb the essential coherence of the universal principles of Left in classical sense; will conform to the new times; and will be able to turn the game over in favour of itself -within the existing rules. Whilst change is engenderedIV in the form of its own accord in a new circumstance where the post-modern movement grew plump and strong via global communication on one hand; it may provide for the paradigm, which, just as has been at the beginning of the 20th century, has experienced a turning point with the new spatial theories and new approaches on urban and national settlement systems, to be carried forth onto an even surface. The definite gaps emerging in between the European-centered power tendencies of the New Left and the urban social movements that criticize the negations of globalization under the title "Global Left"; create a serious problematic ground for developing the original policies of the Third World that bounce between the universal and local. With respect to specific conditions of Turkey, the matter of which track among its new grounds shall the New Left take as its route, is a question as difficult as it takes to conceive of the New Left as a "Third Way". While Turkey takes steps along the way to be included in the European Union on one hand, within this process, the proposed conditions can only be encountered by means of the rules of the new-liberal game. On the other hand, despite all the burden of producing new strong and steady national settlement policies, the efforts spent within the global arena to attract the international capital to the national geography, all entail an overall surrender in the field of planning. On basis of the reality of new times, although it might not be regarded as much probable to expect serious changes from the settled preferences to take place in relation to the paradigm of space, it is obligatory to spend effort in the sense that the alternative theory of the New Left is created. For instance, within the process of "wavy" evolutions, the prediction for the next wave stage to come; the speculations to be made about the comments of how "space" can be affected from this during the process of dissolution of hierarchy; the assessment of new types of formations related to the tendencies to become widespread by shrinking in context of post modern fragmentation; on basis of difference and diversity, preparation of the answers for the difficulties experienced in spatialization of representation; therealization of new opportunities for the accomplishment of creativity due to the minimization of working hours, to be the causes of new spatial demands to occur, all constitute an experiential sphere each. In this study, the inclinations to constitute a paradigm in a theoretical framework as such, are confined to the endeavour, where, despite the feet that the contemplative proposals are thought to be in priority, it tries to concretize the thoughts in context of the country and metropolitan city in general; instead of constituting a model that perfectty fits into the physical references of a geographical piece of land.