Comparative assessment of the applications in the Suleymaniye and Sulukule renewal areas

The protection of cultural heritage properties as the common legacy of humanity is emphasized today as a universal issue. Changes coming about in the lifestyle of people through the course of history also bring along physical and social changes in the structure of the spaces in which they live. Since society is continuously in a process of development, accordingly it is inevitable that cities become a part of the process of development and change as well. As the unplanned consumption of resources, increase in population movements and cultural tourism movements quickly developing especially after the industrialization period increased anxiety on account of preserving and operating cultural heritage, new approaches on the use and protection of resources emerged. The concept of "Urban Renewal" which emerged for the settlement of problems which came up as a result of the pressure to which cities were exposed; became a tool in preserving and sustaining historic urban fabric. In the face of the U.S. and Europe, which have especially gained important experiences on the issue of historic city center renewal, the matter of renewal of historic city centers in our country has brought about discussion on its physical, spatial and social dimensions. On the subject of "urban renewal", which is a process enabling urban fabric which has aged and deteriorated through time to adapt to the social and economic conditions of the day, in our country; the 5366 numbered "Law on Protection by Renewal and Usage by Vitalization of Deteriorated Urban Fabric" has taken its place in our protection legislation; after the legal arrangements made on the issue, examples of implementation have gradually begun to be given. The preservation and operation of cultural heritage properties being supported by organizations where cooperation between nations is organized on an international scale; for a place to be announced a UNESCO World Heritage Site is, for that place, a source of prestige of a global scale, also bringing it that amount of responsibility. In this context, the World Heritage Centre created within the body of UNESCO; for countries who have signed the World Heritage Convention concerning the heritage placed on the "World Heritage List" stipulates the formation of operational guidelines detailing how the "Outstanding Universal Value" will be preserved and operated. The historical sites of Istanbul were accepted to this list in the year 1985, at a time when the concept of operational planning for historical sites had not yet developed. At the point we have come to today however; the Historical Peninsula of Istanbul not just with its four historical sites; based on the necessity of assessment together with the periphery, strives to maintain its presence in the "World Heritage List" with an "Operational Area" defined as the whole of the Historical Peninsula and including a buffer zone established around the Land Walls. The preparation of the Historic Peninsula Management Plan for the Protected Urban Area of the Historic Peninsula, which contains the Historic Areas of Istanbul, and the surrounding buffer zone on a relevant legal ground pursuant to UNESCO World Heritage Committee's provision to prepare a Management Plan in order to be kept in the World Heritage List; the attempts to link the Management Plan with the Historic Peninsula (Fatih) Reconstruction Plan for Protect, which was approved in 2011; the affirmative decisions within the scope of the Management Plan for the protection of the heritage sites; and the production of policies for the protection of predominantly universal values of the Historic Peninsula have been observed to be positive developments. However, it does not seem possible to state the same positivity for the "renewal areas" which have been included in the protected area and offer only segmental solutions. The Süleymaniye and Sulukule Renewal Areas that have been analyzed in this study were declared as Protected Areas within the scope of the law no. 5366 on "Renovation, Protection, Cherishing and Use of Worn Historical and Cultural Immovable Properties". The schematic designs for the Sulukule and Süleymaniye Renewal Areas have been approved by Istanbul Renewal Areas KVKBK as per the aforementioned law. While the application of the schematic design has been completed in Sulukule, the process of approval and application has been going on in Süleymaniye. During the course of these operations in the Renewal Areas, UNESCO World Heritage Committee repeatedly stated in its 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 reports that the area of the Historic Peninsula Management Plan had been exposed to significant threats. Sulukule was a long-established residential neighbourhood situated just inside the historic "Theodosian" City Wall built in 447 AD. It was declared an area under protection in 1995 as it lay in the Historic Peninsula. It was well known for its Roma population, some of whom had moved there from adjacent neighbourhoods when these were demolished for the construction of a boulevard during the 1950s. The closure of "entertainment houses" by the authorities in the 1990s spelled the end of the area's main economic activity – many Romany deriving their income as professional musicians working in Istanbul's many bars and restaurants. The Sulukule renewal project aimed to cover an area of nine hectares with 12 blocks and 382 plots. Within this zone, 42 buildings were to be conserved. The neighbourhood is situated within the boundaries of the Istanbul City Walls, an area that has been on the World Heritage List since 1985. The Fatih Municipality manages the Sulukule project preparation and implementation processes on its own. The aim of the project plays a very important role in the process of Istanbul's historical period and reflecting the architecture and lifestyle of the region's high quality of life, a healthy environment with the project of making the history of the region, zoning, and historic tissue is compatible with the existing street name and the tissues are protected and with adequate social reinforcement areas, parking spaces, contemporary living has been defined as having. Also, quality of construction, and functional enhancement of this area from a perspective that target the physical and social debris from the area stated. Although various non-governmental organizations and professional groups of the efforts of the renovation project in the process of developing social trauma studies have been done to mitigate though Sulukule has now started a new life and new housing produced under the project it has also found new owners. The Süleymaniye quarter was originally developed in the sixteenth century as a quarter for the Muslim clergy (ulema), focused on the Süleymaniye Mosque and surrounding buildings (külliye). The Süleymaniye quarter lies in he recently designated Historical Peninsula of Istanbul overlooking the Golden Horn, and was until relatively recently a residential area for the higher echelons of society. Through the early twentieth century, upperincome groups abandoned Süleymaniye in favour of more modern apartment buildings being built elsewhere. In the 1950s Süleymaniye became a popular settlement area for migrants from Anatolia. Süleymaniye Renewal Project covers an area of approximately 938,178 m². The area is located in the Urban Historical Conservation Area since 1995 and enlisted UNESCO World Heritage List 1985. The Süleymaniye project is managed solely by the Metropolitan Municipality, and is to be implemented in five stages (each of which entails the cooperation of various public institutions). The aim of the Süleymaniye Renewal Project was to revitalize the quarter's dilapidated civil housing structure. The renewal project accordingly focuses on a first group of structures consisting of the main surviving cultural assets (see Figure 4) and seeks to restore them. The second group consists of cultural assets that have been demolished or destroyed due to bad practice or poor maintenance. When documents or information about the original state of such buildings is available, reconstruction projects will be carried out to restore them to their original appearance. The third group of structures is defined as the new structures that will be constructed on empty lots for which there is no information about earlier structures or to replace poor quality structures. In Süleymaniye, no organized opposition came into existence and no civil platform emerged to resist the development. The most important critics of the projects of the Istanbul Greater Municipality in this case have focused on the details of the intervention (restoration, reconstruction, etc.) in the historical buildings. Today the renewal application has been completed in the Sulukule Renewal Area and the physical and social structure has been completely transformed except for certain memorial artworks and cultural assets. Both national and international criticisms directed at the application in Sulukule, which is part of the World Heritage Site of Istanbul Territorial Waters, show that the renewal project unfortunately does not have a solid physical and social ground. As for the Süleymaniye Renewal Area, certain buildings which had been restored before the law no. 5366 aside, how the renewal project protects the unique housing fabric in Süleymaniye and how compatible it is with the spirit of the Historic Peninsula will be revealed only after the applications within the scope of the law in question have been completed. When the buildings in the area of the renewal project considered, it can be seen that there are many buildings that can be saved with minor interventions and they can get back to their original versions through correct restoration applications.