Urban regeneration and right to the city: Fener-Balat rehabilitation program and santral istanbul project cases

Today, under the impacts of economic globalization, many of the world?s largest cities are witnessing major economic and spatial restructuring. Urban restructuring is manifested in processes such as the construction of transportation infrastructure and high technology buildings which can attract the international capital to cities, emergence of image making strategies for international city marketing and regeneration of declining parts of cities. Culture led urban regeneration, which includes the rehabilitation of historical neighbourhoods, transformation of former industrial complexes into new functions, and the organization of international mega-events, is a part of restructuring and image making strategies.In addition, due to decentralization of state power and increasing efficiency of local authorities in political decision making processes during globalization the issues of fulfilling, protecting and respecting Human Rights, which formerly had been under the responsibility of states, started to become issues of interest for regional and local authorities as well. In that vein, the last couple of years had witnessed the declaration of various charters at international, regional, national or local levels in the Right to the City area. These charters describe the duties and responsibilities of local authorities in terms of Human Rights. The right to the city constitutes a starting point for new generation rights, which reconstruct the universal Human Rights at municipal level. In addition to economic and physical development, right to the city is related to the achievement of social, cultural, political and environmental development.Within the last 25 years, Istanbul has also been going through restructuring under the impacts of global economic system. This research study aims to evaluate two culture led regeneration projects in Istanbul Haliç, Fener and Balat Districts Rehabilitation Program and Santral Istanbul Project, form the context of right to the city. As a result of this evaluation, it is pointed out that the maintenance of coordination among different regeneration projects and the creation of a legal framework which underlines the issues of public participation, protection of vulnerable groups and rights of inhabitants are vital conditions in order to maintain a democratic and equitable development of the city.