Promises forgotten, rent-seeking projects rise: Istanbul's military lands filled with concrete

Housing projects are being implemented one after another on former military lands that President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the then-Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Mehmet Özhaseki had stated in past years would be reclaimed for the public as "green spaces." Most recently, the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change has initiated an EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) process for a new project worth 4.7 billion TL in the area where the Topkule and Baştabya Barracks are located in Istanbul's Esenler district.

According to a report in Cumhuriyet, with the project, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2028, 33 new 10-story residential blocks will be erected on the site. The project in question is a continuation of large-scale housing investments previously approved in the same area, which included 4,156 residences, 33 janitor apartments, and 140 commercial units.

THE PROMISE OF "GREEN SPACE" GIVES WAY TO RENT-SEEKING PROJECTS

In October 2016, then-Minister Mehmet Özhaseki had stated that military areas would be transformed into green spaces open to the public. However, in a different statement he made two months later, he claimed that some of these lands were located on the outskirts of the city, were treeless, and were suitable for development. Following these contradictory statements, the majority of the areas in question were opened up to housing projects.

AN AREA THE SIZE OF 10,000 FOOTBALL FIELDS OPENED TO ZONING

Buğra Gökçe, the former head of the Istanbul Planning Agency, announced in a statement following operations on March 19 that the military status of 46 percent of approximately 15,000 hectares of military land in Istanbul alone—equivalent to 10,000 football fields—had been revoked. Gökçe reported that 96.5 percent of the projects under construction in these regions are housing investments and that approximately 39,000 people live in the completed projects. He also emphasized that 85 percent of these structures fall into the luxury housing category.

THE LIST OF MILITARY AREAS OPENED TO ZONING IS EXPANDING

According to information shared by the Istanbul Branch of the Chamber of Architects of the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB), some of the military areas in Istanbul opened to zoning are listed as follows:

Bakırköy Şenlikköy Military Area

Beşiktaş Orhaniye Barracks, Gendarmerie Tailoring House, 1st Army Command

Çekmeköy Martyr Corporal Azim Özdemir Barracks

Sancaktepe General İsmail Hakkı Tunaboylu Barracks

Sarıyer Zekeriyaköy Missile Base

Maltepe Kenan Evren and Nurettin Baransel Barracks

Tuzla İçmeler Infantry School

Zeytinburnu Old Tank Factory and Military Lodgings