Architect Esin Köymen: “They want to seize the property of the poor by using the earthquake as a pretext!”

Şenol ÇARIK - 12punto.com.tr

Emphasizing that the ‘Urban Transformation Presidency’, which possesses very broad powers under the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, was established on October 16 with Presidential Decree No. 153, Köymen said, “It means scaring people with the earthquake and having the properties of those who lack financial means change hands. This is a regulation that will result in the seizure of properties belonging to low-income individuals and the poor in urban spaces, using the earthquake as a pretext.”

Recalling the practices during Murat Kurum’s tenure as minister, Esin Köymen warned, “We are all aware that a government that enacts legal regulations that will cause people to lose their properties by exploiting their lives and earthquake anxieties will implement this system even more ruthlessly during a potential metropolitan mayoral term.”

Here are those statements…

-An “Urban Transformation Presidency” has been created. With this development, the political power and its candidate say “citizens will not be victimized.” What do these new regulations contain?

A change was made to the ‘Law on Transformation of Areas Under Disaster Risk,’ which we know as ‘Urban Transformation Law No. 6306,’ but just before the change, on October 16, an ‘Urban Transformation Presidency’ was established within the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization with Presidential Decree No. 153. This presidency has very broad TOKİ powers. In fact, it is even larger than TOKİ. It has a special budget. It can establish companies and partner with companies. This is extremely important.
While the sources of this budget are stated in the decree, it is mentioned that many funds, including loans for preparing cities against disasters, as well as grants received from abroad, will be accumulated here. We are talking about a much more comprehensive presidency with greater authority.

“STATE SERVICES ARE BEING PRIVATIZED”

The creation of such a large structure within the state mechanism actually means the privatization of state services. On the other hand, we are talking about a transformation process that is made somewhat mandatory in order to somehow eliminate people’s fear and anxiety about earthquakes through the ‘Urban Transformation Presidency’.

This presidency has the authority to remake the legislation regarding urban transformation, that is, Law No. 6306. It has been tasked with declaring areas related to practices within the scope of Article 73 of the Municipal Law No. 5393, and implementing legislation and practices related to deteriorating historical textures under Law No. 5366.

“A PROCESS LIKE EXILE WAS EXPERIENCED”

We saw Law No. 5366 in 2005, immediately after the 1999 earthquake. In its applications, we saw Sulukule, Tarlabaşı, Fener, Balat, and Ayvansaray. A process occurred where the people living there could no longer continue to live in the places they resided. In fact, these people experienced a process like exile. The most important reason is economic reasons…
Because they did not have the economic power to live in the newly built buildings, or because they could not pay the amounts they had to pay during the renewal process of that building, those people went towards the outskirts of the city.

“SCARING WITH THE EARTHQUAKE…”

We are all already experiencing what was done with Law No. 6306. There are many examples that have come to the present day. Now, with the change made to Law No. 6306, especially because the definition of reserve building area has been changed—what was this reserve building area: areas containing earthquake risk or disaster risk were to be evacuated and new settlement areas were to be opened, and people living in risky areas were to be placed in these areas. But this never happened! With the new change, even areas with private property can now be declared reserve building areas!
We express this as “seizing” people’s properties by using earthquake fears as a pretext.

“IT CANNOT BE PASSED ON TO THEIR CHILDREN THROUGH INHERITANCE”

-Why do you use this expression?

Because, you know how housing prices rise when there is new construction in an area. Since people cannot pay the cost of these new houses to be built, the urban transformation presidency directly seizes their title deeds, and in this seizure, people can only benefit from this residence during their lifetime or while their spouse is alive. It cannot be passed on to their children through inheritance. If you want to get this title deed, let’s say at the end of 10 years, you have to pay the cost at the current market value of that day and buy the apartment again.
This means scaring people with the earthquake and having the properties of those who lack financial means change hands.
This is a regulation that will result in the seizure of properties belonging to low-income individuals and the poor in urban spaces, using the earthquake as a pretext.

“MUCH MORE RUTHLESS DURING A POTENTIAL METROPOLITAN MAYORAL TERM…”

The same person (Murat Kurum) who gave building registration certificates to illegal structures, dilapidated urban textures, and all structures that did not receive architectural and engineering services, and turned them into buildings, has become a candidate for Metropolitan Mayor today.
The ‘Kanal Istanbul’ process, which was declared a reserve building area in 2012, and the process of changing the ownership of properties there are products of the same ministry and the same mentality. In all the speeches made during the election, it is stated by him that an election campaign will also be discussed through the projects to be created around this canal.
We are all aware that a government that enacts legal regulations that will cause people to lose their properties by exploiting their lives and earthquake anxieties will implement this system even more ruthlessly during a potential metropolitan mayoral term.

“IT IS NECESSARY TO PURSUE HOUSING AND SHELTER AS A STRUGGLE FOR RIGHTS”

When we look at the practices carried out and current practices, in Şahintepe, Güvercintepe, Tozkoparan, and Fetihtepe, in a process where people’s homes were entered by law enforcement and forced evictions took place, we need to reveal that the right to shelter and the right to housing are constitutional rights.
It is not about people living in an earthquake-resistant building according to their financial means, but the state has an obligation to implement a regulation for every citizen to reside in a sound structure, stemming from the Constitution.
It is necessary to pursue the right to housing and the right to shelter as a struggle for rights. Otherwise, the process will result in the rich living in sound buildings, and the poor being evicted from where they live with the latest regulation, using the earthquake as a pretext, and being exiled to the outskirts of the city, or even outside the city, as there are no outskirts of the city left today.

News Source: Şenol Çarık