Evaluating the Dynamics of Citizen Participation through the Case of Ankara Yüzüncü Yıl Çarşısı

Date

2024-03-07

Author

Tiryaki, İrem Duygu

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In response to criticisms of urban planning without involving citizens in decision-making, the planning process has adopted a participatory planning approach. Participation has been considered and accepted as a "good" method within planning practice (Tippett & How, 2020). However, participation's form, scope, and stage are crucial considerations. Effective participation should not only be about involving citizens but also about understanding how individuals evaluate issues and build capacity throughout this participation (Cornwall, 2008). This article aims to provide a framework for how the involvement of citizens in decision-making processes can be more effectively achieved. The study discusses the question of whether citizen participation constantly improves urban planning and design decisions or sometimes leads to conflicting results with professional assessments, in the case of Ankara Yüzüncü Yıl Çarşısı. The results and reports of the urban design competition opened for the area, media coverage (news, social media), and literature sources have been examined to address this question. In the competition, Yüzüncü Yıl Çarşısı, a significant element of civil architecture and an essential part of urban memory in Ankara, 54 out of 64 participating teams developed projects emphasizing the preservation of the area. However, in a post-competition public vote, 69% of participants preferred demolishing the building, resulting in its destruction. This situation, where public preference contradicts professional opinions, raises questions about the lack of interaction between academia and the public. It necessitates discussing the implications of societal detachment when citizen participation is included in terms of urban values. The research reveals the challenges behind directly placing citizens in decision-making mechanisms to increase participatory processes. Given these challenges, the study emphasizes that participation is not merely an action but also brings forth a series of difficulties, highlighting the need to enhance communication and knowledge transfer between academia and society and supporting participation with various processes.

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https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZnpW-pUQfaKeu1n-ZuqkkmU9tEQFN5Lq/view
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/109269

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Department of City and Regional Planning, Conference / Seminar