Dynamics of public urban waterfront regeneration in Istanbul, the case of Halic Shipyard Conservation

In the process of globalization, building on the particular spatial scenery of the waterfront, cities tend to refresh their strategies of development to adapt new trends of urban life with huge urban waterfront regeneration projects. These usually focus on a target of maximum marketing and construction of a new image-vision, which aims to represent the city in the global agenda. This aspect is depending on bigger changes in the urban context, the shift in government structures to entrepreneurial forms that involve externalization of state functions (Swyngedouw 2005; p. 1998). The rationale behind the phenomenon of waterfront regeneration and the global embracement of it is now “widely recognized if incompletely understood" (Hoyle 2001 pp. 297), as the relevant literature is based on case studies with focus on the examples of North American and European cities. The goal is to contribute to the more general, theoretical contention of urban waterfront regeneration in developing countries in understanding their dimensions in terms of governance and planning. The research tackles urban waterfront regeneration in Istanbul, Turkey by studying the most recent initiative of urban waterfront regeneration along Halic /The Golden Horn, the Halic Shipyard Conservation Project. The theoretical framework that underpins this study is derived from the discourse on new forms of urban governance including private, public and civic actors (Paquet 2001) that influence planning processes and project outcomes. To evaluate the planning process from a comprehensive governance perspective, indicators include: the legal framework, decision-making process, actors and their relations (Nuissl and Heinrichs 2010) and as normative the perspective of an inclusive planning approach (Healey 1997, 2006) helps to evaluate the planning process of the project. As urban waterfront regeneration literature is mostly based upon case study approaches, a critical overview of international examples is conducted. Both primary and secondary data is collected through: literature review, review of laws, review of official documents and land-use plans, an internship, 31 interviews, 91 questionnaires, participatory observation, an workshops, observation and photographs. The aim is to assess to which extend the top-down governance forms, but also bottom-up grass root empowerment influence the planning process and project outcomes, giving recommendations for an inclusive planning approach. The second aim is to evaluate the urban waterfront regeneration project studying its impact on the neighboring community. Bedrettin Neighborhood is chosen for analysis and its position in the planning process along with its needs are exposed. The thesis argues the modes in which along with clear targets for the improvement of the quality of life for the neighboring community, the urban waterfront regeneration project, Halic Shipyard Conservation Project, will be able to escape the current deadlocks and collisions between government, investors, resistance and local community and might have a chance to actually set an urgently needed precedent of a new planning culture in Istanbul.