Helmholtz-Gymnasium Bonn 53123 Bonn

Urban renewal and its political implicationsat Taksim Square in Istanbul

Facharbeit im Grundkurs Fach Erdkunde-bilingual bei Frau Lauth

von Tugce Aslan

im Schuljahr 2013/14Bonn, den 25.02.2014

PREFACE

I would like to thank my teacher, Ms Lauth, for her invaluable assistance leading to the

choice of the topic of this paper. My sincere thanks also go to my parents, who

supported and helped me during my work related to language and research questions. A

special thanks also to everywheretaksim.net and Ms Nasya, who is a city planner, for

providing me with plenty of useful information and advice. This work would not have

reached its present form without their inestimable help.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

2. Urban changes in Istanbul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

2.1 Istanbul's Aim of becoming a Westernized Metropolis . . .7

2.2 Plans of Urban Renewal at Taksim Square . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

2.3 Reactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

3. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

3.1 Critical Reflection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

3.2 Achieved Goals and Future Prospects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

4. Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

5. Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

6. Erklärung . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Illustration 1: Location of Taksim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Illustration 2: Taksim before conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Illustration 3: Pedestrianization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Illustration 4: Pedestrianization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Illustration 5: Underpass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Illustration 6: Underpass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Illustration 7: Comparison – change of plans . . . . . . . . . 19

Illustration 8: Comparison – change of plans . . . . . . . . . 19

Illustration 9: Ceyda Sungur, “the lady in red”. . . . . . . . . 20

Illustration 10: Peaceful resistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Illustration 11: Police brutality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Illustration 12: Group of people protesting peacefully . . . 21

Illustration 13: Use of TOMA's . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Illustration 14: Protests became more violent . . . . . . . . . 22

Illustration 15: Traffic system in Istanbul . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Illustration 16: Taksim's new plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Illustration 17: Taksim's new plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

5

1. INTRODUCTION

The protests lasting several weeks in Turkey in the year 2013 caused a great stir around

the whole world. Starting as very peaceful demonstrations the situation quickly

degenerated into a violent conflict.

Being a Turkish third-generation immigrant, I have a special relation to this topic. I

followed the events with great interest. Thus I am looking forward to finding out

something new about my parent country and to dealing with this very controversial

issue in detail.

Taksim Square is located in the west of the district Beyoğlu on the European side of the

metropolis Istanbul. Offering and connecting numerous restaurants, shops, hotels and

bars, Taksim Square is attractive for both tourists and Turkish citizens. Furthermore,

very famous pedestrian ways like e.g. the İstiklal Caddesi and the central station of the

İstanbul Metro adjoin the square. The Republic Monument can be found at Taksim

Square. In the north of it one of the last green spots in Istanbul, Gezi Park, is situated.

Moreover the Atatürk Cultural Centre including an opera can be found along the north-

east side of Taksim Square (see Illustration 1).

However, Taksim Square is not only of huge importance for tourism, but it also has a

historical and symbolic significance. The plans for the conversion of Taksim Square

have always been very disputed. Today's Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is

a member of the islamic-conservative AK party, already tried to enforce his plans of

building a mosque at Taksim, thus following the wish of many islamic nationalists,

during his term as mayor of Istanbul between 1994 and 1998. His plans failed, Erdogan

got arrested and instead of this the Panorama 1453 Museum had been built. These plans

also reflect the fact that Taksim is often considered as a symbol of ideological

demonstrations. On the one side, there are the Kemalists, who are supporters and

adherents of the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and on the

other side there is the group of people supporting an islamic government.

As Erdogan became Prime Minister of Turkey, his plans for Taksim were clear: he

6

wanted to reconstruct the place. This time he aimed to turn the square into a pedestrian

area, build a shopping centre and rebuild the Topcu Barracks, which had been

demolished in 1940. In 2013, as part of this renewal builders soon began to log the trees

in the Gezi Park, which was the point when demonstrations started. The first groups of

demonstrators came together and started to protest in a very peaceful way. Nevertheless,

this situation quickly escalated into a serious struggle between the population and the

government, which I will explain in more detail in the course of this paper.

Considering the fact that this is still a very current topic, it is obvious that it is difficult

to find appropriate literature. During my research I came into contact with city planners

and other people who were involved in this construction project. I aimed to outline the

urban renewal on the basis of the structure plan, which was set up for Taksim Square.

Unfortunately, they were not allowed to give me any detailed information about these

plans, as the proceedings of the Taksim-Project are still continuing. Therefore, my

research and as a result this paper will be based on theoretical information.

7

2. URBAN CHANGES IN ISTANBUL

2.1 ISTANBUL'S AIM OF BECOMING A WESTERNIZED

METROPOLIS

The overthrow of Sultan Mehmet VI Vahdettin in 1922 marks the beginning of modern

Turkey's history and the foundation of the Republic of Turkey. The founder, Mustafa

Kemal Atatürk, had to build up a new economy, as the country was weakened after

World War I. Atatürk managed it to build up a Turkish state “according to new

principles” aiming at a westernized country on industrial-scale.1 Especially also the first

beginnings of urban planning are attributable to this time.2 In the 60's the political

system in Turkey changed as the multiparty system became applicable. This

liberalization of the public economy made it possible for private persons to start as

entrepreneurs and found businesses like e.g. trading companies and holdings.

Additionally new projects for renewing and building up the infrastructure of the city

became possible due to foreign investments.3

While Istanbul used to be an industrial city between 1950 and 1980, it began to develop

in a different direction after 1980. When the city lost its function as the capital of

Turkey to Ankara, a neglect and “urban decline”4 was obvious. However, this changed

as the mayor in his term from 1985 to 1989 started an urban renewal programme.

Amongst other things a multi-lane road connecting the Atatürk Bridge and Taksim was

built up.5 Participation in the world market and integration into the world economy

became possible after these changes in the infrastructure system. The process of

globalization made Istanbul attractive for foreign investments and “privatization became

dominant”.6 As the metropolis was once dependent on industries, a shift to the “newly

1 Bayhan, Irfan: Städtebau und Stadtplanung in der Türkei. In: Angewandte Stadtforschung in der Türkei. Augsburg, Selbstverl. S. 11.

2 Bayhan, I.: Städtebau und Stadtplanung in der Türkei, S. 12.3 Bayhan, I.: Städtebau und Stadtplanung in der Türkei, S. 13.4 Seger, Martin und Palencsar, Friedrich: Istanbul – Metropole zwischen den Kontinenten. In:

Urbanization of the Earth (Tietze, Wolf). Gebrüder Borntraeger Verlag, Berlin/Stuttgart 2006, S. 70.5 Ibidem.6 Uzun, Cemile Nil: Genrification in Istanbul - a diagnostic study. Fac. Ruimtelijke Wetenschappen,

Univ. Utrecht, Utrecht 2001, S. 65.

8

developing high-tech (…) sector” proceeded with Taksim as its

“business/commercial/cultural center”.7

As more and more people from the rural areas hoped for a better life in the big cities,

migration was irresistible. Accordingly, this rapid urbanization lead to the formation of

so-called “gecekondu neighborhoods”8 outside of the city center. Already in 1950, 8.240

Gecekondus, who build up their houses illegally without permission, could be found in

Istanbul.9

In the city center itself, wealthier and more educated people had moved in. As a

consequence of this “invasion in the city”10 gentrification was inescapable. Moreover,

urban planning, which reflects the social structure, changed as well. The “new

lifestyle”11 of the new population consisting of highly-educated and well-paid

businessmen was tried to be adopted. These new immigrants had higher demands on the

quality of the life they were offered.12 One result of this gentrification is the construction

of shopping malls. Trying to adapt to the Western lifestyle, Istanbul had built 22

Shopping Malls already in 2001, whereas many are still in planning.13

In conclusion, it is obvious that Istanbul, but also Turkey in general already had the aim

of adapting to the Western culture since the foundation of the Republic. Istanbul has

been built up with the ideals of the European countries and also developed with this

tendency. However, during this process gentrification and many other serious problems

such as the gecekondu neighborhoods and urbanization due to rural migration have been

neglected.

7 Uzun, C. N.: Gentrification in Istanbul, S. 83.8 Uzun, C. N.: Gentrification in Istanbul, S. 84.9 Seger, M. und Palenscar, Fr.: Istanbul, S. 86.10 Uzun, C. N.: Gentrification in Istanbul, S. 42.11 Seger, M. und Palencsar, F.: Istanbul, S. 241.12 Seger, M. und Palencsar, F.: Istanbul, S. 241.13 Seger, M. und Palencsar, F.: Istanbul, S. 243.

9

2.2 PLANS OF URBAN RENEWAL AT TAKSIM SQUARE

A part of this modernization process is the urban renewal at Taksim Square. As already

explained in the previous part of this paper, Taksim has a significant importance for

Istanbul. On the one hand, it is historically and symbolically valuable and on the other

hand, it represents a very important communications junction for the city (see

Illustration 2).

The first plans for the conversion of Taksim Square were released in the fall of 2012.

They mainly comprise the pedestrianization of Taksim Square (see Illustrations 3&4).

As a consequence of this the roads, which cross Taksim Square, are going to be

translocated into an underpass of the square. This underpass will comprise 26.890 m²

and have a length of 1.205 m. This step is going to provide a pedestrian area of 92.500

m². In addition, the plans also include the redevelopment of the Topcu Barracks, which

will partly serve as a shopping mall, including “cultural centres, an opera house and a

mosque” (see Illustration 3).14 Therefore, Gezi Park will be replaced by these plans and

one of the last green spots in the modernized metropolis will find its end.

However, in October 2012 new plans were published, as the government noticed that

the population was not going to accept this renewal. Comparing the illustrations 7 and

8, it is obvious that merely some green spots were added to the place, which seem very

artificially and in no way appealing. Instead, the old charm of Taksim Square is lost and

replaced by a superficial modernization.15

14 BBC News Europe: Turkey clashes: Why are Gezi Park and Taksim Square so important? In: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22753752 (18.02.14 16:43).

15 Landscape Architecture Magazine: Istanbul's awful plans. In: http://landscapearchitecturemagazine.org/tag/taksim-square-plans/ (18.02.14 18:19).

10

2.3 REACTIONS

When desining the plans for Taksim Square, no one would have thought that the

reactions of the population would reach these current extents.

The protests started on 27th May 2013, when a small group of people pitched their tents

to stop the construction work, which had already started, and decided to stay in the park.

In the next days, the number of demonstrators rose and police forces intervened several

times. They made use of tear gas for the first time on 28 th May and burned the tents.

This day the photo of Ceyda Sungur was taken, which is a symbol for the protests and

police brutality (Illustration 9). 16 Meanwhile, Prime Minister Erdogan explained that no

matter what the demonstrators would do, the renewal plans were not going to be

stopped.

Social Media played a big role in the Taksim Movement. As situations at Taksim got

worse, the local news channels “opted to air documentaries about penguins”17 and aired

talk shows instead of showing the struggle going on in Turkey. They had been payed by

the state in order not to inform about the demonstrations.18 Although the Turkish media

kept silent and the censorship continued, the world was aware of the events at Taksim.

The reason for this were the young 'çapulcu's' (turkish for “looter”, which in this context

can be translated as “demonstrator”), who are highly-educated, who could not be

stopped from spreading their messages all around the world. Via social media like

twitter and facebook, they raised attention to the Taksim movement. Under hashtags like

#direngezi19 and #occupygezi20 amongst others famous Turkish personalities proclaimed

to go on the streets to demonstrate and not keep silent. Meetings were arranged and also

16 Aksam.com.tr: Gezi olaylari nedir. In: http://www.aksam.com.tr/guncel/gezi-parki-olaylari-nedir-nasil-basladi-neler-yasandi-iste-gun-gun-gezi-eylemleri/haber-212253 (20.02.14 17:24).

17 Everywheretaksim.com. Yavuz Baydar/The New York Times: In Turkey, media bosses are undermining democracy. In: http://everywheretaksim.net/new-york-times-in-turkey-media-bosses-are-undermining-democracy/ (23.01.14 18:22).

18 Ibidem. 19 Twitter.com. Hashtag #direngezi. In: https://twitter.com/search?q=%23direngezi&src=typd (23.01.14

21:15).20 Twitter.com. Hashtag #occupygezi. In: https://twitter.com/search?q=%23occupygezi&src=typd

(23.01.14 21:12).

11

in different cities like e.g. Ankara, Izmir and Adana people started to protest.21 22

The famous Turkish rock band “Duman”, which released an album in 2013 during the

Taksim Movement, supported to the uprisings. The song with the title “Eyvallah” was

published and became the anthem of the protests.

“Biberine gazına, Cobuna sopasına, Tekmelerin hasina, Eyvalllah eyvallah,Saldırın bana utanmadan sıkılmadan, Gözlerim yanar ama ezilmedimazalmadım, Özgürüm dedim hala, Haklıyım dedim hala sana, İnsanım dedimhala, Vazgeçermiyim söyle bana.”23

Here the band calls for resistance and refers to the police brutality by ironically saying

“Thank you for the tear gas and the strokes, I will be resistant, I am in the right, I am

human.”

No one would have expected such brutal police forces (see Illustration 10). In the first

days 8,000 people were injured and 6 died. As a consequence protestors became more

violent as well and prepared themselves with gas masks. The protests continued and the

police started to make use of TOMA's (see Illustration 12), which are water cannon

vehicles. But it was not only the police who attacked the peaceful demonstrators. Many

unidentified, armed people mixed with the police forces and masses of protestors and

attacked them. In the course of the next days, also the police began to use weapons and

thus the number of injured people rose and some of the “chapulling” demonstrators as

well as the doctors, who voluntarily helped, were arrested.24

Even after all these incidents, Erdogan still believed that the Taksim Movement was a

plan to weaken the Turkish Republic and proclaimed to be aware of the fact that it is not

the police but other groups of “terrorists” who injure and attack the protestors in a

harmful way.25

But still the Turkish did not give up. Moreover, protests became part of the agenda.

Soon they were supported by homosexuals, who demonstrated in a very colourful and

peaceful way (see Illustration 11). Even people of opposite groups, fans of the soccer

teams Galatasaray FC, Fenerbahce FC and Besiktas FC, who are usually at enmity,

21 Gezi Park Documentary. In: http://vimeo.com/76206731 (23.01.14 20:14).22 Aksam.com.tr: Gezi olaylari nedir. In: http://www.aksam.com.tr/guncel/gezi-parki-olaylari-nedir-

nasil-basladi-neler-yasandi-iste-gun-gun-gezi-eylemleri/haber-212253 (20.02.14 17:24).23 The band “Duman” - Eyvallah. In: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpvUSjaSeLg (22.02.14 14:03).24 Gezi Park Documentary Episode 2. In: http://vimeo.com/78990135 (21.02.14 16:32). 25 Ibidem.

12

came together and showed their solidarity. 26

Based on a court decision, the construction works at Gezi Park were stopped for the

moment and the police forces withdrew.27 28

However, it is obvious that this uprise of the population was not merely because of the

urban renewal plans but rather a consequence of the oppressiveness of the

administrative forces. It can be considered as a turning point: people are aware of what

happens around them and they do not keep silent, but call for the attention of the whole

world.

26 Aksam.com.tr: Gezi olaylari nedir. In: http://www.aksam.com.tr/guncel/gezi-parki-olaylari-nedir-nasil-basladi-neler-yasandi-iste-gun-gun-gezi-eylemleri/haber-212253 (20.02.14 17:24).

27 Ibidem. 28 Gezi Park Documentary Episode 3. In: http://vimeo.com/81782630 (22.02.14 12:02).

13

3. CONCLUSION

3.1 CRITICAL REFLECTION

When reflecting the incidents at Taksim Square, one has to distinguish between the

structural and the interpersonal measures.

Referring to the former, it is obvious that these plans of urban renewal were predictable.

The change in social structure of the metropolis Istanbul has led to this process of

modernization. In addition, the fact that Taksim is a tourist magnet, the struggle for

making it even more attractive is comprehensible. Moreover, Istanbul has a very

meaningful history, which in some way wants to be kept alive by the restorations of

landmarks like the Topcu Barracks.

However, some circumstances seem to be wrongheaded. The plans for pedestrianization

of the Taksim Square lead to the construction of an underpass. As can be seen in

Illustration 15 this dual carriageway will be the continuation of the TEM, the Trans

Europe Motorway, and the E5. As part of this the traffic on the underpassing road of

Taksim will be accelerated. It will be complicated to redirect the traffic, as Taksim will

serve as part of the motorway system. This acceleration of the traffic on the underpass

will make it dangerous and almost impossible for pedestrians to cross these roads at the

end or beginning of the underpass. Besides, no plans have been made to improve the

public transport, which is already insufficient as thousands of people per day travel by

public means. Therefore, the new pedestrian zone will rather be reachable for people

from the upper or middle class who can afford a car. Here a negative side effect of the

gentrification becomes very clear again: the wealthier population is favored and spatial

segregation takes place. Furthermore, the loss of Gezi Park would mean a serious

decline in life quality. The Gezi Park is one of the last green spots in Istanbul, which

people are content to fight for. Another point is that regional disparities appear. As it is

often the case the city centers, which are inhabited by high income brackets, are

benefitted, and the poorer regions with residents from the rural areas, like the

gecekondu are neglected by the state. Over and above, one of the biggest problems is

the fact that no well-ordered planning methods exist in Turkey. To be successful,

14

planning processes have to be conducted in a more targeted and effective way.

For the latter, the interpersonal measures, it can be said that the Taksim Movement

symbolized a turn for the Turkish population.

The protests, which started as demonstrations against the confiscation of public space

turned out to be much more profound. They can be seen as a sign of dissatisfaction with

the Prime Minister Erdogan and his authoritarian administration. This discontent is

strengthened by the fear of the Islamization Erdogan more and more initiates in his way

of ruling. New laws restricting the purchase of alcohol after a certain time of day, new

construction projects for mosques in the city center, censorship of the media during the

protests and more and more changes cause stir amongst the Turkish population. Protests

are not all about construction plans and urban renewal. They are a symbol for the

oppression and democratic rule by Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Moreover, the people on the

streets have become a unity and want their voices to be heard. During the protests

Erdogan often proclaimed that the movements are set by a group of people who want

the Turkish State to fall apart, but instead the Turkish population, even those who were

hostile to each other, united. They showed: we are a unity, we have rights, we are human

and we will not be silent anymore.

15

3.2 ACHIEVED GOALS AND FUTURE PROSPECTS

In spite of the brutality of the police, the injuries, the deaths, the arrests, the suffering;

but maybe even because of them, people at Taksim kept strong and did not give up.

When marching up at Taksim each day, they took the risk of maybe not arriving at home

in the next morning and of loosing a friend or a fellow citizen. They arose worldwide

attention and support.

Their original goal was to save the trees, but this changed in the course of the

demonstrations. People at Taksim did not simply want to break the law, they wanted to

be heard and spread their message all over the world: “we do not want to live under a

dictatorship”.

Finally the government gave partly in: new plans for the renewal of Taksim Square were

published on Feb, 4th. They still follow the same objectives but as can be seen in

Illustration 16 and 17 much more green space is included.

This seems to be a crump of comfort when considering the fact that thousands of

citizens have risked, some even lost their lives during the struggle. However, this fight

made the citizens strong and more confident. Even if the changes are small, they now do

know that they can change something and that it is worth fighting for one's own ideals.

In honor of the people, who devoted themselves for the nation: 29

Abdullah Cömert

Ethem Sarısülük

Mehmet Ayvalıtaş

Mustafa Sarı

İrfan Tuna

Ali İsmail Korkmaz

29 Haberself: Gezi Parki Olaylarinda Hayatini Kaybeden 6 Fidan. In: http://www.haberself.com/h/1914/ (23.02.14 17:18).

16

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books:

Bayhan, Irfan: Städtebau und Stadtplanung in der Türkei. In: Angewandte Stadtforschung in der Türkei. Augsburg, Selbstverlag, 1993

Seger, Martin und Palencsar, Friedrich: Istanbul – Metropole zwischen den Kontinenten. In: Urbanization of the Earth (Tietze, Wolf). Gebrüder Borntraeger Verlag, Berlin/Stuttgart 2006

Uzun, Cemile Nil: Genrification in Istanbul - a diagnostic study. Fac. Ruimtelijke Wetenschappen, Univ. Utrecht, Utrecht 2001

Sources on the Internet:

Aksam.com.tr: Gezi olaylari nedir. In: http://www.aksam.com.tr/guncel/gezi-parki-olaylari-nedir-nasil-basladi-neler-yasandi-iste-gun-gun-gezi-eylemleri/haber-212253 (20.02.14 17:24)

BBC News Europe. Turkey clashes: Why are Gezi Park and Taksim Square so important? In: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22753752 (23.02.14 12:21)

Everywheretaksim.net. Images: Inside of Gezi. In: http://everywheretaksim.net/category/images/inside-gezi-park/ (23.02.14 12:25)

Everywheretaksim.net. Baydar, Yavuz: The New York Times: In Turkey, media bosses are undermining democracy. In: http://everywheretaksim.net/new-york-times-in-turkey-media-bosses-are-undermining-democracy/ (23.02.14 12:32)

Gezi Park Documentarry. In: https://vimeo.com/gezidoc (22.02.14 12:02)

Haberself: Gezi Olaylarinda Hayatini Kaybeden 6 Fidan. In: http://www.haberself.com/h/1914/ (23.02.14 12:13)

Landscape Architecture Magazine: Istanbul's awful plans. In: http://landscapearchitecturemagazine.org/tag/taksim-square-plans/ (18.02.14 18:19)

Topbas, Kadir on Twitter. In: https://twitter.com/Kadir__Topbas/ (23.02.14 12:35)

Twitter: Hashtag #direngezi. In: https://twitter.com/search?q=%23direngezi&src=typd (23.02.14

12:43)

Twitter: Hashtag #occupygezi. In: https://twitter.com/search?q=%23occupygezi&src=typd (23.02.14 12:44)

YouTube/Dumantube: Duman – Eyvallah. In: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpvUSjaSeLg (23.02.14 16:22)

YouTube/Konut Projeleri: Iste yeni Taksim Meydani. In: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXqDGVGfGaY#t=147 (23.02.14 13:06)

YouTube/Yapi Haberler: Yeni Taksim Meydan Düzenlemesi. In: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoA52Ms9Kyc#t=42 (23.02.14 13:02)

17

APPENDIX

Illustration 1: Location of Taksim Square (source: Google Maps)

Illustration 2: Taksim before conversion30

30 BBC News Europe: Turkey clashes: Why are Gezi Park and Taksim Square so important? In:

18

Illustration 3&4: Pedestrianization31

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22753752 (18.02.14 16:43).31 YouTube: Yeni Taksim Meydan Düzenlemesi. In: http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=RoA52Ms9Kyc#t=42 (18.02.14 17:01).

19

Illustration 5&6: Underpass32

Illustration 7&8: Comparison - Change of Plans33

32 YouTube: Yeni Taksim Meydan Düzenlemesi. In: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoA52Ms9Kyc#t=42 (18.02.14 17:01).

33 YouTube: Iste yeni taksim meydani. Projeler.com.tr. In: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXqDGVGfGaY#t=147 (18.02.14 17:03).

20

Illustration 9: Ceyda Sungur, “the lady in red” (source: everywheretaksim.net)

Illustration 10: Peaceful resistance (source: everywheretaksim.net)

21

Illustration 11: Police brutality (source: everywheretaksim.net)

Illustration 12: Group of people protesting peacefully (source: everywheretaksim.net)

22

Illustration 13: Use of TOMA's (source: everywheretaksim.net)

Illustration 14: Protests became more violent (source: everywheretaksim.net)

23

Illustration 15: Traffic System in Istanbul34

34 Seger, M. und Palencsar, F.: Istanbul, S. 180

24

Illustration 16&17: Taksim's new plans35

35 Twitter: Kadir Topbas (mayor of Istanbul). In: https://twitter.com/Kadir__Topbas/media (23.02.14 12:22)

25

Erklärung

Hiermit erkläre ich, dass ich die vorliegende Arbeit selbstständig und ohne

fremde Hilfe verfasst und keine anderen als die im Literaturverzeichnis

angegebenen Hilfsmittel verwendet habe.

Insbesondere versichere ich, dass ich alle wörtlichen und sinngemäßen

Übernahmen aus anderen Werken kenntlich gemacht habe.

________Bonn_____, den ____01.05.2014____ ___________________ Ort Datum Unterschrift