City is cutting down forests and bulldozing green spaces in the name of development, say activists

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Istanbul’s bid to become European Green Capital of 2017 has been met with ridicule from activists and opposition politicians.

The application comes at a time when the city’s authorities are clamping down on environmental protests while forging ahead with projects that threaten Istanbul’s few green spaces.

“It’s a joke,” said Oğuz Kaan Salici, the Istanbul chairman of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).

“Istanbul is not a green city. Applying for Green Capital is a politician’s joke.”

The city’s rapid development has put its remaining green areas at risk. Around Istanbul, thousands of acres of forest are to be cut down to make way for gargantuan projects, including a third airport, a third Bosphorus bridge, and a canal to run parallel to the Bosphorus.

Closer to the city’s core, green spaces are also falling prey to redevelopment plans, which have polarised public opinion. Protests against the construction of a shopping centre at the site of Gezi Park, a small green area at the heart of the city, exploded into nationwide demonstrations last year.

Over the past two weeks, residents of Üsküdar, a district on the city’s Asian side, have taken to the streets to protest against the construction of a mosque next to an environmentally protected grove.

Elein Akdoğan, an activist who joined the protest, burst into laughter when she heard of Istanbul’s application for Green Capital.

“Maybe they confused it with some other green thing?” she said. “They’re trying to turn everything into profit.”

Activists claim that the project is the first step to removing the protected status of Validebağ Grove, home to around 7,000 trees and several historic buildings.

Although a court issued an injunction a fortnight ago following a lawsuit by residents, construction work continued until last Wednesday. Local authorities have subsequently ordered construction to halt.

Last Tuesday, police intervened when protesters tried to block a truck carrying a generator from entering the site.

“They fired tear gas at us and used plastic bullets,” Sevim Irmak, one of the protesters, said.

She added: “Validebağ isn’t just a park, it’s a small forest, and it’s one of the last green spaces in this area. There are hundreds of mosques around, but not much green.”

Idris Güllüce, the minister of environment and urban development, defended the construction on Tuesday, saying that the municipality had responded to a “public demand” for another mosque.

The Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who owns a house in Üsküdar, also waded into the debate, suggesting that the activists were “mosque enemies”.

Yet for most residents camping at the entrance of Validebağ Grove, the mosque itself is not the issue.

Asena, a protester who declined to give her surname, said: “Most green areas in Istanbul are threatened by construction. Validebağ won’t be the first and it won’t be the last, but it’s a symbol for what is happening to all these areas.”

Istanbul is competing for European Green Capital of 2017 alongside 11 other cities, including Cork and the Turkish city of Bursa.

Announcing the applicant cities, the European commission said it would reward the city that led the way in “sustainable urban development” and “listening to what their citizens want”.

The winner of the 2017 competition will be announced next year in Bristol, the 2015 Green Capital.