Solidarity grows with city planners who spoke up after the earthquakes

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Solidarity is building with the İstanbul Technical University (İTÜ) Urban and Regional Planning Department academicians who are facing censorship, deposal, and investigation after issuing a joint declaration about a presidential decree on settlements and reconstruction in the state of emergency areas [areas hit by the February 6 earthquakes].

The İstanbul branch of the Chamber of City Planners made a statement to the press yesterday (April 5) and supported their colleagues at İTÜ.

The declaration by the İTÜ Urban and Regional Planning Department criticizing the related presidential decree was removed from the website of the department and Prof. Dr. Funda Yirmibeşoğlu, the chairperson of the department was removed from her duty. Moreover, an investigation was started into the declaration.

Pelin Pınar Giritlioğlu, the chairperson of the City Planners Chamber branch, read out the statement of the branch.

The statement argues that the vulnerability we observed during the earthquakes will only repeat itself after such a reconstruction process. It says, "With public policies far from scientific truths and with the presidential decrees, a process has been started that is far from the scientific truths of planning, which can be defined as solely a construction activity."

"The declaration is safeguarding our profession"

Giritlioğlu said that they were safeguarding their profession "in light of scientific truths."

This is a period when all colleagues in our profession are and they should be similarly sensitive. The schools for city planning have also built up this solidarity with their declaration based on scientific truths. The joint declaration by the Urban and Regional Planning Department of the İstanbul Technical University on Presidential Decree No. 126 is a last example of this. This declaration is drawing attention to the basic principles of our profession and safeguarding the profession of urban planners.

Giritlioğlu objected to the declaration of the department to be removed from the university website and the department chairperson Funda Yirmibeşoğlu to be removed from her duty.

"We wish to announce that we do not accept this attitude that disregards our profession and our colleagues in the management of this process and the processes to follow and that we stand by our colleagues at the İstanbul Technical University," Giritlioğlu said.

What happened?

On February 28, İstanbul Technical University (İTÜ) Urban and Regional Planning Department academicians issued a joint declaration against " Presidential Decree About Settlements and Reconstruction in the State of Emergency" dated February 23.

The declaration was stating that the presidential decree "would result in worrisome consequences." It said, "This decree has the purpose of answering the need for shelter that arose as a result of the earthquake in a short period of time. It overlooks the experiences of the Urban and Regional Planning science and profession which has a rooted past in Turkey and is of a quality that may cause significant problems in the middle and long term."

After the declaration was made public the university administration first blocked access to the website of the department and then removed the declaration from the website.

The university administration has also removed the department chairperson Prof. Dr. Funda Yirmibeşoğlu from her duty and started an investigation into the declaration being published on the website of the department.

The Union of Education Employees (Eğitim-Sen) Universities Branch has also called for a gathering today at 01:00 pm in the Taşkışla campus of İTÜ in order to show solidarity with the academicians of the Urban and Regional Planning Department and to protest the censorship, deposal, and investigation.

February 6 earthquakes

On February 6, two earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.7 and 7.6 struck the southern city of Maraş.

The quakes affected 10 cities in Turkey's south and southeast, as well as Syria's northern parts, where over 5,000 people were killed.

Turkey's official death toll from the quakes stands at over 50,000 and is expected to increase further, as over 227,000 buildings were destroyed or severely damaged, according to government figures.

Also, about two million people were displaced after the quakes.

(VC/PE)