case studies turkey

Istanbul, the largest city of Turkey has different forms of allotment gardens. This subject has received attention, particularly after the Gezi Protests which took place in the summer of 2013. The protests started to protect an urban public park to be converted into a mixed-use commercial complex. The protesters established a camp inside the Park and later occupied it. For many, this occupied park which also contained a vegetable garden, was an urban utopia in the middle of neoliberal Istanbul. After the occupation and social unrest ended, protection of urban green fields, parks and heritage areas became more important for ordinary people.

 Urban allotment gardens and similar practices became also popular as a result of social media which becomes a tool to disseminate new forms of lifestyles focusing on green and healthy way of life. The need for a more sustainable future also promotes low carbon socio-spatial configurations, recycling and reusing, eating and consuming local produce and commodities. Roof gardening is another form of urban gardening which is particularly practised by the urban middle classes, reflecting their wish to be close to nature and consume “natural” and “healthy” food. There are also urban gardens initiated by higher education institutes and their students, used for hobby or educational purposes. Two examples are the allotment gardens run by the students of Bogazici University and Istanbul Technical University. In addition, Istanbul has many illegal allotment gardens which are used without the permission of land owners, for food (fruits, vegetable) production as well as animal husbandry and beekeeping.

Yedikule and Kuzguncuk: Two Historic Urban Allotment Gardens

Urban allotment gardening is an ancient practice in Turkey. The lands to grow produce are called as “bostan”[KN2]. Istanbul was once full of urban “bostan”s scattered all over the city, which were an important part of food production before the industrialisation of agriculture and change in urban landscape as a result of rural-urban migration, increasing density and population which led to an overall decline in the urban green fields including parks and allotment gardens. At the moment most of the bostans are owned and managed by the Greater Istanbul Municipality. Their users pay rent to the municipality and then cultivate these lands to grow various produce.

The two important allotment gardens are located in Yedikule and Kuzguncuk, which have been cultivated for hundreds of years by local people. “Yedikule Bostanlar?” are located in the historic peninsula and within the borders of Istanbul’s old walls, a UNESCO site. They are among the oldest in the city, which goes back to the Byzantium times. However, in recent years there have been attempts to regenerate the area against the wish of people who use and cultivate these gardens. “Kuzguncuk Bostan?” is also known as the “Ilia’s Garden” which refers to its previous non-Muslim owner who cultivated the garden until the mid-1980s. Its history goes back to the Byzantium times. It is located in Kuzguncuk, a neighbourhood near Bosporus which consists of an old built environment. It is known for being a multicultural milieu, due to its non-Muslim communities living there for so long. It has experienced gentrification since the 1980s and as a result, it is also inhabited by people working particularly in white-collar jobs and creative sectors.

Both case studies are divided into allotments to grow various vegetables and fruits. In both gardens, several allotments are served for educational purposes and for the use of students. Despite the similarity between the two allotment gardens, there are also differences: “Yedikule Bostans” are used by people who come from lower-class background. They cultivate these allotments not for personal consumption but for their livelihood. Rather, “Kuzguncuk Bostan” is used by people who lives in Kuzguncuk and they use these gardens as a hobby. Only the people who live in Kuzguncuk have the right to use and cultivate allotments[KN3].

Both case studies reduce the gap between the urban and the rural. At the moment, it is accepted that the majority of the world population lives in cities, while the rural realm has lost its population, as well as experienced a decline in its status and economic power. However, at the same time, the rural has gained value as a result of increasing pressure put forward by an urban lifestyle established around speed, temporariness, unnaturalness, density, crowd and toxicity. Current urban allotment gardens reflect the desire to balance the damaged relationship between urban and rural, by blurring the boundaries between the two. In this context, urban allotment gardens ruralise the city and symbolise a slower and healthier way of life achieved through tactile relations with the Earth itself, beyond fruits and vegetables grown. People who cultivate these gardens also establish social relations with each other: young and old, employed and retired, students, white and blue collar workers can come together inside the same garden. They share their knowledge on how to grow food and how to solve problems (pests, watering etc.). This can lead to better relationships between people, reduce crime, provide well-being, and opportunity to working in open air and achieve social cohesion among communities. They also help in protecting biodiversity while local seeds are exchanged among the users of these gardens. Both case studies, even if managed and landscaped by the help of local governments are good examples of DIY urbanism. They have been evolved over very long time into having more structured designs and landscapes, such as equal-sized allotments, fences and small sheds for users. Both gardens also reduce the need to buy produce from supermarkets.

Challenges

However, there are also several challenges experienced in these allotment gardens. The first is health issues, related to the toxicity of these allotment gardens. While Kuzguncuk and Yedikule are exempted from this negative aspect, other allotment gardens might have been founded on or close to a toxic or an industrial land which might result in harmful products. [KN4]The second issue of these gardens is the safety of people who use them. As example, “Yedikule Bostans” are located in the historic peninsula near the historic city walls which are regarded as unsafe during evenings and nights. Also a problem specific to Turkey and Istanbul are stray animals (cats and dogs) which have been parts of urban life for many generations. However, they might create health issues (diseases) when they enter in these allotment gardens. Lastly, as both allotment gardens demonstrate, problems might emerge with land owners or those who manage them. In both cases, the people who use these gardens defended their gardens against further damaging and opening them to construction. This struggle ended in success in Kuzguncuk with the help of local people, local neighbourhood association [KN5]and networking through social media, a process which goes back to the 1980s. The local municipality redesigned and opened the garden with an open air festival and picnic site in April 2015. However, “Yedikule Bostans” are in the middle of a struggle between the people who cultivate them and the city municipality which wants to transform them into a recreation site. In January 2016 constabulary removed some of the favelas used by farmers, which has received attention in the media. Their struggle still continues.

For more information please see:

A web page dedicated to the Yedikule Bostans and their survival http://yedikulebostanlari.tumblr.com/

There is also “Association of Yedikule Farmers” established in September 2015 which aims at protecting the rights of the farmers who use these gardens.

Kuzguncuk Neighbourhood Association https://www.facebook.com/Kuzguncuklular-Dernegi-232078860314814/

A web page dedicated to the struggle of the people of Kuzguncuk to save the bostan since 1986 until now http://www.kahramanbostan.org/