Resistance to urban renewal in historic Black Sea town
▻http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/resistance-to-urban-renewal-in-historic-black-sea-town.aspx?pageI
Although Turkey’s Council of State granted a stay of execution on a controversial urban renewal project, the Prime Ministry’s Housing Development Administration (TOKİ) has geared up to partly demolish a sleepy Black Sea town which was home to Armenians in the past, triggering local resistance.
Hemşin lies next to its touristic neighbor Çamlıhemşin in the eastern Black Sea province of Rize. Tea growing is the primary source of income for the 2,300 people living in the town.
Former mayor Başar Cumbur was the first official to come up with the urban renewal idea in the area in 2006. “Our goal was to protect the historical structures, while renovating the bad ones. We wanted to create a Hemşin town where people could stay permanently,” Cumbur said.
He therefore signed a protocol with TOKİ in 2008, but locals opposed the municipality’s initial plans. As a result, the mayor changed and so did the plans. Now, TOKİ plans to turn Hemşin into a touristic town with 157 residences and 29 shops. Each apartment will cost approximately 150,000 Turkish Liras (50,780 euros).
