URBAN TRANSFORMATION

Eyüp residents were in front of the Metropolitan Municipality building on May 3^rd, 2012 in order to protest the demolition plans within the scope of urban transformation.

According to the development plan, Alibeyköy, Akşemsettin and Yeşilpınar region connected to Eyüp will turn into parks, roads and green spaces. Eyüp residents were against the demolition plans and asked for their land titles.

Eyüp people came to this neighborhood 40 years ago; some of them have land titles, some of them do not have any document. Their houses are planned to be demolished within the scope of urban transformation. However, when Eyüp Municipality accepted the last construction plan, the residents decided to come together in front of the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality building.

"The Municipality accepted the meeting"

Around 200 people gathered in front of İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality building and wanted to meet with Mayor Kadir Topbaş. As they called Topbaş with "Say No to Urban Exile" slogans and banners, the Municipality officers accepted to meet with a group of people.

"At the meeting, we mentioned that they didn't even ask us our needs and they made the construction plans as if there are no settlement. They said they didn't have much time but they will not behave unjustly to the residents. However they didn't say how this would happen."

There'll be another meeting in between the neighborhood committee and the Municipality officers next Thursday.

"We are not occupants, we are the constructor of this neighborhood"

"They left a large space for green area which is a proof that they are going to construct a housing estate in that region after the disaster law" says Lawyer Oya Aslan.

"We do not want to live at anywhere else. We are not occupants; we are the constructors of this neighborhood. Eyüp was in a very bad and uninhabitable condition 40 years ago and that neighborhood was called as "Dog Plateau". We worked hard to tidy up this area. We are paying our taxes for years. Why did you provide us electricity, water, natural gas if you were planning to dismiss us? There were also laws and construction plans at that time but nobody called us  'occupants' before" says Eyüp residents.

"We'll transform our neighborhood"

"Eyüp Mayor İsmail Kavuncu from Justice and Development Party (AKP) promised us to give land titles at the election period. They only remember us at the election period and then they forget. They want to exile us and construct villas here. If this area will be transformed, we can do it by ourselves." (NV)