Urgent campaign to save Sulukule (Turkey) and protect the oldest Rrom community in the world

EveryOne Group joins the Rrom Association of Sulukule, Union Romani, UNESCO and all the organization that are fighting to protect the rights of the Rroms in this international campaign against the destruction of one of the oldest Rrom communities in the world, and the “modernization” of the area which would destroy a World Heritage Site.
The Sulukule district has been the home of the Rroms community since the Byzantine period and it became the first sedentary Rrom settlement in the world in the 15th Century under the sultan Mehmet the Conqueror, the protagonist of the fall of Constantinople. The houses, the streets, the entire district of Sulukule are parts of an extraordinary monument that represents an age and an ancient people: a precious and priceless World Heritage Site.
The Istanbul municipality has already carried out invasive interventions in the area, but it has now taken the decision to cancel out all the traces of the settlement, clearing the area of the 3000 Rroms who live there (and therefore the descendents of the Rroms of Constantinople) commencing, in February 2008, the “project for urban renewal”, which foresees the demolition of historical buildings and the construction of a modern district.
Up to now the protests of the Sulukele Roma Culture Development and Solidarity Association have met with no success, nor have the appeals to the local authorities and Turkish Government from the numerous academics of the major Turkish universities.
The project underway, if carried out, will cause the compulsory assimilation of the Sulukule Rroms by the citizens of Istanbul and the destruction of a historical district in which the traditions of the Turkish Rroms have been miraculously preserved for many centuries.
EveryOne Group, together with the Sulukule Roma Culture Development and Solidarity Association, Union Romani, La Voix des Rroms and the organizations for the protection of the rights of the Rroms people appeal to the Istanbul authorities asking them not to persecute a people who should be protected, along with their precious traditions, and to stop the process of destruction of this historical World Heritage Site.
Saving Sulukule and the oldest Rrom community in the world means saving a piece of the history of our world and stopping a serious case of oppression towards the Turkish Rroms. It means handing down an ancient tradition to future generations. But we must act now, by sending emails, postcards and letters of protest. Just copy the text of the petition and add messages for the Turkish Authorities: "No to the destruction of Sulukule", "No to the clearing out of the Rroms of Sulukkule", "The Sulukule district and its innhabitants are the patrimony of history and humanity" etc...

http://www.everyonegroup.com/EveryOne/MainPage/Entries/2008/1/25_Urgent_campaign_to_save_Sulukule.html

Protect Sulukule

Sulukule (literally: the Water Tower) is an old settlement within the area of Istanbul’s historic peninsula, in Fatih municipality - adjacent to the western part of the Theodosian Wall, which has historically been occupied by Romani communities. Roma presence in this part of Istanbul dates back to Byzantine times, while it is in the 15th century, upon Ottoman conquest, that the quarter became (reportedly) the first district in the world permanently settled by sedentary Roma.
Sulukule was famous for its entertainment houses, where the Romani performed music and dance to the visitors from in and outside Istanbul. The closure of these entertainment houses, in 1992, precipitated serious socio-economic decline in the area.

Today the neighborhood of Sulukule is under threat of demolitions due to the ‘urgent’ urban transformation proposals developed by the Fatih and Greater Istanbul municipalities. The proposals go beyond the specific area of Sulukule affecting the whole historic peninsula of Istanbul due to processes of urban transformation and gentrification driven by private sector and governmental agencies, which is currently threatening Sulukule's centuries-old cultural heritage. This redevelopment is to take place in what is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. 1


Oldest Romani Settlement in Europe under Threat in Turkey - ERRC
Urgent campaign to save Sulukule - EveryOne
Diaries from Sulukule - Blog
Sulukule: Urban Renewal or Ethnic Relocation? - Rroma.org
Sign the STOP Petition.



http://www.romarights.net/content/protect-sulukule

Sulukule, Istambul

http://www.manuchao.net/news/sulukule-istambul2/index.php

Dear friends,

Please sign the petition below, to support the alternatif local development plan for Sulukule which shows that another Sulukule is possible against the "gentrification" project of the municipality...
To sign go to: http://www.alternatifsulukule.org/
STOP
No Fronteirs Autonomous Planners
Note: More than 500 signatures have been lost due to technical problems... We try to recuparate them and hope they will appear as soon as possible in our website...
It is not too late to restart the renewal process for Sulukule!
Sulukule is the most ancient Roma neighbourhood in the world. It has been host to the Roma community for centuries. As a consequence of the implementation of urban renewal policies, the Fatih district municipality have started evicting hundreds of people out of their homes.
Accordingly, the tenants are relocated to Taşoluk, 40 km away from the city, where they will not be able to stay for long, first because, it is impossible for them to afford the debts and secondly, they can not lead there a life style in accordance with their traditions and culture…
As for the property owners, they have either sold their homes at a very low price because of the fear of expropriation or are provided with new housing by buying homes from the area but again with high loans.
As the consequence of this "gentrification" project, not only Roma people are dispersed throughout the city and their culture is lost but also poverty is transferred to the other regions of Istanbul without developing any real solutions in the neighbourhood. Right to shelter is also ignored as the new housing offered has high costs for the Roman people to meet.
Since 2005, Sulukule has been one of the local agendas discussed the most in Turkey and all over the world. For long, local, national and international institutions and public have been waiting for a solution based on a happy medium between both sides.
Some reflections are as follows:
UNESCO World Heritage Committee, in its meeting at Quebec-Canada in July, gave Turkey a length of time till February 2009 to sort out the problem. The Committee ranked Sulukule among the initial issues in the things to do list concerning the historical areas of Istanbul. In the report, it was emphasised that Sulukule is subject to a "gentrification" project and Roma community is faced with a forced eviction. A solution should be developed balancing conservation issues with social needs and identity of the local community.
UN-Habitat AGFE met on the 1st of September 2008 and the first article in their agenda was Sulukule, together with Ayazma, which is another project area in Istanbul. AGFE decided to send a mission to Istanbul in the following days.
UN Human Rights Commission re-contacted the government of the Republic of Turkey concerning Sulukule.
USA-OSCE Helsinki Commission wrote the second official letter to the government of the Republic of Turkey concerning Sulukule in the summer 2008.
EU 2007 Turkey Progress Report asked Turkish government to correct the problems in the Sulukule Renewal Plan.
Istanbul Governorship Human Rights Commission presented an extensive report to the Prime Ministry concerning the violations at Sulukule.
Local and international NGOs and civil initiatives continue their reactions via various activities.
AN ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION IS POSSIBLE FOR SULUKULE
Recently, a group of volunteers has developed an alternative plan for Sulukule.
This interdisciplinary team including around 30 professionals and academicians, calling themselves STOP (Turkish abbreviation for "No Frontiers Autonomous Planners") has been working on "Sulukule Local Development Plan" and presented their project to the public and the Fatih Municipality on the last week of September.
STOP considered all analyses and proposals of the municipality together with the civil and academic local and international studies. These studies brought about an alternative with a different approach that conserves the historical pattern while keeping the local community in the neighbourhood without making them victims, providing social and economic development and targeting a better building stock. By doing these, STOP argues that Sulukule may be regenerated together with its existing community.
STOP declares the advantages of this plan as follows:
Financial advantages: The plan is based on a more rational financial model and is cheaper to realise. Betterment approach avoids demolishing the buildings that are usable and diminishes the cost of both demolishing and building. Cheaper housing units are proposed that are still increasing the life quality for the local community. Hotel and cultural-commercial centre proposals of the existing projects are removed and more sustainable and local community friendly income mechanisms and new jobs are generated. Historical and cultural characteristics of the neighbourhood are exploited in the context of cultural tourism.
Advantages for historical spatial and cultural physical pattern: STOP conserves the historical and cultural physical pattern of the neighbourhood. More green areas and public spaces are created. Historical and archaeological values including the walls are conserved in accordance with the restrictions of the 1/5000 conservation plan of the region.
Advantages for social & economic development: STOP's approach to social and economic development is based on the local community and its solidarity tendency that have developed within this renewal plan process. Accordingly, the neighbourhood is integrated with the rest of the city; education, health and other social problems are sorted out via civil centres; economic regeneration is provided via creating new jobs that are relevant to the community's own social and cultural capabilities including cultural tourism, floriculture, phateonship, textile contract manufacturing and shoemaking and most importantly living costs are reduced.
Fatih Municipality took a positive stand by listening to the alternative project and determined an experts meeting soon. However, it has not promised to stop the demolitions which are still a threat for the neighbourhood and also for the efforts of reconciliation.
IN SHORT: Considering that Sulukule is going to be one of the first places to be visited for February 2009 evaluation of UNESCO and also for Istanbul 2010, Fatih Municipality, Istanbul Municipality and TOKI (Mass Housing Administration) should make their choices between:
An example, with the decadent perspective of the 60's and 70's which totally demolishes the physical structure and constructs a brand-new one while protecting nothing
A local development plan mastered by modern planning and protectionist conception, a plan which places the person in the center, a participatory plan thus capable of solving the problems of the locality.
We, who, put our signatures below recommend a participatory process, including the municipality, universities, TOKI, professional chambers, NGOs, civil initiatives and local representatives to develop the alternative plan by STOP as the revision of the existing plan. We invite all authorities including the President of the Republic of Turkey, the Prime Ministry, TOKI, appointed and elected mayors of Istanbul, Fatih Municipality and conservation committees to be more sensitive to the Sulukule issue and establish a common platform to continue this alternative plan process with a reconcilable and equal approach.
http://www.alternatifsulukule.org/
STOP

Urgent support for Sulukule, Istanbul

http://eng.habitants.org/content/view/full/7717

13/10/2008 11:44 am

Dear friends,

Please sign the petition below, to support the alternatif local development plan for Sulukule which shows that another Sulukule is possible against the "gentrification" project of the municipality...

To sign go to: http://www.alternatifsulukule.org/default_en.aspx

STOP! No Fronteirs Autonomous Planners

It is not too late to restart the renewal process for Sulukule!

Sulukule is the most ancient Roma neighbourhood in the world. It has been host to the Roma community for centuries. As a consequence of the implementation of urban renewal policies, the Fatih district municipality have started evicting hundreds of people out of their homes.

Accordingly, the tenants are relocated to Taşoluk, 40 km away from the city, where they will not be able to stay for long, first because, it is impossible for them to afford the debts and secondly, they can not lead there a life style in accordance with their traditions and culture…

As for the property owners, they have either sold their homes at a very low price because of the fear of expropriation or are provided with new housing by buying homes from the area but again with high loans.

As the consequence of this "gentrification" project, not only Roma people are dispersed throughout the city and their culture is lost but also poverty is transferred to the other regions of Istanbul without developing any real solutions in the neighbourhood. Right to shelter is also ignored as the new housing offered has high costs for the Roman people to meet.

Since 2005, Sulukule has been one of the local agendas discussed the most in Turkey and all over the world. For long, local, national and international institutions and public have been waiting for a solution based on a happy medium between both sides.

Some reflections are as follows:

• UNESCO World Heritage Committee, in its meeting at Quebec-Canada in July, gave Turkey a length of time till February 2009 to sort out the problem. The Committee ranked Sulukule among the initial issues in the things to do list concerning the historical areas of Istanbul. In the report, it was emphasised that Sulukule is subject to a "gentrification" project and Roma community is faced with a forced eviction. A solution should be developed balancing conservation issues with social needs and identity of the local community.
• UN-Habitat AGFE met on the 1st of September 2008 and the first article in their agenda was Sulukule, together with Ayazma, which is another project area in Istanbul. AGFE decided to send a mission to Istanbul in the following days.
• UN Human Rights Commission re-contacted the government of the Republic of Turkey concerning Sulukule.
• USA-OSCE Helsinki Commission wrote the second official letter to the government of the Republic of Turkey concerning Sulukule in the summer 2008.EU 2007 Turkey Progress Report asked Turkish government to correct the problems in the Sulukule Renewal Plan.
• Istanbul Governorship Human Rights Commission presented an extensive report to the Prime Ministry concerning the violations at Sulukule.
• Local and international NGOs and civil initiatives continue their reactions via various activities.

AN ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION IS POSSIBLE FOR SULUKULE

Recently, a group of volunteers has developed an alternative plan for Sulukule.

This interdisciplinary team including around 30 professionals and academicians, calling themselves STOP (Turkish abbreviation for "No Frontiers Autonomous Planners") has been working on "Sulukule Local Development Plan" and presented their project to the public and the Fatih Municipality on the last week of September.

STOP considered all analyses and proposals of the municipality together with the civil and academic local and international studies. These studies brought about an alternative with a different approach that conserves the historical pattern while keeping the local community in the neighbourhood without making them victims, providing social and economic development and targeting a better building stock. By doing these, STOP argues that Sulukule may be regenerated together with its existing community.

STOP declares the advantages of this plan as follows:

Financial advantages:
The plan is based on a more rational financial model and is cheaper to realise. Betterment approach avoids demolishing the buildings that are usable and diminishes the cost of both demolishing and building. Cheaper housing units are proposed that are still increasing the life quality for the local community. Hotel and cultural-commercial centre proposals of the existing projects are removed and more sustainable and local community friendly income mechanisms and new jobs are generated. Historical and cultural characteristics of the neighbourhood are exploited in the context of cultural tourism.

Advantages for historical spatial and cultural physical pattern:
STOP conserves the historical and cultural physical pattern of the neighbourhood. More green areas and public spaces are created. Historical and archaeological values including the walls are conserved in accordance with the restrictions of the 1/5000 conservation plan of the region.

Advantages for social & economic development:
STOP's approach to social and economic development is based on the local community and its solidarity tendency that have developed within this renewal plan process. Accordingly, the neighbourhood is integrated with the rest of the city; education, health and other social problems are sorted out via civil centres; economic regeneration is provided via creating new jobs that are relevant to the community's own social and cultural capabilities including cultural tourism, floriculture, phateonship, textile contract manufacturing and shoemaking and most importantly living costs are reduced.

Fatih Municipality took a positive stand by listening to the alternative project and determined an experts meeting soon. However, it has not promised to stop the demolitions which are still a threat for the neighbourhood and also for the efforts of reconciliation.

IN SHORT:

Considering that Sulukule is going to be one of the first places to be visited for February 2009 evaluation of UNESCO and also for Istanbul 2010, Fatih Municipality, Istanbul Municipality and TOKI (Mass Housing Administration) should make their choices between:

• An example, with the decadent perspective of the 60's and 70's which totally demolishes the physical structure and constructs a brand-new one while protecting nothing
• A local development plan mastered by modern planning and protectionist conception, a plan which places the person in the center, a participatory plan thus capable of solving the problems of the locality.

We, who, put our signatures below recommend a participatory process, including the municipality, universities, TOKI, professional chambers, NGOs, civil initiatives and local representatives to develop the alternative plan by STOP as the revision of the existing plan. We invite all authorities including the President of the Republic of Turkey, the Prime Ministry, TOKI, appointed and elected mayors of Istanbul, Fatih Municipality and conservation committees to be more sensitive to the Sulukule issue and establish a common platform to continue this alternative plan process with a reconcilable and equal approach.

http://www.alternatifsulukule.org/default_en.aspx

STOP