Elif Alkay

The Planning System and Housing Sector in Turkey

There have been extensive rearrangement of the Turkish planning system in terms of both institutional restructuring and reform of planning laws between 2000-2014. Planning reforms have emerged a recentralized planning system that remarkably differs from the period of 1985-200, which adopted decentralization of planning authorities. New regulations basically provide the basis for government institutions to be more influential in urban development processes, and strengthen the power of the role of some municipalities in planning whilst defenestrating others. In this paper, the prospective impacts of the new planning system on housing development are discussed. The discussion of the new planning system from the housing development perspective is based on documentary analysis and semi-structured interviews. The interviewee sample includes two main groups: the first group involves planning authorities and the second group involves market actors in housing development sector. This system-wide discussion aims to reflect policy-makers, governmental decision-makers and market actors’ perspectives on the housing development views on the new planning system beyond and the opportunities and/or conflicts that arise.

Explaining Spatial Variation in Real Estate Development Activity in Turkey

There is a strong policy discourse at local and national level in Turkey that ascribes considerable economic benefits to new construction activity. Critics, however, argue that this policy discourse has led to a mismatch between public policy and market fundamentals in many cities. It has been suggested that policy intentions might be driving construction levels above demand levels and could be contributing to uneven spatial development between regions. This paper seeks to shed light on this argument by systematically exploring the relationship between planning policy and development activity in 81 Turkish cities. The analytical framework draws on research undertaken by Bramley and Leishman (2005) and Henneberry et al (2005) on the relationship between public policy and market outcomes and has been adapted to take account of the institutional arrangements and policy instruments operating in Turkey. Drawing on data on economic activity, local social indicators, planning permissions and applications, and demographic change, the paper develops a cross-sectional econometric model that helps isolate the effects of planning policy from other drivers of construction activity. The second stage analysis uses to GIS methods and spatial statistics to develop an understanding of spatial variations in the drivers of development activity. The paper offers some tentative conclusions about the relationship between policy imperatives, market fundamentals and development activity.