In the previous post, I linked to a recent National Public Radio piece about Istanbul's rapid development and how that growth is causing concerns among preservationists worried about seeing the city's historical structures vanish or "transformed" into something unrecognizable.
One of the spots the story focuses on is the historic Haydarpasa railway station on Istanbul's Asian side, in operation since 1909 but now closed for two years while work is done on a high-speed train line from Istanbul to Ankara. Preservationists and other critics of the project worry that the closing will be more than temporary and is just a ruse for turning the station -- a coveted piece of urban real estate -- into yet another shopping mall. These worries are not unfounded. As a recent article in Today's Zaman put it: "The most important feature of the renovated railway station will be its transformation into a sort of cultural center where people will be able to mingle, visit and shop."
An article in today's Hurriyet Daily News (via Radikal) gives a bit more on the plan to "transform" the station and the surrounding area, citing a development plan recently approved by the Istanbul municipality. From the article:
Via Jenny White's Kamil Pasha blog, I just came across the incredible Mashallah News website, which reports on culture, art, politics and lots of other things from several Middle Eastern cities. Their Istanbul section is particularly engaging, with photoessays and videos that explore the outer edges of Turkish culture and go beneath the surface of current events. Highly recommended.
Foreign Policy's website has an interesting story up by veteran Turkey-correspondent Andrew Finkel about the "dark side" of Istanbul's rapid growth: overdevelopment and environmental degradation. From his piece:
....while Istanbul is already on the way to becoming the commercial capital of a region well beyond Turkey's frontiers, the city's ambitions know no end. Recessions in Europe and rebellions in North Africa have only strengthened the conviction that the tide is drifting Turkey's way -- that, if it plays its cards right, Istanbul can become the new London or Hong Kong.
Yet the city's confidence may turn out to be its curse. Relentless urban expansion threatens to lay siege to the former imperial capital and scrub away its natural beauty.
The full article, well worth reading, can be found here.
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