"Beyoğlu's Table Problem" Addressed at the Local Governments Academy

The fifth week of the Local Governments Academy 2 certificate program organized by the Bahçeşehir University School of Government and Leadership took place on Saturday, 15 October 2011, at Bahçeşehir University's Beşiktaş campus.

The program, attended by Mayor of Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Recep Altepe, Mayor of Marmaris Muhammet Ali Acar, Mayor of Beyoğlu Ahmet Misbah Demircan, Mayor of Şanlıurfa Ahmet Eşref Fakıbaba, General Manager of İETT Assist. Prof. Dr. Hayri Baraçlı and Bahçeşehir University UYGAR Director Prof. Dr. Mustafa Ilıcalı, touched on many topics ranging from local governments to Istanbul traffic and from the local mindset in the Southeast to the tourism potential of Marmaris.

Recep Altepe stated that they had conducted surveys on the protection of historical and cultural heritage and that, according to the results, 98% of the public believes historical and cultural heritage should be protected. Adding that all restoration and renovation work carried out in Bursa has been documented in books, Altepe noted that three or four books are added to the city archive in this way every year.

Muhammet Ali Acar said, "Unfortunately, while carrying out all our projects, we have to fight both conditions that could lead to unfair competition and a political battle. Coastal towns are major centers of unearned income, and we are trying to prevent the unfair competition that may arise there."

Ahmet Misbah Demircan began his speech by describing the "Citizen Mayor" project, which they implemented using all the possibilities of technological infrastructure. Responding to questions about the removal of tables in Beyoğlu and street artists, he commented: "City life means living by its rules. We didn't remove street artists. We removed the amplifiers. People think Beyoğlu is an abandoned city where they can come and shout at the top of their lungs. But we are trying to break this perception. These things must stop where another person's freedom begins. The same applies to the table issue. These people had blocked the streets with tables. Moreover, without permission. The media turned this into a matter of interference with lifestyles. This is cheap manipulation. Everyone will operate within their limits; a city exists through its rules."

Ahmet Eşref Fakıbaba began his speech on local communication strategies by sharing the secrets of winning two consecutive elections since 2004. Also touching on how much local governments have contributed to Türkiye's success, Fakıbaba said they had carried out many projects to promote women's participation in social life and had established support units to ensure the training and development of women in handicrafts, weaving and material production, giving various examples on this subject.

Prof. Dr. Mustafa Ilıcalı gave a presentation on the urbanization projects they have developed and implemented to date, and then handed the floor to Hayri Baraçlı. Assist. Prof. Dr. Hayri Baraçlı gave a presentation covering topics such as the changed and renewed buses at İETT, metro lines and ticket purchases by credit card. Urbanization, traffic and transportation were the topics that attracted the most interest and questions in this session.