Uniformification of Urban Spaces: The Midyat Case

Berna D�K�INAR SEL¹, Ayfer YAZGAN G�L¹
Department of City and Regional Planning, Yildiz Technical University,Faculty of Architecture, Istanbul, Turkey

Urban spaces today have become commodities in production, circulation and consumption. While globalization accentuates the commodification of urban spaces on an international scale, cities, on the other hand, have become areas where investments of both local and global capital concentrate. In this process, cities in countries located in different geographies compete with one another, and urban spaces are becoming much more alike. Even cities that have fallen outside global competition are influenced by this transformation, as they go through the processes of assimilation and uniformification in their wish to resemble cities in a geography and with a culture other than their own. Midyat is a city with a multi-cultural structure containing religious and ethnic diversities, and thus it is referred to as the �city of faiths and tongues�. Since the 1980s, the terror acts in the region and the migration that followed have greatly affected the social structure of the settlement. As Assyrians and Yazidis, important cultural and social contributors in Midyat, left the region, Kurds fleeing from settlements disturbed by the acts of terrorism or who were part of the mandatory migration settled in the vacated areas. The changing population structure of Midyat has also altered the spatial characteristics of the city. Urban spaces containing the traces of the cultural diversity of the city are being replaced by structures resembling the building developments in large cities, and the city has been undergoing a process of uniformification with other cities. This article evaluates the process of uniformification experienced in Turkish cities through the example of the Midyat case.

Keywords: Assimilation-uniformification; migration; urbanization; culture-identity; planning.

Kentsel Mek�nlar�n Ayn�la�mas�: Midyat �rne�i

Berna D�K�INAR SEL¹, Ayfer YAZGAN G�L¹
Y�ld�z Teknik �niversitesi Mimarl�k Fak�ltesi, �ehir ve B�lge Planlama B�l�m�, �stanbul

G�n�m�zde kentsel mek�nlar, �retim, dola��m ve t�ketim ili�kilerine konu olan bir meta haline gelmi�tir. K�reselle�me, kentsel mek�nlar�n metala�mas�n� uluslararas� bir �l�e�e ta��rken, kentler de gerek yerel gerekse k�resel sermayenin yat�r�mlar�n�n y�neldi�i alanlar olmu�tur. Bu s�re�te farkl� co�rafyalardaki �lkelerde, kentler birbirleri ile yar��rken, kentsel mek�nlar giderek daha fazla birbirine benzemeye ba�lam��lard�r. K�resel rekabet d��nda kalan kentler de bu de�i�imden etkilenmekte, kendi co�rafya ve k�lt�rlerinden farkl� bir �ekilde �rnek ald�klar� kentlerle benze�me ve ayn�la�ma s�recine girmektedirler. �Midyat� dini ve etnik farkl�l�klar�yla �ok k�lt�rl� bir yap�ya sahiptir ve bu nedenle �dinler ve diller �ehri� olarak adland�r�lmaktad�r. 1980�li y�llarla birlikte y�rede ya�anan ter�r ve beraberindeki g�� yerle�menin toplumsal yap�s�n� �nemli �l��de de�i�tirmi�tir. Midyat��n �nemli k�lt�rel ve toplumsal akt�r� olan S�ryaniler ve Yezidiler b�lgeyi terk ederken, onlardan bo�alan yerlere ter�r olaylar�n�n yo�un oldu�u yerle�melerden gelen veya zorunlu g��e tabii tutulan K�rtler yerle�mi�lerdir. Midyat��n de�i�en n�fus yap�s� kentin mek�nsal �zelliklerinin de farkl�la�mas�na yol a�m��t�r. Kentin k�lt�rel �e�itlili�inin izlerini bar�nd�ran mek�nlar�, bug�n yerini b�y�k kentlerdeki yap�la�maya benzeyen mek�nlara terk etmeye ba�lam��, kent di�er kentlerle ayn�la�ma s�recine girmi�tir. Bu makalede, T�rkiye�deki kentlerin ya�amakta oldu�u ayn�la�ma s�reci Midyat �rne�inde de�erlendirilmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Ayn�la�ma-tek tiple�me; g��; kentle�me; k�lt�r-kimlik; planlama.

Berna D�K�INAR SEL, Ayfer YAZGAN G�L. Uniformification of Urban Spaces: The Midyat Case. Megaron. 2009; 4(2): 79-89

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