Reflections on Urbanisation

The places that add meaning to our lives are mostly the product of our habits. Many of the factors that make a city beautiful and livable may not be able to overcome the walls built by habits and create awareness in people. Because being used to the space prevents issues such as functionality and aesthetics from turning into a preference or a demand. As a result, architectural concerns succumb to monetary concerns. 

The formation and development of cities is a process that takes many years. For this reason, cities reflect the memory of the people. The historical experiences, value system and beliefs of that people shape, rename and produce the urban space. For this reason, when you walk around the streets, squares and museums of a city, you also have an idea about its inhabitants. It is even possible to have an idea about the moral stance, preferences and sense of responsibility of the people and administrators.

If public transport is highly developed in a city, we can think that collectivist culture is widespread there. If cycling is widespread in a city and the infrastructure is designed accordingly, it can be understood that environmental awareness is developed and people prefer a healthier life. It is almost certain that respect for society is higher in cities where people obey traffic rules and honking horns are rarely heard.

For example, if the texture of a city is eclectic and distorted, it is not difficult to understand that the administrators there have no concern for the planned and controlled growth of the city. In the most beautiful cities of the world, the harmony of buildings with each other, the harmony of architecture with nature, and the harmony of urban expansion with time are almost perfect. This perfection also determines the processes of urbanisation. The city teaches its inhabitants how to behave in public and social spaces.

The growth of a city also requires strategic spatial planning. The expansion process is expected to be in harmony with the culture, environment and structure in order to prevent the alienation of the inhabitants from the space they live in with the functions of the city and the differentiation in these functions. If the expansion processes are not planned, a deteriorated urban structure emerges. If this deterioration lasts for a long time, the city transforms, becomes different and the process of alienation of urbanites begins.

Deterioration of urban spaces is not only a problem of city administrators. The political climate in the country has a direct impact on this issue. Politicians, who consider unfair gain as a necessity to ensure the continuity of their power due to the position they hold, provide this unfair gain most easily from the surplus value produced in the transformation of spaces. This surplus value obtained through land is called rent. The hidden partner of rent, which is ostensibly benefited by landowners, has always been politics. Taxation is only the legal dimension of this.

The more the urban space belongs to the urbanites, the more authentic the spirit of the city becomes. In order for this to happen, class differentiation must not be so pronounced as to be conspicuous. Cities where class differences underline all details like a marker pen are generally soulless. Because these details fragment the integrity of the city. Eclectic structures and disharmony prevail everywhere in the city. Urbanites do not feel themselves as a part of the city. In fact, they usually do not have a say in the management of the city. In order to prevent this, political socialisation spaces are needed in cities. These are social spaces such as parks, squares and halls.
In today's cities, social spaces are also places where people can collectively express their reactions against the policies of the governments. In this sense, the democratic right to protest is guaranteed in many constitutions, and governments have the opportunity to create very positive feedback processes from these protests. For this, governments should have sufficient democratic maturity and knowledge to evaluate the feedback. 

As the city gets older, the change in spaces starts to change the urbanites. Urbanisation processes become different. Although urban culture is undesirable, it can evolve into a different dimension. For this reason, the management of change processes requires a scientifically and culturally meritorious management in order to protect the integrity and culture of the city.

Change in urban spaces creates surplus value. The biggest problem arises in the sharing of this value. Generally, there is an unnamed struggle between the city administration, right holders and the government. Capital also participates in this struggle to some extent. The higher the surplus value created, the faster the struggle for a share in this transformation is carried to the level of madness. Right holders living in buildings whose economic life has not expired may decide to demolish them in order to benefit from the price difference between new buildings and old buildings.

Firms can accelerate the decision-making process of the beneficiaries and make attractive offers to them. Governments may endeavour to levy new taxes on the surplus value created. During all these endeavours, urban culture, which should not be overlooked, is usually put on the back burner. Urban rights may be ignored. If process management is not done well, the city loses its soul. The construction of a new one either takes a very long time or may not be possible.
Disasters can create great traumas in the memory of the city. Like disasters, wars also create similar effects. Overcoming all these crisis periods can only be possible through the development of urban culture and urbanisation processes. Otherwise, the destructive effects of crises will destroy the already crumbling urban culture and the will of people to live together. A city resistant to disasters can only be possible through the effective implementation of strategic spatial planning and avoidance planning.

There are also urban animals, which have rights over the urban space at least as much as urbanites, but whose rights are subject to many debates. Although birds, cats and dogs are the most well-known ones, there are cities in the world that live intertwined with natural life. If we are talking about the problem of stray animals in our cities today, one of the biggest reasons for this is that animals have become disconnected from their functions in rural areas with the uncontrolled growth of cities. It is a necessity to control the populations of these creatures, which are a different colour of the city. However, this should be done in a humane manner on the basis of partnership, not by placing the blame on them, so that the consciences of urban dwellers are not damaged as a result.

Today, unfortunately, many cities are facing the risk of losing their souls as if they have experienced great crises. People begin to break away first from political socialisation with other urbanites and then from the urban space. The will to live together is lost, solidarity weakens. Even if there is unity on certain issues, it is more often a part of the struggle between opposing groups. The environment is now ready for new crises in order for everything to collapse.