This is a pretty shocking report from Al-Jazeera. I wasn't aware that so much of Istanbul's more "embedded" cultural sites were so quickly being eaten up by development efforts. Of course, for a rapidly modernizing and growing country such as Turkey, it would be difficult to justify or fund protection for these areas, which suggests that UNESCO and other organizations should form a fund to help support protection efforts.
I will note, however, that a suspension bridge in the area is probably a necessary addition to contribute to urban development and easing some congestion, and that building it is less contentious for me than the destruction of the cultural neighborhoods. In any case, the universal agreement should be that Istanbul deserves particular attention as a candidate for special protections against demolition, provided the local and national authorities can be given the resources to pursue other non-demolition options for their urban projects.
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