Articles
Climate Change and the Future of Water in Turkey
Climate change is showing up clearly in Turkey - with summers hotter than they used to be. This presentation by IBS looks at the long-term data which feed this anxiety, as well as to the risks of Turkey running short of water. Provided as a pdf file.
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Istanbul - Finally ready to be a European City of Culture in 2010
When Istanbul applied for the 2000 Olympics, it seemed premature. The
city was a mess, its streets uncared for, its houses unpainted, its
public facilities and highways poor and the whole far from ready to
host the millions of visitors who would have come. That said, the
target of attracting a world event set new standards and raised
aspirations, as did subsequent bids for the 2004, 2008 and 2012 (but
not 2016) Olympics. In this period, the city has flourished, its
infrastructure improved, trees and flowers spread, and areas such as
Beyoglu and Sisli done much to raise their appeal. All this came to a
head this autumn when a burst of new museums opened, and the Istanbul
Biennial process suddenly gained a new level of energy.
This energy is perhaps the first benefit which Istanbul has gained from its nomination as a European City of Culture for the year 2010.
This ECOC concept was launched in 1985 on the initiative of the Greek Minister of Culture, Melina Mercouri. Conceived as a means of bringing citizens of European Union (at that time the European Community) closer together, it has recently been expanded to include cities from countries which are not members. Istanbul will be the 40th such City and was chosen in April 2006 – in preference to Kiev – together with Pécs of Hungary and Essen of Germany.
The Selection Committee complimented Turkey that:
This energy is perhaps the first benefit which Istanbul has gained from its nomination as a European City of Culture for the year 2010.
'Napoleon once said, "If the
whole world was a single country, Istanbul would be the capital,"'
Egemen Bagis, Chairman, the Advisory Board of Istanbul 2010.
This ECOC concept was launched in 1985 on the initiative of the Greek Minister of Culture, Melina Mercouri. Conceived as a means of bringing citizens of European Union (at that time the European Community) closer together, it has recently been expanded to include cities from countries which are not members. Istanbul will be the 40th such City and was chosen in April 2006 – in preference to Kiev – together with Pécs of Hungary and Essen of Germany.
The Selection Committee complimented Turkey that: