Mehmet Penpecioglu
I am an urban planner and critical human geographer working on urban politics and local governance, urban theory and comparative urbanism. I was born in İzmir on 1981; I graduated from Department of City and Regional Planning at Dokuz Eylül University (2003); received Master of Regional Planning degree from Middle East Technical University with a thesis on the critical political economy of local industrial development and change (2007). In my PhD dissertation, I investigated the mutually constitutive and socially complex relations between neoliberal political hegemony and large-scale urban projects; received PhD degree from Department of Urban Policy Planning and Local Governments at Middle East Technical University (2012).
I worked as an Urban Planner at Ministry of Public Works and Settlement and took part in Turkey's Integrated Urban Development Strategy and Action Plan (2008-2009). As a young scholar, I have worked at four universities in Turkey's metropolitan cities for years and fulfilled several academic duties including urban planning studios, academic research projects, numerous lectures and seminars on urban politics, urban governance and urban theory. I worked as a Research Assistant at Middle East Technical University (2009-2012), as a Lecturer at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (2014), as an Assistant Professor at Izmir Institute of Technology (2014-2017) and Pamukkale University (2022-2023). I completed my postdoctoral research at TU Delft OTB - Research for Built Environment, funded by International Postdoctoral Research Scholarship, Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (2015). My postdoctoral research revealed changing roles and attitudes of young urban planners in Turkey in the face of authoritarian and entrepreneurial urban governance. I received the title of Associate Professor in the field of City and Regional Planning from Inter-University Council of Turkey (2022)
I published in national and international peer-reviewed journals (European Planning Studies, Urban Studies, Urban Geography, City, Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space etc.), edited and translated books (on urban politics and urban governance), coordinated spatial planning activities and urban development projects in Turkey. Currently, I am working as an Associate Professor at Izmir Institute of Technology, Department of City and Regional Planning. My current research concentres on comparative urbanism and urban socio-geographical change, urban socio-spatial injustices, politics of urban social movements and the future of urban commons.
I worked as an Urban Planner at Ministry of Public Works and Settlement and took part in Turkey's Integrated Urban Development Strategy and Action Plan (2008-2009). As a young scholar, I have worked at four universities in Turkey's metropolitan cities for years and fulfilled several academic duties including urban planning studios, academic research projects, numerous lectures and seminars on urban politics, urban governance and urban theory. I worked as a Research Assistant at Middle East Technical University (2009-2012), as a Lecturer at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (2014), as an Assistant Professor at Izmir Institute of Technology (2014-2017) and Pamukkale University (2022-2023). I completed my postdoctoral research at TU Delft OTB - Research for Built Environment, funded by International Postdoctoral Research Scholarship, Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (2015). My postdoctoral research revealed changing roles and attitudes of young urban planners in Turkey in the face of authoritarian and entrepreneurial urban governance. I received the title of Associate Professor in the field of City and Regional Planning from Inter-University Council of Turkey (2022)
I published in national and international peer-reviewed journals (European Planning Studies, Urban Studies, Urban Geography, City, Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space etc.), edited and translated books (on urban politics and urban governance), coordinated spatial planning activities and urban development projects in Turkey. Currently, I am working as an Associate Professor at Izmir Institute of Technology, Department of City and Regional Planning. My current research concentres on comparative urbanism and urban socio-geographical change, urban socio-spatial injustices, politics of urban social movements and the future of urban commons.
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Articles by Mehmet Penpecioglu
authoritarian state regulation, resulting in a conflictual socio-political
environment. Caught in the crossfire between interventionist urban
policies and a planning education system that is oriented towards
the public good, planners have come to feel alienated from their
work. This paper considers how young planners respond to these
challenges, drawing upon questionnaires and semi-structured
in-depth interviews with planners with fewer than 10 years of
experience. Their confrontation with entrepreneurial and authoritarian
state interventions in urban development alienates them from their
ideals, leading them to explore new ways of dealing with increasing
political authority and economic neoliberalism. The participants of
the study came up with a number of diverse responses related to
this process. Disappointed with the practice of their profession
‘lost planners’ begin searching for alternative pathways outside
their practice towards a more meaningful society. In contrast,
‘profiteer planners’ focus on getting more business and play a
conformist and opportunistic role in the existing planning
practice; while ‘struggling planners’ develop alternative ways to
pursue the public good by participating in urban movements. In
short, they cope with alienation through politicization, solidarity
and the identification of new means of engaging with society.
kentsel projeler (BKP’ler) güçlü bir kentsel siyasa mekanizması
haline gelmektedir. BKP’ler sermayenin çıkarlarını kollamakta ve
kentlerde egemen sınıfların el koyduğu büyük bir rant yaratmaktadır. Merkezi iş alanları, turizm merkezleri, korunaklı konutlar ve alışveriş merkezleri gibi “neo-liberal kentleşme” mekanları üreten BKP’ler yalnızca sermaye birikim ilişkilerinin yeniden üretilmesinde
değil; aynı zamanda kentsel siyasaların önceliklerinin
yeniden tanımlanmasında neo-liberal hegemonyayı inşa edici
bir rol oynamaktadır. Neo-liberal hegemonyanın kentlerde inşası
ve BKP’lerin bu süreçteki rolü yalnızca sermaye birikim ilişkilerinin çözümlenmesiyle incelenemez. Böylesi bir inceleme için BKP’lerin yaşama geçirilmesinde devlet ve sivil toplum aktörlerinin
rolü, bu aktörlerin ortak ve karşıt söylemleri, uzlaşı ve çatışma
ilişkileri araştırılmalı ve bunların hegemonya inşası veya mücadelesindeki işlevleri ortaya konmalıdır. Makale bu kapsamda yapılmış olan doktora tezi araştırması bulgularına dayanmaktadır.
İzmir’de iki BKP olan Yeni Kent Merkezi (YKM) ve İnciraltı Turizm
Merkezi (İTM) projeleri örneğinde “mekanın üretimi” ve “neo-liberal hegemonya” arasındaki ilişkiyi çözümlemektedir. YKM projesinde yerel yönetimler, yatırımcılar, yerel sermaye örgütleri ve meslek odaları uzlaşı ilişkileri geliştirebilmiş ve yaygınlaştırdıkları hegemonik söylemlerle projeye yönelik toplumsal desteği elde edebilmişlerdir. Uzlaşı ilişkileri ve hegemonik söylemlerle YKM projesi “mekan üretiminin hegemonik projesi” haline gelebilmiş, kentsel siyasal öncelikler üzerinde neo-liberal hegemonik bir güç inşa etmiştir. YKM projesinin aksine İTM projesinde devlet ve örgütlü sivil toplum aktörleri arasında uzlaşı sağlanamamıştır. İTM projesine karşı meslek odalarının öncülük ettiği toplumsal muhalefet İTM planlarına dava açarak planların yaşama geçirilmesinin önünde durabilmiştir. Sonuç olarak, İTM projesi örgütlü toplumsal kesimlerin rızasını elde edememiş ve “mekan üretiminin hegemonik projesi” haline gelememiştir.
Thesis by Mehmet Penpecioglu
Textile and garment industry is a good case to explore the abovementioned concepts. Firstly global and national dimensions of industry are investigated. It is understood that quota free regulations of trade and relocation of production have been shaping a fierce global competition by which employment, supply and marketing relations change dramatically at the world scale. In such new competitive conditions Turkish textile and garment industry has been losing its growth dynamics in terms of price competition advantage. Secondly Denizli case is investigated. In-depth interviews with firms, related chambers and unions are made during field survey. Thesis argued that Denizli has locked to a passive exporter role. In this lock-in process, the sector could not transform itself by innovative modes of restructuring. The passive exporter role disables region to adopt innovative product strategies and to shift production to other regions where cost cutting opportunities are provided. Industrialists decrease production costs informally including employment unregistered workers. However although survey results point out locked industrial dynamics, Denizli region still have the potential of regional development thanks to its entrepreneurial sprit and rising other economic sectors."
Chapters in Books by Mehmet Penpecioglu
Proceedings by Mehmet Penpecioglu
authoritarian state regulation, resulting in a conflictual socio-political
environment. Caught in the crossfire between interventionist urban
policies and a planning education system that is oriented towards
the public good, planners have come to feel alienated from their
work. This paper considers how young planners respond to these
challenges, drawing upon questionnaires and semi-structured
in-depth interviews with planners with fewer than 10 years of
experience. Their confrontation with entrepreneurial and authoritarian
state interventions in urban development alienates them from their
ideals, leading them to explore new ways of dealing with increasing
political authority and economic neoliberalism. The participants of
the study came up with a number of diverse responses related to
this process. Disappointed with the practice of their profession
‘lost planners’ begin searching for alternative pathways outside
their practice towards a more meaningful society. In contrast,
‘profiteer planners’ focus on getting more business and play a
conformist and opportunistic role in the existing planning
practice; while ‘struggling planners’ develop alternative ways to
pursue the public good by participating in urban movements. In
short, they cope with alienation through politicization, solidarity
and the identification of new means of engaging with society.
kentsel projeler (BKP’ler) güçlü bir kentsel siyasa mekanizması
haline gelmektedir. BKP’ler sermayenin çıkarlarını kollamakta ve
kentlerde egemen sınıfların el koyduğu büyük bir rant yaratmaktadır. Merkezi iş alanları, turizm merkezleri, korunaklı konutlar ve alışveriş merkezleri gibi “neo-liberal kentleşme” mekanları üreten BKP’ler yalnızca sermaye birikim ilişkilerinin yeniden üretilmesinde
değil; aynı zamanda kentsel siyasaların önceliklerinin
yeniden tanımlanmasında neo-liberal hegemonyayı inşa edici
bir rol oynamaktadır. Neo-liberal hegemonyanın kentlerde inşası
ve BKP’lerin bu süreçteki rolü yalnızca sermaye birikim ilişkilerinin çözümlenmesiyle incelenemez. Böylesi bir inceleme için BKP’lerin yaşama geçirilmesinde devlet ve sivil toplum aktörlerinin
rolü, bu aktörlerin ortak ve karşıt söylemleri, uzlaşı ve çatışma
ilişkileri araştırılmalı ve bunların hegemonya inşası veya mücadelesindeki işlevleri ortaya konmalıdır. Makale bu kapsamda yapılmış olan doktora tezi araştırması bulgularına dayanmaktadır.
İzmir’de iki BKP olan Yeni Kent Merkezi (YKM) ve İnciraltı Turizm
Merkezi (İTM) projeleri örneğinde “mekanın üretimi” ve “neo-liberal hegemonya” arasındaki ilişkiyi çözümlemektedir. YKM projesinde yerel yönetimler, yatırımcılar, yerel sermaye örgütleri ve meslek odaları uzlaşı ilişkileri geliştirebilmiş ve yaygınlaştırdıkları hegemonik söylemlerle projeye yönelik toplumsal desteği elde edebilmişlerdir. Uzlaşı ilişkileri ve hegemonik söylemlerle YKM projesi “mekan üretiminin hegemonik projesi” haline gelebilmiş, kentsel siyasal öncelikler üzerinde neo-liberal hegemonik bir güç inşa etmiştir. YKM projesinin aksine İTM projesinde devlet ve örgütlü sivil toplum aktörleri arasında uzlaşı sağlanamamıştır. İTM projesine karşı meslek odalarının öncülük ettiği toplumsal muhalefet İTM planlarına dava açarak planların yaşama geçirilmesinin önünde durabilmiştir. Sonuç olarak, İTM projesi örgütlü toplumsal kesimlerin rızasını elde edememiş ve “mekan üretiminin hegemonik projesi” haline gelememiştir.
Textile and garment industry is a good case to explore the abovementioned concepts. Firstly global and national dimensions of industry are investigated. It is understood that quota free regulations of trade and relocation of production have been shaping a fierce global competition by which employment, supply and marketing relations change dramatically at the world scale. In such new competitive conditions Turkish textile and garment industry has been losing its growth dynamics in terms of price competition advantage. Secondly Denizli case is investigated. In-depth interviews with firms, related chambers and unions are made during field survey. Thesis argued that Denizli has locked to a passive exporter role. In this lock-in process, the sector could not transform itself by innovative modes of restructuring. The passive exporter role disables region to adopt innovative product strategies and to shift production to other regions where cost cutting opportunities are provided. Industrialists decrease production costs informally including employment unregistered workers. However although survey results point out locked industrial dynamics, Denizli region still have the potential of regional development thanks to its entrepreneurial sprit and rising other economic sectors."
International Open Gathering
UNICONFLICTS in spaces of crisis
Critical approaches in, against and beyond the University
11-14th June 2015
at the Department of Architecture at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)
The Right to the City and the Common Space
Abstracts Submission Deadline: January 20th, 2018
International UnConference
Athens, School of Architecture,
National Technical University of Athens
May 31th – June 3th, 2018
https://urbanstruggles.net/