The state of property development in Turkey: facts and comparisons

Abstract

In this article, we investigate economic and political developments in Turkey's construction sector over the last decade and consider their implications. We find that during the first term of the government of the Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi, AKP), thanks to administrative and economic incentives, both private and public construction rose considerably. Despite the construction sector's contribution to growth, there is also evidence of a transfer from the industrial sector toward the construction sector, which led to significant decline in the trend growth of the industrial sector in the era prior to 2006. Such evidence disappears in the post-crisis period, when the growth of private construction slows. However, overcentralization, clientelism, an absence of transparency, and limitations on citizen participation in urban planning remain as problems that need to be addressed through urban reform.