[sustran] Fwd: [UTSG] Call for action: Istanbul is being dismissed from the World Heritage List!

[Paul Barter]

Transport projects appear to be threatening historic central Istanbul and
its World Heritage Site status, if the email below is accurate. Does anyone
know more?

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Eda Beyazit <ebeyazit at gmail.com>
Date: 7 July 2010 18:41
Subject: [UTSG] Call for action: Istanbul is being dismissed from the World
Heritage List!
To: UTSG at jiscmail.ac.uk


Hi all,

This is an urgent call for acting against the removal of Istanbul from the
UNESCO "World Heritage List".
UNESCO proposes the suspension of the Halic (Golden Horn) Metro Bridge and
the Road Tunnel (not the Marmaray which is a rail tunnel) construction
as important
conditions for securing the city’s position in the World Heritage List.
These projects will cause an increased use of motor vehicles in the
Historical Peninsula and are against the suggestions of the Transport Master
Plan.
The decisions made by local and central authorities are not only against
national and international law, but they are also not legitimate as they are
not accepted/approved by the public!
Please go to http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/istanbul-sos.html to
support this cause.
More information is available on http://istanbulsos.wordpress.com/

Thanks in advance.

Eda

-------------------------------
Istanbul, which is listed as one of the 890 World Heritage Sites for its
outstanding universal values and has been awarded as the 2010 European
Capital of Culture, is now under the threat of being completely removed from
the World Heritage List.

The World Heritage Committee will come to a decision about Istanbul’s
situation at their annual meeting on 25 July-3 August 2010 and unless good
progress is achieved on the issues below, which have been on the agenda
since 2003 and repeated on June 2010 Draft Decision of World Heritage
Committee, UNESCO will first change Istanbul’s situation to the “World
Heritage in Danger” and will dismiss the city from the World Heritage List
in 2011.

The conditions are:
1. Abandon the Halic (Golden Horn) Metro Bridge project,
2. Stop the implementations of Regeneration Law 5366,
3. Share information about the restoration projects of the Historic City
walls,
4. Abandon the tunnel project which would let 75.000 vehicles into the
Historic Peninsula everyday,
5. Save the wooden houses,
6. Complete the Site Management Plan for the protection of the Historic
Peninsula.