Public Interest or Private Profit? A Case Study of How Public Interest is Redefined Through Political Power And Land Commodification in Istanbul

Abstract

This paper examines how the concept of public interest is defined, interpreted and operationalised within Turkish urban planning through the transformation of the former Etiler Police School site in Istanbul. Using Robert K. Yin’s explanatory case study methodology, the research analyses legal frameworks, planning documents, policy instruments and institutional decisions that enabled the conversion of publicly owned educational land into a high-rise private development. The findings demonstrate that public interest was strategically employed to justify zoning amendments, centralisation of planning authority and land commodification, despite the absence of demonstrated disaster risk and meaningful public participation. The study argues that although the planning process formally complied with legal procedures, it conflicted with principles of spatial justice, transparency, democratic accountability and planning ethics. It concludes that restoring public interest as a substantive ethical principle, rather than a rhetorical justification for market-driven urban development, is essential for achieving more equitable and sustainable planning outcomes.