Hundreds of households were asked to evacuate their homes within the scope of the urban transformation project carried out in Çubuklu Neighborhood in Istanbul's Beykoz district.
In the notifications sent to 509 households living in Çubuklu B Region, the date of evacuation was 20 November 2026.
The notifications stated that electricity, water and natural gas services may be cut off in buildings that are not evacuated, increasing the concerns of neighborhood residents regarding their right to housing.
Although the region was declared a risky area in 2018, it was stated that the zoning plans were approved in 2024 and the subdivision procedures were approved in 2025. Neighborhood residents demand that the uncertainties regarding the conditions of the transformation be eliminated and that assurances be created that will enable them to stay in the area where they live.
TIME UNTIL NOVEMBER 20 FOR 509 HOUSEHOLDS
It was stated that the eviction notices sent within the scope of urban transformation were dated September 24, 2026, but were hung on the doors of the residences on October 2.
While the residents of the neighborhood have objections to the evacuation period, the risky area decision and the economic conditions of the transformation, it is stated that there are uncertainties about temporary shelter and returning to new residences.
The envisagement of 8 thousand lira monthly rental support during the transformation process was also a matter of discussion. It is stated that the support is insufficient against the rental prices in the region, and citizens may have difficulty in covering the rent difference, deposit and moving expenses.
RELEASE DEBATE IS ON THE AGENDA OF THE COUNCIL
DEM Party Istanbul Deputy Cengiz Çiçek brought the events in Çubuklu to the agenda of the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
Çiçek submitted a parliamentary question requesting that the Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, Murat Kurum, respond in writing.
Emphasizing that the people of the neighborhood are not against urban transformation, Çiçek stated that the citizens want to live in safe houses, have a say in the conditions of the transformation, and not be removed from their neighborhoods due to debts that exceed their economic power.
Çiçek pointed out that the right of neighborhood residents to live in place should be protected in transformation projects and said:
"A model that increases urban value and links benefiting from this value to the ability to pay turns into a gentrification process that opens working-class neighborhoods to high-income segments."
The proposal also included the following statement: "It is unacceptable for the value created by public investments and the labor of the people of the neighborhood to be turned into private income and the cost of the transformation to be burdened on the public."
"THE RIGHT TO HOUSING ON PAPER DOES NOT PROVIDE HOUSING SECURITY"
Criticizing the 8 thousand lira monthly rental support offered within the scope of the transformation, Çiçek argued that this amount was far from covering the housing expenses in the region.
Çiçek stated that citizens should not be left with debts that exceed their ability to pay in order to obtain new homes and said:
"Giving a paper housing right to a citizen who has to give up his house due to debts he cannot pay does not provide housing security."
Çiçek stated that the Ministry is obliged to prevent urban transformation from turning into a debt mechanism that dispossesses workers.
ELECTRICITY, WATER AND NATURAL GAS OUTAGE DRAWN REACTIONS
Çiçek's parliamentary question also included notifications that the electricity, water and natural gas services of residences that were not evacuated may be cut off.
Arguing that the practice in question could turn into a tool of pressure that forces citizens to make decisions against their will, Çiçek requested that evacuation and demolition procedures should not be carried out without providing housing security.
In the proposal, it was evaluated that "The people's right to speak and decide regarding their living space cannot be reduced to accepting or rejecting the contract presented to them."
RISK REPORTS AND SETTLEMENT RATE ASKED
In his questions to the Minister Kurum, Çiçek requested the disclosure of the scientific reports that formed the basis for declaring Çubuklu B Region as a risky area.
Asking which ground surveys and building inspections were carried out in the region and how many buildings were core drilled, Çiçek brought up the reason why risk reports were not shared with the people of the neighborhood.
Çiçek also asked how the 65 percent reconciliation rate announced to the public was calculated in the process where it was stated that there were 377 owners in the land registry, 194 of them made a contract with a private company and 84 signatures were collected for the Ministry project.
The MP also requested an explanation as to why the 6/A application was used within the scope of the transformation and how the contracts made by citizens with private companies will be affected by this application.
HAS THERE BEEN A MEETING WITH KALYON İNŞAAT?
The economic dimension of the transformation project was also brought to the agenda in the parliamentary question.
Çiçek asked the number of residential and commercial units to be built in the region, how many of them will be given to the beneficiaries and how much will be reserved for sale.
Çiçek, who asked for an explanation of which companies the Ministry and its affiliates met with regarding the project, also asked the Minister Kurum whether there was any meeting, protocol or contract with Kalyon İnşaat or its affiliated companies mentioned in the neighborhood meeting.
"WHEN WINTER IS ON THE DOOR, WILL YOU ENSURE THE SAFETY OF LIVES BY TAKING HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE TO THE STREET?"
Çiçek also criticized the evacuation schedule and asked the reason why the residents of the neighborhood were asked to evacuate their homes in a short time, even though years have passed since the risky area decision.
The following questions were included in the proposal:
"What is the reason for insisting on the evacuation of 509 households by November 20, 2026, without providing temporary shelter and the assurance of staying in place after transformation? How are patients, the elderly and students expected to be transported in this short time? Are you going to ensure 'safety of life' by throwing hundreds of children, laborers and elderly people onto the streets while winter is on the doorstep and schools are open?"
ASSURANCE REQUEST FOR ON-SITE CONVERSION
At the end of the parliamentary question, Çiçek requested that the residents of the neighborhood be guaranteed temporary shelter and the right to continue living in Çubuklu after the transformation.
Requesting an explanation of how tenants, those with title deed problems, retirees and low-income families will benefit from the transformation, Çiçek asked the Minister Kurum the following question:
