THE PROGRAMME
Rehabilitation of Fener and Balat Districts Programme is a joint
programme of the European Union and Fatih Municipality. The Programme
is being implemented by Fatih Municipality, supported by a Technical
Assistance Team, commissioned in accordance with a service agreement
signed with a consortium led by Foment Ciutat Vella SA, a development
company 50% owned by the City of Barcelona. The other members of
the consortium are IMC Consulting (United Kingdom), GRET (France)
and Foundation for the Support of Women’s Work (FSWW) (Turkey).
The Programme officially started January 6, 2003 and will continue
until the end of 2007.
A total of 7.000.000 Euros provided by the European Union for the
Programme will be utilised as seen in the table:
| Programme Components |
Euros |
| Housing Restoration |
€3.850.000 |
| Social Centre |
€1.000.000 |
| Balat Market Improvement |
€150.000 |
| Establishment of a solid-waste management
strategy |
€100.000 |
| Technical Assistance Team |
€1.900.000 |
| Total |
€7.000.000 |
The Feasibility Study
The European Community, Fatih Municipality, the French Institute for
Anatolian Studies and UNESCO carried out a feasibility study in 1997-1998
in the premises of the Municipality with active participation of two
neighbourhood NGOs. (Fener Association and Balat Association) The
study that deal as much with ‘social rehabilitation’ as ‘building
restoration’, focused on the reinsertion of the underprivileged sectors
of the population by offering working solutions to housing problems
in the old city centre. As a result of the feasibility study, the
report “Rehabilitation of Fener and Balat Districts” (from now on,
referred as 1998 Report) was prepared. In 1998, the Programme was
included in the scope of the MEDA Programme (the Euro-Mediterranean
Partnership) by the European Union. In 2000, the Programme was taken
with the signature of Financing Agreement of 7 Million Euros between
the European Commission, Fatih Municipality and Republic of Turkey,
Under Secretariat of the Treasury.
In 2002, the European Commission launched the tender for a service
contract to select the Technical Assistance Team (TAT) to manage the
programme. And finally the TAT started to work in January 2003.
The Programme Office
After the Feasibility Study carried out in 1997-1998, UNESCO restored
one of the buildings in Fener to serve as Heritage House, offering
community advisory service, with funds from the French government,
the World heritage Fund and Fatih Municipality. The main objective
of this achievement was to maintain momentum and enthusiasm.
The building was used as the Cultural Heritage House until July 1999,
and has been serving as the Programme office since January 6, 2003.
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