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Istanbul, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, has turned into a city that makes people unhappy. Istanbul took the last place in the 'Quality of Life in European Cities 2016' survey prepared by the Council of Europe.
As an Istanbulite, I can say it's both heaven and hell living in Istanbul. But why?
Reasons for the unhappiness of millions living in Istanbul
1. Crowd
Istanbul, hosting the 18.6% of the Turkey's population with 15.09.231 people, is became Turkey's most crowded city. Istanbul is more crowded than the 129 out of 201 countries in the world including Greece, Portugal, Sweden and Cuba.
The population in red area is equal to the population in purple area.
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| Turkey's Population. |
The crowd cause infrastructure problems, population explosion, an uncontrolled growing city, cultural conflicts.
Istanbul, the capital of Byzantine and Ottoman Empire, has been in an important position throughout history. Although the capital city moved from Istanbul to Ankara after the establishment of the the Republic of Turkey, Istanbul has managed to maintain its importance.
2. Traffic
Istanbul is located in 6th place on Tomtom Traffic Index. The rank is determined by the Congestion level. Please go back to Turkey's Population map, and try to imagine going back home after work every day with millions of people. It feels like the Migration of Tribes (aka The Migration Period).
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The country has developed unevenly. West sides of Turkey has developed in many ways. On the other hand, many investors hessitate to invest in East side of Turkey due to the following reasons: Terrorism, unstability, undevelopment, insecurity.
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Levent, which was criticized on account of the fact that it was far away from the city center, has became today's one of the main business district.
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| Levent, Istanbul, 2018 |
This is just one of the examples. The inequality between rural areas and urban areas cause a migration to cities. Istanbul has extended rapidly in the last decades, but it has reached its limit. The government should reduce regional disparities by supporting economic activities in regions, and balance the population across the country.
Otherwise, people will stuck in a chronic unhappiness.
Emel
November 2018