Is an Ombudsman Institute Possible for Urban Transformation? A Model Suggestion for Turkey

The Ombudsman institution reached a constitutional ground with the constitutional amendment in 2010 in Turkey and has been conducting its activities as an affiliated inspection mechanism of the Turkish Grand National Assembly since 2013 after being established by the referendum in 2012. The institution, providing resolutions in case of any disputes between citizens and public institutions, takes decisions regarding different areas. The decisions taken also include the implementation of urban transformation which has been increasing rapidly in recent years. On the other hand, problems related to the urban transformations have also been increasing day by day. Having different features special to the urban transformation makes it difficult to solve these problems. The aim of the study is to indicate how the ombudsman institution can find solutions effectively to relief unfair treatments to the citizens as the result of the implementations of urban transformation. An urban transformation ombudsman institution to be established in Turkey will play a key role in terms of accelerating the projects to be realized by presenting a mediator behavior for the solutions of the problems between citizens and the shareholders and being able to be in direct communication with the citizens at regional level. From this point of view, a model regarding the structure, functioning, application requirements and decisions of the urban transformation ombudsman institution recommended to be established in the study is developed