Istanbul has always been more than a city. It is Turkey's political, cultural, and economic centre, where local elections are frequently microcosms of national power battles. Indeed, we saw this in 2024, when the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) vied to lead Istanbul's government.

In 2019, the CHP won Istanbul's mayoral elections for the first time in 25 years. However, they did not yet have a majority in the council, making it difficult to pass new legislation, and hard for mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu to implement his electoral agenda. The party had suffered a 'catastrophic' loss in the 2023 presidential elections. As a result, CHP’s voter base lacked confidence in the party’s capabilities. Despite these obstacles, the CHP not only won the mayoral elections, but secured a majority of seats in the city council.

Yet this election was more than just a political race. Each side used urban planning as a political tool, pitching their opposing visions for the city, and their very different conceptions of citizenship.

Urban planning as a political tool

Under the AKP, Istanbul has become a showcase for large-scale infrastructure projects, from massive bridges to gated housing complexes, often constructed by the Housing Development Administration of Turkey (TOKI).

Such projects are not merely urban transformations. They reflect the AKP's outlook on Turkey's future, and they are political instruments. If you live in a TOKI house built under AKP rule, you are more likely to be loyal to the party that created your home. AKP’s urban policies have thus redefined citizenship through a negotiated relationship in which loyalty is rewarded with access to housing and infrastructure. This top-down model of governance prioritises partisanship over inclusion and, sadly, it neglects many of Istanbul’s residents. Indeed, it mirrors Turkey’s broader political system which, under AKP rule, is marked by increased authoritarianism and a decline in participatory democracy.

The CHP’s innovative approach

In Istanbul, the CHP has taken a radically different approach to urban development. İmamoğlu’s team prioritised citizen-centred governance. Data-driven initiatives to reduce poverty in specific parts of the city, along with gentrification reversal, are all part of the CHP's electoral plan.

The CHP has taken a radically different approach to urban development, with data-driven initiatives to reduce poverty

Throughout the campaign, the CHP challenged the AKP's urban policy model, promoting instead an inclusive conception of citizenship. With the help of organisations such as the Istanbul Planning Agency, İmamoğlu’s electoral agenda offered residents a local government in which citizens play an active role in constructing their neighbourhoods rather than merely receiving official directives. CHP redefined the connection between citizens and local government, emphasising accountability and cooperation over loyalty.

Consider the CHP initiatives to improve Istanbul's local services. Instead of serving the wealthy, the CHP aims to reclaim metropolitan areas for common people by prioritising citizens’ agency. Through participatory budgeting, residents could decide where the Istanbul government should provide essentials like bread and milk.

Local elections in Istanbul

The 2024 local elections in Istanbul marked a turning point in Turkey's political future. The CHP and the AKP engaged in a fierce electoral fight. The AKP emphasised its track record of delivering urban development through significant infrastructure projects. But there is widespread discontent with the AKP's governing style, specifically its alleged indifference to public involvement in urban planning procedures. CHP took advantage of this.

There is widespread discontent with the AKP's indifference to public involvement in urban planning procedures

The CHP's focus on urban government has helped establish it as a viable rival to the AKP. But my research reveals that the CHP stressed Istanbul's symbolic significance as the centre of Turkish culture and the economy. Voters fed up with the AKP's top-down approach were attracted by the CHP's emphasis on openness, diversity, and sustainable urban policy. This interaction between electoral strategy and urban government is being mirrored in Turkey as a whole.

Urban governance and citizenship

During Istanbul's 2024 elections, the relationship between urban government and citizenship was a crucial issue. In Turkey, urban administration has long influenced the way people perceive and negotiate citizenship. Economic growth and private sector partnerships were frequently prioritised in AKP urban policies. This marginalised low-income citizens and restricted their ability to participate in decision-making. AKP's strategy redefined public space and stoked inequality by limiting access to homes and basic services.

The CHP sought to restore Istanbul as a city in which citizenship is developed and enacted jointly by encouraging public involvement

CHP has promoted an inclusive urban governing model that reframes citizenship as an active process. In so doing, it aimed to challenge the top-down AKP paradigm. The elections showed how municipal administration can transform the dynamic between the people and the government. The CHP sought to restore Istanbul as a city in which citizenship is developed and enacted jointly by resolving spatial disparities and encouraging public involvement.

What lies ahead?

Now that the CHP is in power in Istanbul, its policies could change not just Istanbul's urban environment but Turkey's entire political culture. As it changes, Istanbul continues to mirror Turkey's broader political development. The stakes are high, and the fight over the city’s landscape is far from over. Istanbul's streets tell a story far beyond urban planning. They represent a nation grappling with its identity, where every brick laid, and every policy made, shapes the future of Turkish citizenship and democracy.

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