Democratic participation

Democratic participation begins within spaces. Spatial interventions including urban transformation projects are not just matters of “expertise” or policymaking. Making decisions on living spaces in an organized and collaborative way and removing the barriers to participation are among our basic democratic rights.

Common good

Common public resources, values, and spaces should not be disposed of to advance private interest and profit; spatial politics and urban services should improve public welfare and social justice; the quality of public transportation and public spaces should be enhanced. Spatial decisions should be made through public participation.

Integrated spatial approach

A holistic approach towards urban and rural spaces and a balance between constructed and natural environment should be established. The relations between the building and the street, the street, and the neighborhood, and the city and the rural space should be strengthened.

The law of fellow citizenship

Every individual who lives in a place and who feels they belong to that place should be given support in accessing spaces, using resources, and participating in decision-making. The law of fellow citizenship requires that immigrants, refugees, and undocumented people should also benefit from urban services and participate in local politics.

Cultural and natural heritage

Tangible and intangible cultural and natural heritage should be preserved by keeping them alive and bringing their use-value into the forefront. The ecosystem should be preserved and passed onto future generations. Respecting different living beings, social and cultural practices and priorities that make up an ecosystem should be a prerequisite in urban and rural areas.

Preservation of diversity

Diversity is the main element of urban and rural areas. Policies should be developed in order to prevent discrimination against different lifestyles, identities, and cultures. The rights of forcibly displaced individuals and communities should be granted as part of restorative justice.

Equitable economic development

It is a public responsibility to carry out economic activities with policies that protect workers, local producers, craft and trade workers and without harming ecological balance. Investment decisions should be made based on the assessment of their social and environmental impact. Barriers to the realization of the full potential of individuals who live in rural areas and the city should be dismantled.

Right to housing

The right to adequate housing is a fundamental human right of everyone to live in a home that is safe, sanitary, affordable, culturally adequate, integrated with urban services, and connected to the city.