Public decision-making in living multi-layered cities. Hacı Bayram District of Ankara, Turkey

Living heritage cities are subjected to interventions related to the values they present. While the interventions of public decision-makers may be for public benefit, they may also follow their political and ideological priorities. Such interventions may impact the values of heritage cities, and may even lead to their demolition. In multi-layered cities, the physical traces of different periods, which may have conflicting values, co-exist. The interventions of public decision makers on the remnants of different periods can lead to the destruction of the values that co-exist in multi-layered living cities. Hacı Bayram district in Ankara is an example of a living multi-layered city with contesting values due to the co-existence of the remnants of different periods. This paper analyzes the transformation of the Hacı Bayram district since the foundation of the Turkish Republic, and investigates the relationship between these transformations and the political and ideological motivations of those in power.