Let’s just say it: Bursa, Diyarbakir and Gaziantep are undersized because of the current administrative structure in Turkey.

The other day I asked, “Why has Bursa not grown?” My argument followed like this: Dallas, the fourth largest city in the US, is one-third the size of New York, the most crowded city. In Turkey, however, the fourth largest city, Bursa, is less than one-sixth the size of Istanbul, the most populous city. The problem is not that Bursa is undersized; it is that Istanbul has grown huge. As the population has concentrated in Istanbul, other provinces have suffered from a skills deficit. This was the main lesson I drew. Then, what to do?

Today, let me pose a more concrete question: Can Turkey create a region like Shenzhen, which has triggered China’s economic growth? Can problems about urbanization be solved via special economic zones (SEZs), as Honduras recently has attempted to do? Why does the constitutional agenda of Turkey not involve such issues? Let me answer these one by one.

Here comes the first answer:  in July 2011, the Honduras National Congress passed a statute to create “special development regions” (la Región Especial de Desarrollo, or RED). This way, it would be possible to define certain regions as extra territorial. In such regions, public order is not provided by the security forces of the country, for example. The conflicts arising in such regions are settled by a mechanism other than the Honduran court system. What is the purpose of such an arrangement? In essence, as it is not possible to solve the judicial and security problems in Honduras; special measures have been introduced to solve the problems of a specific region. This is a step similar to the organized industrial zone (OIZ) model in Turkey. Only, it is braver and more comprehensive.

If I were to create a special region in Turkey, for instance, I would leave the region out of the public works and housing authority of the municipalities as a first step. I believe that the main impediment to the development of industrial zones other than OIZs in Turkey is the unforeseen extortion demands of the municipalities. I feel like we have been ignoring the fact that municipalities and political parties are two of the main sources of the informal economy in Turkey. This is the first point to state.

And now the second one: the recent attempt in Honduras resembles what China did in the 1980s. Today Shenzhen is one of the most important cities in the state of Guangdong. The first SEZ in China was established in Shenzhen in 1979. Deng Hsiao Ping was in power then. Remember the anecdote: Gorbachev, Reagan, and Deng Xiaoping gathered for a meeting.  After the meeting, their cars and drivers lined up in the garden. Reagan came up first and his car turned right and drove away. Then, Gorbachev came up and drove to the left. When they had gone, Deng’s driver asked, “should I take a left or a right?” Deng responded, “Take a right, but put on your left blinker.” I am talking about the dawn of the period to which this anecdote refers. A RED and a SEZ are principally the same. They both are invented to establish a new tradition of urbanization and development. Easier ways have always been discovered as it is hard to change the existing structures. This is the case also with Turkey. Problems accumulate as principle reforms have been delayed for decades.

We will miss the opportunity again

So, why does the debate on the new constitution ignore this chief issue that directly affects the lives of all? It is because the agenda remains preoccupied with the issues of nineteenth century. Establishing constitutional assurance for creating extra-territorial economic zones means intentionally getting into trouble in vain.  Indeed, it would be highly useful to open up a discussion on the urbanization scandal in Turkey. Let’s say it: Bursa, Diyarbakir and Gaziantep are undersized because of the current administrative structure in Turkey. If you try to rule the country with strict control from the center, Istanbul grows huge while other cities remain undersized.

I think the agenda of the debate on a new constitution is quite boring, just like the economic agenda. Instead, we can bring into question an attempt at urbanization and development that includes Anatolia in the context of the constitution-making process. It seems like we will miss the opportunity once again.

This commentary was published in Radikal daily on 10.01.2012