Participatory design is an approach that has had a significant impact on the production of public space and housing. Participatory design also leads to radical transformations in architecture. Despite implementation efforts that began in the 1970s, the widespread adoption of this approach has not yet occurred in Turkey. This paper aims to examine the current state and future of participatory design in Turkey, focusing on the Düzce Hope Homes project, which is a rare and remarkable example. The study is based on data collected through the participatory action research method. Turkey’s geography has a history of devastating earthquakes. Two of these earthquakes occurred in the Marmara region in 1999. Following the earthquakes, tenants faced challenges accessing safe and affordable housing, and the state provided little assistance. This situation prompted tenant earthquake victims to establish a housing cooperative. The Düzce Hope Homes project was developed through a participatory and community-driven process, from design to construction, after a legal struggle to access public land. The project was initiated by the Düzce Solidarity Housing Cooperative for Homeless and Tenant Earthquake Victims. The Düzce Hope Studio, a temporary, collaborative, multidisciplinary, and volunteer design studio, developed a participatory planning and design process with the cooperative members. The participatory design process has changed the perceptions of both the cooperative members and the volunteer designers regarding housing and living in a shared environment. However, this case study also highlights the obstacles to the widespread adoption of the participatory design approach in Turkey.
Öncül Kırlangıç Işıl is an architect and researcher based in İstanbul. Her research mainly focused on participatory design, housing, critical architecture, and urban movements. She is one of the volunteer architects of the Düzce Hope Homes project. She is lecturing on architectural design and critical architecture theory as well as alternative methods in design and urban studies. She received her PhD in the City and Regional Planning Department, and MA in the Architecture Department from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. She is a member of the Chamber of Architects of Turkey.