Güvenlik
NGBK
The city growth in Istanbul from one to 13 million inhabitants took place in Gececondu, informal new settlements between collective land aquisition, individual privatisation as well as structural self organisation. Middle class circles and official city planners try to put forward their idea of a "modern city" against this unplanned growth. They see their security threatened through partly highly politicised Gececkondu and long for a "sanitised" Istanbul after the illegal Gecekondu have been demolished. Many security cabins made of plastic are to be found in the city, with security guards sitting in them. They should guard government buildings, university locales, car parks, middle and upper class residential areas. These cabins line the streets of a mostly empty sattelite city for 400.000 inhabitants in Kavakli, in the far west of Istanbul. A security cabin is built in 1:1 scale as a model with the original inscription "Güvenlik8" (Güvenlik: turk. security). Inside, on a tv monitor, Mrs Asku shows us around her house in a Gececkondu settlement in Pendik on the east shore. Opposite this are the arguments of the city planners who are trying to demolish Gecekondu and rehouse people in apartment blocks. On the back wall are postcards with quotes by Gececondu inhabitants.