Social Problems

• Another chapter in that history has played out in the form of resounding defeats for two government proposals aimed at modernising the constitution.
• One sought to remove a reference to a “woman’s” life “within the home” and recognise the value of “care” provided to others within the home.
• Referendums were usually just a procedural requirement, imposed by the constitution, for making certain types of legal changes.

The ‘post-crash referendums’

• Amid a national crisis of confidence, following a crash of historic proportions, a degree of soul-searching was in evidence.
• Themes of rebirth and renewal came to prominence within what was historically a conservative (and very stable) political system.
• A series of high-profile disputes between the church and the state followed over the country’s reckoning with this legacy.
• Beginning in around 2012, referendums came to be used as part of a distinctive project of constitutional modernisation.
• The blasphemy referendum removed an arcane criminal offence which some regarded as having been effectively impossible to prosecute anyway.

End of an era

• Again, this was understood as liberalising and modernising a constitutional framework where only traditional marital families were given constitutional recognition.
• These referendums showed the limits of the project of constitutional liberalisation that has been conducted since the great recession.
• It seems unlikely that the problem lay in this liberalisation “going too far”, or in a decisive conservative shift in public opinion.
• These referendum defeats are therefore likely to draw a line under a recent pattern of symbolic and “expressive” referendum use in Ireland.

Eoin Daly does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

• The Feb. 6, 2023 earthquakes destroyed hundreds of thousands of buildings, killed almost 60,000 people and left more than 1.5 million homeless.
• One year later, the region is still recovering from its most devastating disaster in recent history.
• In Turkey, the disaster exposed persistent social inequality, widespread poverty, housing shortages and other systemic problems.

Politics of post-disaster action

• For decades, the Turkish government has maintained a housing and reconstruction strategy that concentrates decision-making power in the central government and prioritizes speed and quantity over quality.
• This year, the government expanded the capacity of the Ministry of the Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change (MEUPCC) to expropriate land.
• Prioritizing speedy construction over housing quality perpetuates social problems and increases environmental and economic costs in the long term.

Unequal access

• There are legal mechanisms in the country to conduct in-situ reconstruction and more careful urban transformation.
• However, the government keeps developing suburban areas because it is the easiest and fastest way to show that action is being taken.
• Under the law only owners of moderately or severely damaged homes can access zero-interest loans for purchasing new units.

Co-operative housing in Turkey

• At the height of their popularity in 1988, co-operatives accounted for 35 per cent of total housing production.
• After the 1999 Marmara earthquake, a group of tenants, frustrated by their exclusion from government programs, formed a housing co-operative in Düzce.

• About 30 families decided to create a similar version of the Düzce housing co-operative.
• With collaboration from the municipality, they established a co-operative construction project, Halk Konut.
• This co-op allowed earthquake-affected residents to lead both design and construction, while receiving technical and legal expertise from local authorities.
• The municipality established a new office where co-operative members could work closely with municipal employees and helped Halk Konut members in negotiations with contractors.

The way forward

• Yet, the co-op model, with its democratic, inclusive, and restorative nature, holds the potential to improve reconstruction strategies in Turkey.
• It offers an empowering tool for disaster victims based on active participation on decisions about their own future.
• It is time to place better strategies at the forefront, steering towards a future where communities actively participate in shaping cities.

• He is affiliated with i-Rec, an international network of disaster related specialists.
• He is the holder of the Fayolle-Magil Construction Research Chair of Université de Montréal.

• Presently, there are more than 8,000 B Corp companies all over the world, in 95 countries and in 162 different industries.
• B Corp's strict membership standards measure a company's management performance around five key areas: Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Clients.
• Estrella Galicia, as a B Corp company, is facing 2024 with many challenges, to include the opening of its second factory.
• These new facilities are amongst the sector's most advanced in terms of wellbeing and environmental friendliness.

• Valuence Japan, Inc. has announced that the Brand Resale Show, an offline event selling valuable reused items such as high-quality products of high-end brands and one-of-a-kind items purchased by Valuence, will be held in Omotesando for three days, starting from Friday, February 16, 2024.
• Valuence aims at achieving a sustainable world by centering its business on the re-use of brand-name items and antiques/artwork, and promoting the popularization of these.
• At this event, we will be selling, at reasonable prices, major brand products and rare, valuable items selected from high-quality reused products purchased by value designers (appraisers) with keen judgment and appraisal skills.
• In addition, we plan to set up a purchase booth, provide the services of ALLU REPAIR which can perform watch and handbag repairs (at fee), and hold a wagon sale, among other things.