Ideas and proposals on reviving Famagusta as well as an evaluation of the challenges and the social repercussions of such an endeavour were discussed during a conference organised at the London School of Economics on Friday afternoon by the university`s Hellenic Observatory and the Contemporary Turkish Studies department.
The conference, entitled ‘Reviving Famagusta: From Ghost Town to Eco-city?’ initially examined the technical aspect of the idea, in terms of planning and also with regard to the proposal to redevelop Famagusta as an eco-city. As the coordinator of the conference, Dr Rebecca Bryant of the Hellenic Observatory said in her introduction, the idea for the timely conference came from a recent poll among Turkish Cypriots conducted by the Famagusta Initiative which showed that 73% of them were supporting the return of the town to its lawful inhabitants. “The aim of the conference is to ask what if,” said Dr Bryant.
The first session entitled ‘Envisioning the Future’ featured presentations by economists and members of initiatives for the revitalisation of Famagusta, urban planners and an academic with expertise on eco-cities.
George Lordos, an economist and businessman who is a member of the Famagusta Initiative and the Famagusta Ecocity Project said that such initiatives are meant to inspire dialogue for a new, modern city. He spoke of the need to attract investors, them being either private, public or the EU. According to Mr Lordos, the precondition for the revival of Famagusta is that the redeveloped area will not cover only Varosha, but the hinterland as well. His presentation-proposal for the city included modern and zero energy buildings, a new road and transport network and the beach as the focal point of the area, with a pedestrian walkway from Agios Memnonas in the south to Salamina in the north. Mr Lordos also suggested the walled city should be attributed world heritage status by UNESCO so to attract investments.
“The economy of Famagusta would be centred on tourism but it should not be overly dependent on it. (…) This is a vision of the city as a Greater Famagusta, a single economic living organism benefiting all; a bridge to the Middle East,” said Mr Lordos.
The economist Symeon Matsis, also a member of the bicommunal Famagusta Initiative, pointed out that most of the city’s development between 1960 and 1973 was due to beach tourism. Today Famagusta is not mainly a tourist destination, he added, but rather a university town. According to Mr Matsis, the aim should be to develop tourism again, along with modernising the city, utilising the university and probably turning the port into a marina. He did stress though that the costs involved are very big, yet he commented that they should be seen as an investment.
The sociologist, economist and urban planner Glafkos Constantinides referred to the planning challenges of reviving Famagusta, which “are many.” As he said, the return of the owners and fixing the buildings are necessary but not sufficient condition to revive the city. He posed some basic questions, such as whether the aim is or should be to “reconstruct or renovate” Famagusta, and whether Greek and Turkish Cypriots would be living together or apart and start learning through collaboration. He presented a plan for the city with sectors of the economy spatially laid out on the map, with tourism, education, services, heritage and agriculture/manufacturing sectors occupying different parts of the city. He also proposed the establishment of a development company that will coordinate the whole project. Commenting on a question from the audience about how possible it would be to avoid the Cypriot cities’ insufficient planning example in the case of Famagusta, Mr Constantinides spoke of plans that aim to “a paradigm shift.”
Town planner Layik Topcan spoke of how “two cities could turn into one”, while Robert Cowley of Westminster University explained what constitutes an ‘eco-city’, explored the challenges that accompany such a project and in the end gave four reasons why Famagusta should call itself one: eco-cities generate interest, they create inclusive space of dialogue, they are flexible in their concept and they can draw on a broad body of existing practice and networks.
The second session focused more on the social aspects of an open bicommunal Famagusta, on how memories, conceptions and misconceptions can be integrated in the city`s future.
Mustafa Ongun of the Famagusta Initiative described the civil organisation’s objectives and modus operandi, while Dr Ceren Bogac, one of the people behind the Famagusta Ecocity Project spoke passionately about her personal “reality” as a Turkish Cypriot who was born and grew up facing a ‘ghost-town’, inhabited “not by ghosts, but by souls.” She stressed that the revival of the city requires “empathy” between the two communities; while the plans toward this end should take into account the need to respect and safeguard the memories of all Famagustians.
Nektarios Christodoulou, a University of Cyprus PhD Grant Holder, presented an urban development study on Famagusta, making the case for an integrated city and the utilisation of all its spaces, while he stressed the importance of creating a strong civil society that will push things forward. On a more general note Dr Wendy Pullan of the Department of Architecture of the University of Cambridge explained how infrastructure is used by authorities to “divide” cities.
The event was concluded with remarks by Dr Gabriel Koureas, lecturer in Modern and Contemporary Visual Culture at the School of Arts, Birkbeck, University of London on how a new city should create a renewed common identity for its inhabitants and by Dr Christalla Yakinthou from the University of Birmingham Department of Political Science and International Studies on how the “empathy” between communities can be achieved.