Ecumenopolis: City Without Limits

Director: İmre Azem
Turkey, 88’, 2011, color

Ecumenopolis - the name comes from a vision of the urban planner Constantinos Doxiadis: large cities continue to grow until they grow together, forming some day a globally coherent urban space. The filmmaker Imre Azem uses this metaphor of Ecumenopolis to describe the current situation in Istanbul. His film documents the social hardships and environmental problems associated with the rapid and seemingly incessant growth of Istanbul: the violent demolition of housing space against the will of the residents and the residents' relocation to the suburbs as well as the destruction of nature in and around Istanbul. The film points out not only the transformation of the city, but also the dynamics behind it: The growth of Istanbul is pushed forward with urban projects such as the planned construction of a third bridge over the Bosphorus. Despite scientific objection and residents' demanding participation in decision-making, politicians try to put through the project. The film sketches a picture of neoliberal urbanization that surpassed ecological, economic and demographic limits.