Izmir Metropolitan Municipality prepared the "Freedom Park" project to open the old Buca Prison land to the use of Izmir residents by transforming it into a green area and a park with many different functions. Stating that the land in the heart of Buca is the last piece of land that the district can breathe, Mayor Soyer said, “We will transform the prison land, which carries the painful memories of the past and the traces of captivity, into Freedom Park. Together, we will liberate Buca Prison," he said.
Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Tunç SoyerFollowing the call of . With the project, it is aimed that the 69 thousand square meter area, which is located in the center of the city and has been waiting empty for years, will be transformed into a park with many different functions and opened to the use of the people of İzmir.
Can be used for multi-purpose
With the realization of the project, the open green space needs of Buca and İzmir will be met to a significant extent. It is also aimed that Freedom Park will be one of the 35 Living Park Projects, which reconstructs and strengthens the relationship between the city and nature. In the designed project, it is planned to turn the park into a completely public space consisting of a children's playground, sports fields, basketball court, skateboard track, tea garden, street market, many meadows and squares. If the idle area is evaluated and turned into a park, many events such as fairs and festivals, open-air workshops, mini-fair area, open-air concerts and theaters, and city dinners can be held in the park throughout the year. In addition, it is aimed to use the park as an emergency assembly area in case of a possible disaster.
Liberate Buca Prison
Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Tunç SoyerStating that the land planned to be opened for construction with the zoning plan prepared by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change is the last piece of land that Buca can breathe, he said, “We will not allow the Buca Prison land to be sacrificed for rent. This place is the property of the people of Buca. It cannot be given to anyone. We will transform the prison land into Freedom Park, the painful memories of the past and the traces of captivity. Here, children will run and play, young people will do sports, and people from Buca of all ages will come together. Together, we will liberate Buca Prison," he said.
The ministry is in favor of building
After the 30 October 2020 Izmir earthquake, Buca Prison was first evacuated and then demolished because it was not earthquake resistant. The Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change had prepared a zoning plan for the demolished Buca Prison area to be converted into a commercial and residential area.