When most of us hear the name Gezi Park we think back to the Occupy-style protests of 2013 when Istanbul’s citizens took to the streets to defend threatened aspects of their life – including freedom of the press, secularism and the green spaces of the park itself.
On Thursday tear gas had given way to tourists but quality of life was still the theme when Istanbul’s first ever Street Wisdom took to the streets. It was a bright but chilly afternoon when Fulya and her friends (therapists and coaches) experienced their first street wisdom starting in the square and then exploring up and down Istanbul’s bustling shopping artery – the aptly named Independence Street.
They each knew the street well. Or thought they did. Until Street Wisdom turned it into a learning zone full of perspectives, answers and delights.