Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore top government hands-on megaproject management model applied to Istanbul’s new airport megaproject. The study aims to find an answer to this research question: “How is the organizational design and management of a megaproject that has been alive in a confrontational socio-political environment and whose national strategic importance is high?” Design/methodology/approach: Organizational theory and critical theory perspectives are used in this study. Istanbul’s grand airport is chosen as the case study. Interview, focus group and document analysis methods are used together. The research yields data from qualitative resources. Verbal and written materials are organized into three major themes and 27 key subjects for content analysis. Findings: A top level of organizational management can be attained in the state in order for the mega projects with high national strategic importance to survive without problems and with high performance. The top government-level organizational structure implemented at Istanbul’s new airport has reduced complexity, risk and uncertainty; increased performance and product quality; and strenghtened inter-organizational compatibility and communication within the megaproject organization. However, this structuring also increased centralization, reduced transparency and direct public participation in the decision-making process. Research limitations/implications: The megaproject is run in strict confidence and limited information is shared gradually in a controlled way with public by the megaproject organization. Therefore, a qualitative methodology is followed and the usage of quantitative data remained limited in the research. Practical implications: The study presents an exemplary top government-level megaproject management model for countries experiencing strong socio-political conflicts and aiming to perform megaprojects with high national strategic importance. Social implications: The organization of Istanbul’s new airport megaproject offers an exemplary, flexible and innovative organizational management model for countries that want to realize mega projects with high national strategic importance and experience strong socio-political conflicts. The questions of how to cope with challenges, how to build management capabilities and how to improve the cooperation and coordination within megaprojects have found some answers with this study. In addition, this study provides an insight into how to make more effective objections to wrong megaproject practices and the right strategies that the opposing organizations can follow. Originality/value: This empirical research widens and deepens the theoretical foundations of top government hands-on megaproject management. The study, which includes a process analysis, allows to better understand the philosophy, nature, success, planning process, social organization and dynamics of megaprojects and to explain them through the values and strategies of organizations.

This chapter aims to explore the role of the Asian property market in the sustainable development of Asia's global cities. It focuses on the relationship between property market structures and sustainable urban development. The chapter discusses the concept of urban sustainability with reference to selected Asian world cities. It also focuses on those cities that dominate their countries in terms of population and economic importance. The progress of a property market on a sustainable development pathway means a gradual improvement in the skills of urban decision-makers in realising positive city developments. The chapter aims to measure the individual and comparative progressive performance of Asia's ten property markets towards sustainability. To increase the progressive performance of the Asian property market towards sustainability, all-round structural improvements will have to be carried out, especially with regards to the issues of workers' rights, job security, market transparency, corruption, illegal activities, speculation and unskilled labour.

Purpose: The continuation of globalisation and liberalisation processes has prompted the restructuring of many national and local property markets. The research examines the evolution of Istanbul's retail property market to identify how global and local agents engage with one another to produce a unique “glocalized” outcome.Design/methodology/approach: The morphogenetic approach is adapted and applied to analyse the dynamics of market change. The focus is on the character and behaviour of national and international market actors and how they interact with the wider political economy. The research uses a combination of elite interviews, document analysis and corporate case studies to obtain empirical evidence.Findings: The liberalisation of the Turkish economy heralded the entry of the first international companies into Istanbul's retail property market in the 1990s. International involvement expanded rapidly after 2004, accelerating the process of market re-structuring. However, while the number of global buy-outs increased, the expansion of local property companies–and the establishment of some international/national corporate partnerships–was even more marked. This resulted in a “glocalised” market with a strong and distinctive local culture.Originality/value: Istanbul has been a major centre of trade for millenia. This is the first substantive analysis of the recent restructuring of the city's retail property market. Previous research on market maturity and market evolution has paid limited attention to the dynamics of change. The paper describes the use of a process-based theoretical framework (morphogenesis) that was explicitly designed to analyse structural shifts in socio-economic conditions through an examination of the characteristics and behaviours of the actors involved.

The research aims to explore the key components of an ideal grassroots-based digital urbanisation strategy for Türkiye. This exploration seeks to shed light on the most effective digital urbanisation strategies for Türkiye. Data were collected through a literature review, in-depth interviews with experts and psychometric testing methods, and analysed through psychometric assessment and document content analysis. The research indicates that an ideal grassroots-based digital urbanism strategy for Türkiye should focus on people, use technology to ease everyday activities, maintain personal data privacy, be adaptable, encourage diversity, provide freedom and opportunities, protect the city’s heritage, and strive for sustainability. By aligning with these essential elements, revisiting the national strategy documents crafted by the Turkish authorities to enhance the digitalisation process will allow future action plans to be grounded in a more practical framework.