potential of slums. Mayor Hasan Gönüllü's political discourse, the featured parts of the new municipalism in Denizli and the comparison of Gönüllü's experience from the mainstream Turkish cases determine the basic problematic of the study.

This study evaluates the transformations of urbanization and local governments both in Turkey and the world based on the studies of Ruşen Keleş. The main purpose of the study is to discuss how the basic themes of the unfinished republican project built by Keleş on the institutionalization of urbanization and governance of urbanization can guide to understand future changes and create new research topics/problems. The study consists of three parts. The first part has revealed the failing aspects of the institutionalization of urban(ization) governance and policy proposals for current problems in Turkey based on the outlines of urbanization and local government studies of Keleş. The second part includes the contribution of Keleş's experience to the analysis of current transformations in urban areas. The third and last part discusses the contributions of Keleş's experience to the current urbanization and local governments debates in Turkey.