*Shortlisted - Taksim International Urban Design Competition 'Re-Taksim' Proposal 2020

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TEAM

Authors: Mustafa Batu KEPEKÇİOĞLU, PhD. Architect (Team Representative) Rivka GERON SCHILD, PhD. Architect Esma Selen AKSOY, MSc Architect, Landscape Architect & Architect Can BOYACIOĞLU, PhD. Architect Hayreddin Haldun BOZKURT, Architect Osman Yasin POLAT, Architect Nazife Tuğçe ONUK MADANOĞLU, MSc. Landscape Architect Tayfun SALİHOĞLU, PhD Urban Planner Doğa Dinemis AMAN, PhD. Landscape Architect, Disaster Management Fatma Nihan BALKAN, MSc Urban Design, Transportation Management

Assistants: Murat DEMİRER, Computer Graphic Artist Burak BELLİ, MSc Urban Planner Diler ÇİFTÇİ, MSc Urban Design, Landscape Architect & Forest Engineer Fulya TURAN, Architect Yusuf BOSTAN, Architecture Student Esra YAVUZ, Architect Ece Sıla BORA, MSc. Architect, Landscape Architect & Architect Ebru SATILMIŞ, MSc. Urban Planner Koral ORAL, Industrial Designer

Consultants: Erinç TEPETAŞ, MSc Architect, Lighting Designer Sibel HORADA COŞKUN, Artist, MA Art & Design Yiğit BATTAL, MSc Civil Engineer Deniz ERDEM OKUMUŞ, MSc Urban Planner, Urban micro-climate analysis and landscape design Can HANÇER, MSc Environmental Engineer Ayşe Ceren GÜLER, PhD Restoration, Architect

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CONTENT I n trod u cti on Habitat D e al i ng w i th t he Spat ial Probl e m s of Ta k si m S qu a re Curing Cumhuriyet Route Enclosure and Human Scale Extending Gezi Park Vertical Urban Space: Landscape and Underground Orientation F u t u re V i si ons Urban Living Room Artistic and Performative Evolutions An Open Air City Museum: The Tracks of the Modernization Micro-Mobility Urban Livability Res il i ence Green Strategy Emergency Green and Blue Infrastructures E p i l o gu e 6xA0 A ttach men ts 1

AR25TY7Z INTRODUCTION

Introduction Taksim Square is the literal hub of the modernization of İstanbul. The square evolved with the characteristics of the Turkish modernization breakthrough functionally and morphologically. Definitely as one of the most prominent squares of İstanbul and the major link between Historical Peninsula and the economical expansion zone, it cannot remain the same from the times of 1920s İstanbul which has less than a million population to 21th century İstanbul as one of the most populated cities on the planet with more than 15 million inhabitants. The evolution of the square characterizes the modernization problems of the Turkish Republic as well; the continuous transformation in the last 50 years mostly focused on technical and economical aspects of the physical opening and mostly ignored Taksim Square’s urban, cultural and psychological features.

Afterward, last 10 years focus shifted mostly to the ideological context of the Square. Today Taksim Square’s brand new ideological elements: The Taksim Mosque and New Atatürk Cultural Center are surrounded by technical oriented transportation infrastructure and for-profit facilities which are designed and located singularly and un-harmoniously. Depicted the current situation causes weaknesses for some major urban threats and the proposal is well aware of these threats for the future of Taksim Square such as possible radical neoliberal approaches, environmental resilience problems, abandonment from its inhabitants or a widespread recession caused by national or global level economical collapses.

Habitat Network Strategy The proposal understands urban space as the milieu of living. In the midst of designing the square, it aims to create a “habitat” in a profoundly broad meaning: as a habitat in biological context, in artistic and cultural contexts and as an urban habitat for everyday life. This broad meaning is mused by continuously changing contemporary lifestyle in the city, in the semesters of the year, in day and night, now and future. Therefore the challenge is to solve these issues as one to create urban harmony and fluidity. To create this hybrid urban space, the proposal begins the work with projecting and suggesting a multi-layered socio-ecological design strategy that has perpetual green paths which are between but not limited to the Historical Peninsula in the south and Büyükdere axis in the north.

Habitat network aims to create new perspectives, metaphorically and literally. The green paths will portray new possibilities in the city.

The network will not only change human experience in the area with vegetated pedestrian paths, parks, artistic and cultural infrastructures and opportunities to create new urban events but it also aims to create a living-oriented ontology and existence to let nature infiltrate the city.

As experimented and experienced in other examples all over the world, habitat networks projected to boost floral and faunal biodiversity and decrease the heat-island-effect of the dense urban area.

The proposal characterizes Taksim Square as an urban square genuinely and began the work with curing the problems in the contexts of sense of place, sense of memory and urban morphology to highlight its urban authenticity. When doing this, the proposal kept itself away from easy ideological engagements or ornamental solutions; it did not aim to revive a longing past but use the perspectives that identify the Square’s characteristics historically. As an example, the proposal did not try to reconstruct Prost Plan but understands its motivations and uses them to re-design the Square and its link with Maçka Park while considering contemporary aspects, necessities and limitations. As well, the proposal cares about economical investments of public and private sectors. It tries not to abolish current installments even if they are not favorable at first.

As a method of sustainability, it uses and re-design them to find their potentials to be better components for the square’s harmony.

On the other hand, the proposal is well aware that there are a lot of current lost links and private investments that can be seen as obstacles for the habitat network goal. In particular, Hilton Hotel Complex blocks the Taksim – Maçka – Nişantaşı axis as a private sector investment gated zone. For these kinds of urban issues, the proposal suggests hybrid spatial solutions which are influenced by the new perspectives on urban diversity and touristic experience. The design suggests open-to-public private spaces that will be superposed and by-passed by habitat green paths. Right alongside with being ecological green paths, the habitat links will become both quality pedestrian routes mostly free from vehicle pollution and guide routes for a touristic experience which helps the profitability of the private sector investments which hold the property of the area.

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1. Extending Gezi: Strengthening legibility between, Cumhuriyet Monument, AtatĂźrk Cultural Center and Talimhane by re-framing square with green landscape and pushing underground vehicle connection to the north.

2. Curing Cumhuriyet Route: Restoring urban connections by proposing new hybrid volumes on Cumhuriyet St. facade of Gezi Park.

3. Enabling Vertical Transmittances: Connecting vertically public spaces, and infrastructure, getting the daylight throughout the canopies and galleries.

4. Re-Taksim: Re-vitalizing the spatial quality and articulation.

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AR25TY7Z DEALING WITH THE SPATIAL PROBLEMS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF TAKSIM SQUARE

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DEALING WITH THE SPATIAL PROBLEMS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF TAKSIM SQUARE

In a rather rough terrain, the modernist expansion of İstanbul pursues the histo-topographical expansion route of the city, “the roof-line” which spans from the historical central business district Sirkeci into the south to the primary modern central business district Maslak in the north. Taksim Square is the most important “plaque tournante”, rotating plate of the modernization route.

Taksim Square bends the route to the Şişli-Büyükdere axis with

Taksim Square Area as the Northern Periphery of the city

Rise of the republic square and histo-topographical expansion route

the inter-connection of the İstiklal and Cumhuriyet Streets.

At the present day, two major problems are observed in this interconnection and these problems harm the urban experience: the lack of enclosure of the square and the disappearance of urban continuity within Cumhuriyet Street which causes spatial orientation and articulation problems in urban space.

Gezi Park, deformation of the square and Atatürk Cultural Center

Capitalist touches: Sheraton and Tarlabasi Avenue

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Contextual evisceration

Re-Taksim

AR25TY7Z DEALING WITH THE SPATIAL PROBLEMS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF TAKSIM SQUARE

1.1. Curing Cumhuriyet Route Taksim Square introduces the route with the Park No: 2 via Gezi Park and bends it towards the Büyükdere axis simultaneously. Therefore Cumhuriyet Street and Gezi Park are suitable to form the continuity of the urban space. Though especially after the 2012 Pedestrianization Project, Cumhuriyet Street lost its connectedness with both İstiklal and Şişli axis. The proposal suggests a public interface between and connected with Cumhuriyet Street and Gezi Park which refunctioning axis as a hybrid urban space that contains urban green, cultural and retail functions programmatically and morphologically.

Taksim Square is also used to be the main entrance of İstanbul for the visitors, and it is still admitted as the arriving point of the touristic experience, as the primary drop-zone of İstanbul Airport’s transportation services which is located at the junction between Asker Ocağı Street and Cumhuriyet Street. In the proposal this area is designed as a center for tourism with information centers as a node of tourism and guides for ongoing cultural activities. Also with Cumhuriyet Street experience of walking to Taksim Monument Square and the habitat network as touristic paths it is projected to become the key point for the touristic experience of the area.

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Cumhuriyet Street is redesigned as green and well-scaled pedestrian axis with restaurants and retail in Talimhane side; tourist center, art galleries and transportation infrastructures articulated in the Park’s edge under the terraces, and a central route which is designed as the urban meeting space surrounded by trees. For the purpose the entrance of the underground connection suggested between Cumhuriyet Street and Taksim Square, and supported with art functions. Moreover, the northern vehicle entrance of the underground connection relocated to a farther north point to be a part of the revitalization process of the area.

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AR25TY7Z DEALING WITH THE SPATIAL PROBLEMS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF TAKSIM SQUARE

1.2. Enclosure and Human Scale Urban squares are fundamentally framed openings in urban patterns.

For understanding them, it is needed to clarify the enclosure of the urban space. The nature of the urban space is fundamentally characterized by rhizomatic actions in the city. It is the medium of urban life. Therefore a public square is a place of the enclosure of root-free mixture of actions and urban image patterns. However, continuous contextual eviscerations in the history of the Taksim Square and its surroundings harm the urban characteristics and sense of place.

Monument and connects İstiklal Street axis and Cumhuriyet Street axis as the plaque tournante. The design suggestion surrounding Taksim Republic Monument aims to create a memorable but pure background and a stronger orientation for the monumental experience. With the new design monument becomes the geometrical center of its surroundings and finally rescued from its lack of orientation caused by background-less experience.

The second part is Gezi Park Square as the main urban event and meeting area surrounded by Gezi Park and Atatürk Cultural Center. This part is projected to remain its characteristic to be the main area for urban activities and meetings. Additionally, it will become the expansion of Gezi Park ecologically and spatially.

These interconnected areas, their interactions with neighbors and each other create hybrid “spaces to exist” for ongoing and emerging urban flows to reload the urban context.

One of the primary aims of the proposal is to re-define postevisceration disproportionality of the square with transformations due to human scale and re-articulate urban spatial experience.

Proposal suggests a new and proper human scale ratio in the Taksim Square by re-framing it as two interconnected parts. The first part is The Republic Monument Square which surrounded the Republic

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AR25TY7Z DEALING WITH THE SPATIAL PROBLEMS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF TAKSIM SQUARE

1. Public Concerts and Events

2. Urban Cinema Nights

3. Meetings in a safe, well-organized and low heat-island affected square

1.3. Extending Gezi Park missing parts of the puzzle. At first, the proposal began the work with following the original design of green pattern to extend Gezi Park to the square. It protects current hardscape – softscape pattern of the park and creates new green patches between the monument and Atatürk Cultural Center. The proposal finishes the touch in the third dimension with extending Gezi Park’s majestic vertical pattern to the square with Park’s characteristic Platanus Orientalis trees. The trees perform like a natural green eaves to frame the square.

Even though originally Henri Prost planned it as the ecological and topographical extension of Maçka Park (Park No: 2), today Gezi Park became the sole green infrastructure in a very busy cultural, tourism, retail and business district. Despite numerous eclectic interventions in time, the park gains its own characteristics as its unique sense of place and sense of memory. Consequently, the proposal for Gezi Park and extending it to the square are not mere spatial touches but the expansion of the park’s aura.

The design proposal suggests extending the urban green and recreational pattern of Gezi Park to the proposed event and meeting area as Gezi Square to define the urban characteristics in it while preventing to restrain its multi-layered potential. Extending Gezi Park is a decision to handle contemporary urban semantics of seamless urban continuity and human-scale friendly design while protecting collective memory of the urban topography.

Meanwhile, Prost’s original plan becomes the muse for founding

The proposal aims to transform the square as the contemporary face of İstanbul as an active and multi-functional green square.

With the help of Gezi Square and habitat network, Gezi Park’s new identity can be seen as the sentimental heart of the biodiversity and cultural infrastructure of the area between the Historical Peninsula and Maslak Central Business District.

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Tak-ı Zafer Street Elevation

Cumhuriyet Street Elevation

2-2 Section 9

AR25TY7Z DEALING WITH THE SPATIAL PROBLEMS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF TAKSIM SQUARE

1.4. Vertical Vertical U Urban rban S Space: pace: L Landscape andscape A And nd U Underground nderground O Orientation rientation Taksim Square is a central point and an intersection between the contemporary economical development axis and the historical part of the city. On the other hand transportation infrastructure and current underground facilities are built without a proper visionary organization in time. To improve the spatial quality of transportation infrastructure of the square horizontally and vertically, the proposal re-designs underground connection between Cumhuriyet Street and TarlabaĹ&#x;Äą Avenue, subway and ground connections considering the natural light, fresh air accessibility with providing spatial awareness and hybrid design context. In these easy to access hybrid connections, people can experience spatial connections as total spaces, those are simultaneously used as transportation circulation aisles and urban facilities such as art galleries and retail areas.

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FUTURE VISIONS

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FUTURE VISIONS

The design proposal aims to re-organize the square according to the urban approaches and debates of the 21st century, in its context of urban life, problematics and threats. It aims to create a living experience as naturally and metaphorically. For the purpose,

the proposal area becomes the “urban living room� of the city that has temporal and stationary elements at the same time. Also, the design suggests a new state of mind for a healthy and safe urban experience.

Spring Concert

Winter Festival

Summer Screen

Republic Day 11

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FUTURE VISIONS

2.1. Urban Living Room The proposal reorganizes Gezi Park as an active and joyful urban park for the innovative living and workstyle of the up-coming era.

The new free and creative work methods allow people to spend more time in the places rich in terms of recreational and cultural facilities. Additionally, interdisciplinary post-climate-change-crisis projections suggest smaller homes, greener and actively used urban infrastructures and proactively used urban recreational areas and squares.

activities and contains the art and culture pavilion that periodically changed due to actual events in the city. The pavilion is also used as the starting and the ending mark of the open-air city museum.

Urban furniture in the park and in its extensions to the surrounding are designed as integrated with ecological and topographical characteristics of the area. Thanks to this kind of design approach, the furniture will not make inhabitants felt like in a generic space and harm the sense of place. Moreover, current pool area redesigned as a dry fountain mini-activity square that all the people but especially children can refresh in hot temperatures. This new pool square becomes an interactive space for flexible use. The very center of the park reorganized as the recreational green.

These urban living room activities are supported by technical infrastructures such as wifi and charging hubs for mobile devices.

The proposal is well-aware how the inclusiveness of the square is important for each citizen no matter their socio-economical situation, age and disabilities. The project is mused by the citizens who spend time together and experience a very broad spectrum of urban activities. For the purpose the opening of the park to the proposed event square also designed as the open stage of the

Refreshing at the Square

A nice lunch break at the Park

After work routine

Free and Creative work and living spaces loaded with amenities and services

Resreshing daily life at yearly pavillion

Children’s playground: follies for being creative and amused

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Bicycle lanes for safe connections

Urban

Scale and Micro-mobile connections

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FUTURE VISIONS

2.2. Artistic and Performative Evolutions Art is one of the key elements of the proposal. For the design, integration of the art community and everyday life becomes a major goal. For the purpose temporality, fluidity in the urban space and autonomy became key principles. As the central piece of “the cultural triangle” framed by Şişli in the north, Fatih in the South and Kadıköy in the east, contemporarily and historically Taksim Square is always identified as the heart of the artistic and cultural center of the metropolitan area of İstanbul. According to the recent urban transformations, it can be seen that the artistic and cultural zone is expanding to the Galataport area, Kağıthane and Mecidiyeköy districts. In the proposal it is aimed to maintain this central artistic identity of Taksim and re-vitalize its effect on this topic as design it as a focal point for these emerging art zones. For the purpose these emerging zones and Taksim Square is linked with open and closed artistic – cultural infrastuctures and these links expanded to the north as the parts of the habitation strategy network.

Primarily, the proposal suggests an independent “Creative Arts Council” for the area that compose the coordination of this new medium. With the awareness of the independent and opposing nature of art, They are projected to work closely with Kültür AŞ but they cannot be interdependent to any municipal or governmental authorization. This council will be projected to be the interface between city and artists / art initiatives. In the proposal, five main architectural space designed for artistic elements which are designed in the purpose of spreading artistic production all over the square and park. The first one is Merkez İstasyon which is an art hub located in the gallery opening of subway exit between

Taksim Monument Square and Talimhane. Merkez İstasyon will become a workshop space and communication screen for the artistic and performative evolution of Taksim Square, people can gather information for every single artistic performance in the city in here. The second art space will be the Gezi Pavilion located in upper-level square of the park. It will be a temporal pavilion for changing every two years and projected to be both an architectural space to perform and also an artistic / architectural attraction point to represent contemporary art. Third one is Taksim Sanat in Cumhuriyet Street. An art gallery integrated with Merkez İstasyon. It uses closed architectural space under the canopy and also spread art through the terrace level with open events and open-air art installations. The fourth one is current Taksim Cumhuriyet Art Gallery in Maksem which is projected to remain its characteristics as used for smaller or traditional arts and crafts, and also used as Bookstore of the system. The fifth one is the entrance court and ground floor of New Atatürk Cultural Center which is also projected to be used as a ground for public and performative works.

Moreover, the design suggests to spread art all over the proposal area and even further as Gezi Park and Maçka Park can be used as venues for the art and design Biennales of İstanbul. It suggests a diverse and hybrid artistic cultural milieu as a part of urban habitat. It aims to create multi-cultural and international art community oriented in and unique for İstanbul and which is centered in Taksim Square.

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BOSPHORUS

Projections and Inventory of Art & Culture Spaces 14

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FUTURE VISIONS January

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“Re-Taksim application for smartphones is the key for the genuine Gezi Park experience with historical information, open-air museum guide, event calendars, art exhibition informations and also an assistant for inhabitants as park council agent, urban living room and micro-mobility assisting and emergency plan guide.”

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Park No 2

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FUTURE VISIONS

2.3. An Open Air City Museum: The Tracks of the Modernization Right along with Prost and Mongeri’s touches, lots of traces of modern history surrounded Taksim Square. The proposal suggests an open-air city-museum that helps observers to track Turkey’s modernization with the perspectives from the keypoints and assist it with “urban archive mobile application” which synchronic with the boards and all the track.

The open-air city museum route starting and also completed in front of the Gezi Pavilion, which is also part of the proposal and as a node for the contemporary art events in the city, consists numerous point of view stands: key points all over the original Park No:2 area from Taksim Square in the south to Harbiye in the northwest and Maçka in the northeast which orient the observer to the buildings, sites and views that are the artifacts of modern Turkey’s history. These stands contain information interfaces on them. Also, these interfaces will be synched with the city museum application proposed. Thus the route not only becomes an experience in the park but also an orientation mechanism to further historical and touristic experiences. The museum aims to document notable technological thresholds, political affairs, social changes and modernization of the urban form.

Urban perspectives to understand contemporary Turkey and modernization period of it.

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2.4. Micro-Mobility Globally, transportation methods in metropolitan areas are rapidly changing due to climate change prevention policies and the new urban lifestyle. Thus the design proposal suggests changing the mobility philosophy of the area drastically. It limits car roads, built more accessible pedestrian walks, offers bicycle lanes and park zones linked with neighbor districts. It also installs bicycle, e-scooter and disabled-friendly micro-mobility vehicle hubs with shared use opportunities and wifi connections. Additionally, they are integrated with metro stations and easily accessible from all public transportation. For the micro-mobility purposes and stronger connections with AKM, Mete Street redesigned as one direction, low-speed road.

The proposal constitutes a Congestion Charge Zone (CCZ) for Taksim Square and its surroundings. The zone will be free or very lower pricing for local inhabitants, handicapped users, mass transportation, taxis and suitable for retail transportation. With this approach, it is projected to lower individual car usage of the area between %15 to %45 and re-direct people to mass transportation as same as the examples all over the world. The report which is prepared by the İstanbul Municipality simulated that a fee between 4,7 to 10 TL leads a decrease between %9 and %20 in traffic jam. In addition to this, another design-based solution for the traffic of the area is redesigning some routes as one direction or two directions for only buses. Finally the suggestion of the pedestrianization of Osmanlı, Ülker and Mebusan Streets the link between Harbiye – Taksim Square – shore established.

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Micro-mobility Based Transportation 18

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İZOMETRİK GELECEK DEDİK??

2.5. Urban Livability The proposal committed to maintaining the security, sense of safety and feeling of autonomy at the same time. It adds kiosks in the park and relocates security facilities to central but overlooked locations. It suggests lighting design that smoothens transitions between heavy and light, underground and surface, crowded and quiet urban spaces. Practically, it is important to detect facial expressions of approaching people to be and feel safe. In this perspective, the proposal is considering the vision and visibility of pedestrian areas and vertical urban spaces for the safe and vital day and nightlife. It also aims to minimize disturbance on flora with suitable light types and design.

white LED sources. These high poles projected to maintain the required lighting level with less cost and it also prevents glare. On the other hand Gezi Park area is designed with shorter 4m high poles with neutral white LED modules. This design is projected to be more harmonious with surrounding vegetation and the sense of place of the park. Also to match the up-to-date standards 100 lm/W, 100.000h lifetime are intended for the luminaries.

Additional with lighting modules, light embedded city furniture and bollards are projected to help the illumination of the area. The system is intended to be automized to understand the need of lighting for energy efficiency and the preservation of the habitat.

Renewable energy and smart city solutions like solar panels, power outlets for electronic devices, internet access points will also be embedded in the system as well. All the infrastructure is projected to be connected to general power and automation systems that make all the design more precise and efficient.

As a starting point for the lighting design, the proposal aims to maintain a well illuminated and secure pedestrian path from İstiklal Street to the intersection of Cumhuriyet Street and Asker Ocağı Street. The pedestrian routes including this main path are designed to adjust the fast-paced nightlife characteristics of Taksim and this aim is provided by 6m high poles with high color rendering warm

3000K CCT (Warm White) 1- 6m high light poles with asymmetrical light beam luminaires installed on top 2- Point light sources installed under the canopy for lighting surface in front of the shops 3- Linear light sources installed on the façade of the shops for lighting up the canopy 4- Interior lighing affects the night face of the avenue

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Cumhuriyet Avenue 19 19

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5000K CCT (Cold(ish) White) 5- In ground (ground recessed) luminaires for accenting a selection of the trees.

6- 4m high light poles with symmetrical light beam luminaires installed on top of the poles 7- Bollards to enhance visibility on pedestrian walking paths

5 Gezi Park

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AR25TY7Z RESILIENCE

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RESILIENCE

Today, resilience portrayed as a multi-dimensional subject. One of its dimensions is to prevent emergencies, make urban experience healthier and sustainable. Another dimension is to confront future

emergencies and harmful transformations caused by threats like pollution and climate change. The proposal aims to take into consideration all these dimensions in a holistic approach.

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RESILIENCE

Prost’s “Park No 2” 1937

Evolution of Maçka Valley

3.1. Green Strategy Urban green strategy, as the re-vitalizing, re-habilitating and natureculture integration part of the habitat network of the proposal, is designed to link original natural reserves of the broader Taksim area and to repair natural ecological - topographical green paths which are damaged or completely degenerated during urban growth in the last century. For the purpose Golden Horn shores, Gülhane Park in the south and Maçka Park (also the Park No:2 in Prost Plan) and Fındıklı Park in the west become key points as natural reserves.

As a continuity from the path started with Gülhane axis, the proposal projects habitat network based transformations on İstiklal Street which values biodiversity and re-habilitation to return its original morphology. This kind of approach is considered to

needed to help the street to gain its popularity for the İstanbul residents back. Right along with it, Osmanlı Street – Ülker Street – Mebusan Street green path is also suggested to link Taksim Square to the Bosphorus shore as a part of the habitat network.

Reaching to the Taksim, firstly Gezi Square and Gezi Park links the system. After the pedestrian bridge former green path of Park No:2 will be a keypoint for urban green strategy, the proposal revitalizes this area both in the ecological and urban aspects. The area between Cumhuriyet Street and Taşkışla Street projected to be another center for urban activities. Urban green will pass through the path and split to the northeast to the Şişli axis and southwest to the Beşiktaş directions with the help of the Maçka Park.

RE-PARK

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RESILIENCE

Landscaping Strategy

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3.2. Emergency Taksim Square and Gezi Park are already designated as temporary emergency shelter area by the İstanbul Municipality. The proposal aims to spatialize and catalyze existing relationships with new strategies and transform Taksim Square and Gezi Park as the keystone of the resiliency infrastructure of İstanbul. Gezi Park stands as an important open space in the neighborhood for refuge.

It is projected to become one of the most important entrances of the evacuation corridor in emergencies as the starting point of Park No:2 with the help of habitation strategy of the proposal.

Each refuge zones are designed flexible and adaptable with postdisaster usages. Transformable spaces are tailored to respond accordingly which include solar-powered emergency survival shelter, underground water tanks and storage facilities enough for 9.000 persons in 72 hours after an earthquake. It is planned to use surrounding building roofs for collecting rainwater and solar power.

There are three underground water storage tanks locating in each refuge zones. First will be a biological water reservoir located in Ataturk Library zone, where the water is filtered and stored in order to use as emergency potable water. Gezi Park’s current fountain location will be redesigned to be the storage tank for emergency water supply and above the tank there will be a dryfountain which in warm weather the wispy fountains spray water just to cool the surrounding momentarily. The third tank will be under the square, where the stormwater is collected and filtered by the near rain garden and collected to be used as tap water in the underground tank. The emergency food supplies and lightweight emergency structures and bathrooms will be located under the green terraces. The proposed public realm not only creates the neighborhood a shelter; but also it provides social and environmental benefits to the city.

Given the growing dynamics of urban forces, the project uses risk-related strategies vital to increase disaster resilience and also to ameliorate urban and ecological conditions. The design is developed in a site-based strategy to transform the area to a refuge in case of need, and also sustainably support the area for large recreational gatherings. The design aims to re-imagine the process by which urban spaces create solutions to disasters, driven by the concerns of the predicted earthquake for Istanbul in the future. The proposal splits the area into three contiguous refuge areas: Taksim Square, Gezi Park and Atatürk Library where shelter, water and storage facilities differ. Each zone comprises a separate stormwater collection system, preventing the area from flooding, but each is equally equipped as shelter compatibility.

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3.3. Green and Blue Infrastructures The proposal aims to coordinate and boost green and blue infrastructures in the project area with creating green habitat networks, restoring self-sufficient native flora and environment, permeable surface patterns with rainwater management systems and natural urban spaces which are providing climatic comfort.

It plans to mitigate urban heat-island-effect by creating green paths and other design-based solutions. Broad green and blue infrastructure design begins with the square and meets Maçka Park and Bosphorus; it aims to be a prototype for the hybrid futurescape of the city.

The proposal profoundly focuses on landscape design and vegetation suggestions in the project area. The water management system has four staged model: source control, conveyance, treatment and storage. In the source control stage it is projected to store 2 peak year amount of rainwater with maximizing infiltration of non-permeable surfaces. This infrastructure can be used as detention storage, as well the water is projected to be used in irrigation in routine times and as greywater source in emergencies.

The proposal area is projected to be a centerpiece for ecological

rehabilitation of the broader Taksim area with its endemic flora, ecological continuity and biodiversity. For the purpose Gezi Park furnished more of its endemic species, Gezi Square is fancied up with Platanus Orientalis trees as same as the original trees in Gezi Park. By the way, the current floral inhabitants of Gezi Square, Tilia Rubra trees are relocated in front of AtatĂźrk Library. Briefly, all the vegetation design and selection made with the consideration of climate change effects, carbon emissions, heat-island-effect mitigation and interception.

According to the proposal in the project area, urban heat-islandeffect is expected to be mitigated around 42% by the usage of light color pavements and reconfiguration of green surfaces, trees coverages, green terraces and water bodies. Also due to the lower vehicle usage with the new regulations and rise in the evapotranspiration in the area; heat-island-effect mitigation level projected to reach higher levels. Despite the current temperature difference between the square and the park as 2-2.5oC, the proposal projected to decrease this around 1-1.5oC in summertimes.

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Urban Green Strategy

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A System Section from the cooling dry-pool area: Hybrid Nature of the Square

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Epilogue It is plain that Taksim Square will remain the face of contemporary Turkish culture. On the other hand, without a holistic approach it also has the risk of transforming a total lack of urban spatial quality. With this proposal, the designers aimed to touch the Taksim Square precisely to re-habilitate and re-organize its own characteristic spatial qualities. The proposal also tried to avoid solutions that have risks to alienate the square even more. With the knowledge of contemporary conjuncture change and the new tendencies of the era, the proposal tries to create social benefit for all the parts of the society.

Meanwhile, it did not forget the urgent need for ecological interventions and change to more sustainable lifestyles. This total point of view tried to be melted in the habitat strategy of it. As another touch proposal tried to integrate contemporary art as a cornerstone of the daily life of the inhabitants. In a belief to a more democratical, ecological, just future; this proposal tries to boost ecological, sociological, and even psychological qualities and possibilities of the area and all the city of Ä°stanbul with considering the life quality and pleasure of current and future inhabitants.

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Attachments ( Te c h n i c a l R e p o r t s ) 1. Heating Island 2. Engineering 3. Water Management 4. Transportation

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H E AT I N G I S L A N D

Existing Land Cover asphalt granite green grass red tile sidewalk tree cover water surface white stone

Proposed Land Cover basalt bike road cool pavement granite grass joint white stone green grass patterned white stone red tile sidewalk tree cover wet concrete white stone

Heating Island Effect

Existing Land Cover Material

Total Area (sqm)

Proposed Land Cover Albedo

Roads Aged asphalt

11,503 11,503

Green area Green grass Tree cover (Conifer) Hard ground Dark gray granite

29,075 13,725 15,350 57,580 34,130

Dark lime stone Red tile

16,912 1,623

0.30 0.33

Cement concrete

4,915

0.30

371

0.80

Water surface Grand Total

Material

0.10

0.26 0.15 0.30

98,529

Total Area (sqm)

Roads Cool pavement Dark gray granite Blue colored surface Green area Green grass Tree cover (Conifer) Hard ground Dark gray granite Light gray granite Lime stone Red tile New concrete with white portland cement Wet concrete

6,793 2,903 2,248 1,642 40,854 19,956 20,899 50,429 7,288 21,864 17,754 1,623

Grand Total

98,529

Albedo 0.40 0.30 0.45 0.26 0.15 0.30 0.45 0.55 0.33

1,901

0.80

452

0.55

According to the proposal in the project area, urban heat-island-effect is expected to be mitigated around 42% by the usage of light color pavements and reconfiguration of green surfaces, trees coverages, green terraces and water bodies. Also due to the lower vehicle usage with the new regulations and rise in the evapotranspiration in the area; heat-island-effect mitigation level projected to reach higher levels.

Despite the current temperature difference between the square and the park as 2-2.5oC, the proposal projected to decrease this around 1-1.5oC in summertimes.

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ENGINEERING -----

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ENGINEERING -----

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ENGINEERING -----

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W AT E R M A N A G E M E N T

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T R A N S P O R TAT I O N

Traffic Circulation

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T R A N S P O R TAT I O N

Traffic Congestion Pricing Area

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