MEMOIRE THESIS 2015

Page 1

Juliette Estiot Thesis project - presentation report

TALABASI CITIZEN URBAN REGENERATION

Thesis project conducted by Susan Dunne, Graciela Torre & Sebastien Argant UE PFE Changing Cities ensa nantes janvier 2015



Acknowledgements

I would like to thanks first the other member of the Tarlabasi team, Antoine for his spontaneity, Maela for her devotion and Ilgin, our Erasmus student for her involvement and translation during the trip. I would like to thanks my friends and parents for their support during the semester and Yves Badiou for the correction. I would like to thanks all the people that host us in Istanbul, the Turkish Chamber of Architects, JeanFrancois Perouse and the IEFA, The Metropolitan Municipality of Istanbul, the Community Centre of Tarlabasi, the team of the Hostel and all the citizens we talk to. I would like to thanks the teachers team, Graciela Torre, Sebastian Argant and Susan Dunne for their advice, knowledge and support during the semester. I would like to thanks all the people from the studio and mostly my fellow PFE students for the good mood that had been kept during the whole semester without any competition feelings. I am happy to finish school by your sides . It has been quite an adventure, Thank you all.


CHAPTER I

CHANGING CITIES STUDIO IN ISTANBUL

4

p.00

1

Changing Cities studio approach p.02

2

Collective distant investigation p.06

3

CHAPTER II

FROM THE THEMATIC TO THE SITE p.18

1

Istanbul, a population in mouvement ? p.20

2

Beyoglu, a district at a turning point p.26

3

Localised case studies within the territory

The insularity of Tarlabasi

p.16

p.34


CHAPTER III

CHAPTER IV

STAKES & STRATEGIES

p.36

p.58

1

1

Tarlabasi neighbourhood

Proposed strategies

p.38

p.60

2

Tarlabasi Boulevard p.44

3

*

Istiklal Street

Conclusion of the report

p.48

p.67

4

*

Meeting with social patterns

Resources

p.52

p.67

5

THE SITE


CHAPTER

00

I

CHANGING CITIES STUDIO IN ISTANBUL This chapter was written collectively by the thesis students as a tool to look back upon this semester’s experience in Istanbul through a critical paper focusing on theoretical researches, the study trip, the group studio works and the individual projects in balance.


CHAPTER NAME

01


STUDIO IN ISTANBUL

1. 02

Changing Cities studio approach

What is Changing Cities about?

Changing Cities is a studio founded 5 years ago, in the school of architecture of Nantes, basing its interest in the study of the vivid evolution of cities currently on. The common outcome shows a portrait of how these cities, suffering because of the fast and violent urban mutations, are struggling to move forward in a sustainable way. The past few years, the study cases were located in Ireland: Belfast, Limerick and Tallaght. This year, the study case is Istanbul, where the city is mutating extremely quickly to become one of the most influential global cities. Indeed, in the Western part of Turkey, located between Europe and Asia, Istanbul has experienced fundamental changes through a demographic boom for the last fifty years. Today, the population is up to 14.3 million people1. Those mutations have implied social inequalities, distributing people in a constantly sprawling urban fabric.

1

According to Population Data website, in 2014 the population

of Istanbul Province was up to 14,350,423 inhabitants.

The studio’s purpose is to deeply analyse the city, so to come up with various propositions according to constraints and issues observed on site. We aim at creating a new synergy within the city scope, taking into account the nowadays requirements for sustainability, meeting people’s needs and placing them in the core of our new development proposals. Changing Cities is an interdisciplinary studio. Indeed, various interventions have taken place with sociologists, geologists, architects, landscape designers and former studio’s students all along the semester. These figures help us through presentations to enlarge the study scope of Istanbul. Changing Cities is also a bilingual and international design studio. Indeed, our teachers, Susan Dunne (Ireland), Graciela Torre (Argentina) or Sebastien Argant (France) and the Erasmus students are from different countries. Furthermore, most of us have already spent time abroad. These various experiences enhance the sharing of knowledges and references.


STUDIO IN ISTANBUL

Photographer: Jérémy Binard ©

03

Meeting with Mücella Yapıcı and an artist painting a canvas about the Gezi event at the chamber of architects


During the first weeks of the semester, the 38 persons studio was organised in ten groups of three to four students (Erasmus, master and thesis students). This type of structure represented an opportunity to analyse the territory through a large spectrum of subjects, meaning History, Heritage and Architecture, Demography and Sociology, Commerce, Industry, Energy and Agriculture, Water and Waste, Transport, Geography, Geology and Urbanism, Diversity and Culture and eventually Housing. This allowed us to understand Istanbul in detail, connecting each subject to another, in order to grasp the city global scale. Thanks to tools such as a common, interactive 1-1000 scale model linked to posters and researches weekly produced, both students and teachers could discover new aspects of Istanbul and more generally of Turkey. We came up with the following question: Is Istanbul a resilient city? Resilience is defined as: “the capacity of individuals, communities, institutions, businesses and systems in a city, to survive, adapt, and grow no matter what kinds of chronic stresses and acute shocks they experience”.2 Through our observations and researches, we noticed various issues and stakes within the city. Over our propositions, we would try to answer this question as a possibility for Istanbul to bounce back and survive a globalised system. Changing Cities is about distinguishing constraints and contrasts to hit upon and build opportunities. In October, we all went to Istanbul for two weeks to better compare our previous ideas with the city’s reality. It was a way to humanise Istanbul by understanding the culture, getting in touch with

locals and starting to personally care about it. We spent most of the time on the chosen sites, trying to comprehend their dimensions.We did an intervention, a change in the landscape, a gesture to transform the place and enhance it. We also met local people from different backgrounds trying to get the gist of their everyday life, their wishes, their hopes, their regrets, their feelings. Furthermore, we also discussed with stakeholders involved in the making-process of Istanbul. For instance, we presented at the Chamber of Architects our first intentions for our projects and discussed the issues of Istanbul. Jean Francois Pérouse3 gave a lecture at the Institut Français des Études Anatoliennes. Besides, we met people from the Municipality and from Mimar Sinan University, Fine Arts University. Returned from Istanbul, it was time to make our analysis more precise and to articulate them to the project conception, developing strategies for future actions. We came back with various feelings that we had to handle in order to tackle the stakes of the city. They were so complex that we decided to keep the collective studio around new tools. We continued the group model and map, did conceptual works and developed a website called Meta-Istanbul4 in order to broadcast our researches. This semester is deemed as an experimental design studio. The form of presentation is free to let us the possibility to use models, videos, interventions or posters. 3

Jean François Pérouse is the director of the Institut Français

des Etudes Anatoliennes (IFEA), Lecturer in the University of Galatasaray, he is specialised in economical geography of Turkey. He currently runs lessons about the risks managements in the contemporary Turkey.

2

http://www.100resilientcities.org

1/1000 scale model of the city centre.

4

http://meta-istanbul.tumblr.com

Photographer: Chloé Mettrie ©

04

STUDIO IN ISTANBUL

How is the semester organised?


History

Pierre French Master 2

Jérémy French Master 1

Fanta Malian Master 2

Andrea Peruvian Final thesis

Cécile French Master 2

Adèle French Master 2

Élodie French Master 1

Eugenio Italian Erasmus

Marie French Master 1

Giorgia Italian Erasmus

STUDIO IN ISTANBUL

Morgane French Final Thesis

Diversity & Culture

Industry & Agriculture

Pauline French Final Thesis

Heritage & Architecture

Marion French Final Thesis

Demography, Sociology and Politics

Kévin French Master 2

Juliette French Final Thesis

Maela French Master 2

www

Antoine French Master 1

Ilgin Turkish Erasmus

Lucie French Master 2

Mimar Sinan Turkish Pantheon of architect

Geography, geology & urbanism

05

Jean-Christophe French Master 2

Lucas Brazilian Erasmus

Eliott French Master 2

Mathilde French Final Thesis

Water, waste & energy

Clara French Final Thesis

Housing

Teachers

Chloé French Master 2

Hippolyte French Master 1

Helena Czech Erasmus

Céline French Final Thesis

Sébastien French Teacher & Landscaper

Cyrille French Master 2

Maud French Master 1

Daniele Italian Erasmus

Alice French Master 2

Mimar Graciela Argentine Teacher & Architect

Jitka Czech Erasmus

Mimar Susan Irish Teacher & Architect

Marie French Final Thesis

Commerce

Jonathan French Final Thesis

Julien French Master 2

Changing Cities teams

Gabriela Peruvian Master 2

Gabriela Brazilian Erasmus

Photographer: Jean Christophe Brard ©

Transport


STUDIO IN ISTANBUL

2. 06

Collective distant investigation

Istanbul historical overview This second part aims at getting people onboard. The features that make Istanbul unique among the other global cities are its historical depth, its specific geographical location, its cosmopolitan population. The city was the capital of three empires, of which the heritage is still visible. It’s been a crossroad for centuries, straddling the seas, a bridge between Europe and Asia through the Bosphorus. Istanbul remains the economical and cultural centre of the country, attracting people from all over the world. The understanding of the past reveals all the layers that need to be considered.

680BC to 1453 - From the Greeks to the Byzantines: emergence of a world power

An ancestral commercial node

The story of Istanbul started in the 7th century BC under the name of Byzance, when a Greek colony invested the city first hill between the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn. That specific location between an

important water network and the famous Silk Road5 offered Byzance a strategic trade position. The city was mainly structured along the coastline with ports and fishing villages. Different flows of merchandise and people between China and Europe crossed the city.

The birth of a capital

During the 2nd century AD, when Byzance was part of the Roman Empire, it was built as a traditional roman city. As the peninsula was composed of seven hills, it was easily compared to Rome. New walls were built to enlarge the city, a street called the Mese was established across the peninsula. Afterwords, a hippodrome, a series of churches and forums public spaces made for social meetings, political and religious debates - were set up along this main axis. An ambitious water network was developed at the sametime with the help of the Valens

5 

According to Ancient History Encyclopedia website, the Silk

Road was a network of trade routes between 130BC and 1453.


Black Sea

Byzantine Empire Mediterranean Sea

550 AD Byzantine Empire under Justinian

Atlantic ocean

Latin Empire

Slavs & Bulgarians

From one Empire to another

Byzantine Empire Mediterranean Sea

800 AD Period of Invasions

Lycus River

Golden Horn

8

Bosphorus

1. Hagia Sophia

4

Mes 7

2. Great Palace and Hippodrome

Sea

3

e

1

6 2

3. Basilica Cistern

Hills

4. Valens Aqueduct

Water network

5. Harbour of Theodosius

5

Roads Marmara Sea

The historical peninsula under the Byzantine Empire

1km

Perimeter wall

N

6. Walls of Constantine 7. Walls of Theodosius The Great 8. Galata Tower

07

During the 6th century, the Emperor Justinian led the Byzantine Empire to its apogee and built the biggest religious monument of all times: the Hagia SofiaBasilica. Soon after, the Empire started to decline mainly because of and the Arabic and Catholics invasions. Later, at the beginning of the 13th century, the fourth crusade led by the Latins determined the fall of the Empire. As a result, Catholic religion replaced the previous Orthodox beliefs and new neighborhoods appeared on the other sides of the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus. In 1453, Mehmet II and his Ottoman troops took advantage of the Byzantine Empire vulnerability to violently obtain the domination of Constantinople.

Black Sea

STUDIO IN ISTANBUL

These infrastructures ran the ambitious settlement of a powerful city. Two centuries later, when Rome became too weak to efficiently control that growing territory, the Roman Empire was split into two parts. The Western Roman Empire was led by Raven, while Byzance became the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. That was the beginning of the Byzantine Empire and Byzance was renamed Constantinople. During this period the architecture of the city considerably evolved. The city walls were enlarged, important buildings were developed and the water network was improved to fulfill the growing population needs. Furthermore, the water was stored in two different ways: in three open reservoirs built on high points and in underground cisterns.

Atlantic ocean


STUDIO IN ISTANBUL

2.2 1453 to 1923 The Ottoman Empire: 500 years to shape the image of the city

The bloody transition of Constantinople from the Byzantine Empire to the Ottoman Empire marked the beginning of five centuries of transformations and innovations, which actively contributed to build the image of the city. The Ottoman Empire started in 1299 and its civilisation was one of the most important in the world. During the 15th century, it extended over three continents, from the Mediterranean Sea to the northern Black Sea coasts and from the Arabian Peninsula to Morocco.

The Ottoman Empire was a slight balance between various religions and cultures. To repopulate the city, many minorities were invited such as Turks, Greeks, Armenians, Jews. Despite this meaningful tolerance, the Sultan soon converted several churches into mosques. Among them, the immediate transformation of the Hagia Sophia Basilica manifested the influence of Islam in the renewal of the city. Külliyes, as an urban complex, well represented this link between religion and urbanism. They were located at the top of the city

Strategies to keep the Empire afloat

Under the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent from 1520 to 1566, The Ottoman Empire was at its peak of territorial, economic, military and cultural extension along the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. In 1498, the discovery of the maritime route from Europe to India passing through The Cape of Good Hope, by Vasco de Gama, disrupted the privilegedsituation of the city and predicted the future decline of the Empire. Starting from the late 17th century, the sultans tried to maintain the old

Source: James ROBERTSON/Collection Pierre de Gigord / CNRS Éditions.

08

Social and spatial organisations led by religion

hills. They constituted an important social life support and a centrality around which an organic pattern took place, in opposition to the Hippodamian model of Byzance. The orientations and widths of the streets frequently changed and cul-de-sacs became usual. Külliyes brought different facilities: a mosque, a hospital, a religious school, a library, a refectory, a hammam, a fountain. These water equipments were the only source of fresh water for the inhabitants’ daily life. They naturally became strategic gathering places of every Külliyes. The long covered markets named Bedesten formed other meeting points. The best exemple was the Grand Bazaar, influenced by oriental tradition of commerce.

Hagia Sophia mosque in 1854


Black Sea

Mediterranean Sea

Actual frontiers N

Indian Ocean

1000km

1451-1481 AD Ottoman Empire under Mehmet II

Atlantic ocean

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Ottoman Empire faced a series of nationalist revolts by different ethnic groups claiming for their independence. Some demands were repressed, such as the Armenian movement for civil rights which ended in massacres6. Other groups obtained their independence following the Balkan Wars7. All those protests accelerated the dissolution of the Empire.

STUDIO IN ISTANBUL

glory, adopting reforms inspired to European policies: a westernisation process occurred between 1839 and 1877, during a period called Tanzimat. It led to a process of reorganisation and modernisation based on European models. Deep social, economic and urban changes occurred during those years, hygienists and functionalists principles led to the adoption of a grid pattern mainly in those neighborhoods devastated by suspicious fires.

Atlantic ocean

Black Sea

6  The number of Armenian victims varies depending on the sources : 1,500,000 according to the Armenian State, between

Mediterranean Sea

300,000 and 800,000 according to Turkish statistics. 7  The Balkan Wars (1912 and 1913) was a coalition between

Actual frontiers

Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece and Montenegro that declared the war Indian Ocean

1000km

to the Ottoman Empire.

09

N

1520-1566 AD Ottoman Empire under Suleiman the Magnificient

Golden Horn Lycus river

Bosphorus

6 7 5

1. Topkapı Palace

1

Sea

Divanyolu

4

2. Hagia Sofia

2 3

3. Blue Mosque

Water network

4. Grand Bazaar

Roads

Marmara Sea

1km

The historical peninsula under the Ottoman Empire

Hills

Perimeter wall

N

5. Süleymaniye Külliye 6. Fatih Külliye 7. Galata bridge


Atlantic ocean

Influenced by Great Britain Black Sea

STUDIO IN ISTANBUL

Mediterranean Sea

Actual frontiers

Influenced by Italia

Turkey

Influenced by France

Armenia

Kurdish Territory

Indian Ocean

1000km

1920 Treaty of Sèvres

Constantinople

Atlantic ocean Black Sea

Turkey Mediterranean Sea

10

Actual frontiers N

Indian Ocean

1000km

1923 Republic of Turkey

1914 to 1980 - The Republic era: modernisation of Turkey

Istanbul

Birth of a laic Republic Already weakened, the Ottoman Empire did not resist to the First World War. In 1920, The Treaty of Sevres proposed the division of the Empire between the Allied forces and the regional minorities. Since this partition was not approved by the Turkish, Mustafa Kemal, a former military, gathered people around nationalist ideas. He was at the head of the Independance War that led to the proclamation of the Turkish Laic Republic in 1923. Ankara was chosen as the new capital. Mustafa Kemal, called Atatürk, became its first president. He embodied the renewal of the country in rupture with the Ottoman Empire. Secularisation and modernisation policies led to the adoption of several laws: the caliphate8 was abolished in 1924, a civil code was created in 1926, the latin alphabet was adopted in 1928, women obtained the right to vote in 1934, religious brotherhoods were evicted from educational system, and Sunday replaced the Friday holiday in 1935.9

8  The caliphate is a form of Islamic religious and political leadership. 9

BOZARSLAN Hamit, Histoire de la Turquie contemporaine,

Edition La découverte, 2006, p.33

Golden Horn

Bosphorus

Sea Roads Main planned boulevards Planned squares

Marmara Sea 1km

Henri Prost’s master plan 1936-1951

Planned parks

N


Rupture with the Ottoman urban fabric

the European tendencies, Henri Prost10 imagined a city with large boulevards and public places respecting the historical layers. His masterplan was not completely realised. Nonetheless, after World War II, some principles became effective thanks to the Marshall fund11. Afterwards, large public places were created, such as Taksim square, which became the new European center of Istanbul. The transformation of Hagia Sophia Mosque into a museum was an other example of the distance taken from the Ottoman Era.

In 1945, Atatürk’s successor allowed a multi-party political system. This period marked the beginning of an alliance with Western countries and in particular

Industrialisation process In 1950’s, the Golden Horn became the core of the industrial activities. According to Prost plan, the Ottoman shipyards were replaced by textile factories, electric plants and warehouses. It remained the main production place in Istanbul until the 1980’s. First, the industrialisation process provoked the first large-scale migration wave from the East to the West. The migrants were looking for better job opportunities within the city. Istanbul population doubled in twenty years, going from 983,000 in 1950 to 2,772,000 inhabitants in 197015, penalising the investments concerning housing, public and health services, education and transportation system, which were judged nonproductive. As a result, informal systems took place such as private mini-buses called dolmuş or street

12  10

Henri Prost (1874-1959), studied architecture and fine arts.

13

Turkey became a member of the Council of Europe in 1949. The

North

Atlantic

Treaty

Organisation

is

an

He worked on several urban master plans for cities in Morocco

intergovernmental political and military alliance signed in 1949.

and France.

14

11

which improves economic social well-being around the world.

Also called European Recovery Program, the Marshall fund

was a financial help from USA to reconstruct Europe after WWII.

Gecekondu in the district of Küçükçekmece in Istanbul

15

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development According to the Turkish Statistical Institute

11

After 1945: international economical and political agreements

STUDIO IN ISTANBUL

During that period of radical transformations, most of the public finances were invested in Ankara. Istanbul, after losing its relevant diplomatic position, its administrative workers, its political and financial influence, faced a period of economical stagnation. The city was not able to maintain its expensive and over-proportionated infrastructures anymore. In response to this decline, a French urban planner, Henry Prost, was invited in 1936 to work on a masterplan for Istanbul. According to

with Europe12. Turkey appeared as a strategic way for them to deal with the unstable situation in the Middle East. As a result, Turkey became a NATO member13 in 1951. In addition to this political entente, economical alliances were sealed facilitated by the global prosperity. For instance, Turkey became one of the OECD14 fundator members. The financial agreements led to foreign investments that notably allowed Istanbul development. The previously dominant agricultural economy was rapidly replaced by an industrial one.


1900

1950

1970

1990

2000

20XX prospective urban expansion

12

STUDIO IN ISTANBUL

Urban sprawl over the 20th century

Urban Sprawl during the 20th century

sea

Population growth over the 20th century Forest

1900. 1 125 000 inhabitants Urban area

1950. 983 000 inhabitants 1970. 2 772 000 inhabitants 1990. 7 620 000 inhabitants 2000. 10 923 000 inhabitants

N

Main Roads 0

50km


The economical crisis of the 1970’s, marked by an economic dependence of foreign lenders, increased poverty, worsened socials inequalities and enhanced negative effects of the rapid urban growth. These difficulties led to a governmental fragmentation and to the rise of radical parties. The military interventions in 1960 and 1971 tried to re-establish a Kemalist government. Eleven governments followed one another between 1971 and 1980, trying to find sufficient measures to adjust the effects of the first oil crisis.

and industrial services shaped by the two bridges17 and the following beltways. The Central Business District shifted to the North on the Maslak-Levent axis, with the ambition of being the new financial centre of the Middle-East. Since they had become too polluted and too big to be maintained in the historical centre, factories settled on the periphery along the major roads.

The concept of global city had huge impacts on the urban development of Istanbul. Firstly, Istanbul was subjected to an important population growth: the number of inhabitants jumped from 2.9 million in 1980 to 13.1 million in 201018. Then, the separation of the production system from the living environment increased spatial fragmentation and social segregation. Finally, rapid urbanisation partially destroyed the forest, reduced the part of available agricultural lands, obstructed the river beds with backfills and polluted lakes, rivers and seas waters.19

Neo-liberal policies and consequences in Istanbul

The 1980’s began with a third Coup d’état headed by General Kenan Evren. It followed a difficult social, political and economic period during the 1970’s. The military regime remained in place for three years. In 1983, the liberal party came into power and started reforming the city choosing to develop an economy based on services and opened the Turkish market to foreign investors. This internationally based economy was reinforced by the end of the Cold War, as Istanbul came back a strategic point for commercial trade between Europe and Asia. The main consequence of those neo-liberal policies was the decentralisation of both transportation infrastructure, commercial

Rapid urban growth had an impact on land values and was mainly supervised by distant governmental decisions from Ankara. Since then, land has become a commodity and urban planning is led by private investors and speculation. For instance, this period has seen the emergence of mega projects dispersed in the city, built with both lack of transparency and respect of the rules. In parallel, at the beginning of the 1980’s, the government created a fund for mass housing: the Mass Housing Authority and TOKI20 (the housing development administration of Turkey). As there was an increased demand for housing, which where crucially under-available within the city’s territory, 17

The first Bosphorus Bridge was built in 1973, the second

one was accomplished in 1988. 18  The case of Beyoglu, Istanbul. Dimension of Urban Redevelopment, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin Editions, January 2014, 19

The land has already shown its limit, as during the

Ayamama’s floods in 2009. 16

Litteraly meaning built in one night

20

TOKI for Toplu Konut İdaresi Başkanlığı in Turkish.

13

Land as a commodity 1980 to 2014 Fast social and spatial transformations within the context of a globalised Istanbul

STUDIO IN ISTANBUL

vendors. Moreover, shanty towns called gecekondu16 started to proliferate on public lands. Because they generated social interactions and created a strong neighborhood feeling, this informal housing could be considered as a social accomplishment, but in term of construction quality, they appeared to be weak and vulnerable. The increasing number of the inhabitants consolidated this type of urban pattern, made out of illegal settlements. They participated to the city huge expansion outside the historical walls. The construction of the First Bosphorus Bridge, in 1973, accelerated the urban sprawl, especially on a West-East axis, along the E-5 highway.


In 2002, after the 2001 economic crisis, the AKP21 (Justice Development Party) came to power and aimed not only to privatise the state owned real estate assets, but also to reactivate the economy through construction. That led to six years (20022008) of reorganisation of TOKI’s powers and the administration acquired new rights. The most important of them was the right to revise planning and zoning regulations in transformation zones. In 2005, Istanbul municipality applied laws that expanded the land under its jurisdiction. That facilitated the establishment of collaboration between public and private companies and allowed urban transformation projects, with for instance the law n°5366, or « Renewal Law ». Today, those newly created laws are strong alibis providing the authorities the right to undertake urban cleansing. Gentrification is one of those initiatives that occurs in renewal projects, in order to improve the security and the life conditions in districts located in the inner-city, mostly inhabited by migrants, and where there was a strong tourism potential. Urban renewal is claimed as an excuse to drive poor inhabitants out. What was a spontaneous ennoblement in the 1980’s has now become a planning tool and the previous impoverished citycentre has turned into a touristic and cultural centre.

Urban renewal leading to social transformations That so-called urban renewal has several major effects on the urban pattern. Firstly, it increases the polarisation of the city. In fact, urban transformation projects are displacing the low-income inhabitants from the city centre and the cleavage between populations is mainly based on an economical criteria. The city today is quite composed of strong mono-oriented areas of informal constructions, gated communities, industries, to-be transformed zones, among other. Secondly, urban renewal tends to be very specific depending on its location within the city: the neo-ottomanism is for instance one of the most important drivers of the historic peninsula, defined as the beautification of the city from its major buildings to its street vendors. By the glorification of its past, the historical city seems to become a pastiche area made only for tourists. That renewed interest for the Ottoman period is associated with the coming up again of Islam in the everyday life, disregarding the various ethnic groups and languages of the communities22. This radicalisation partly stops the discussion about Turkey entrance in The European Union23.

22

“A non-exhaustive selection of such groups in strictly

alphabetical order: Abkhaz, Albanians, Arabs, Armenians, Bosniaks, Bulgarians, Circassians, Georgians, Greeks, Kurds, Laz, Pomaks, Roma, Tatars, Turks.” Pelin Derviş, Bülent Tanju, Uğur Tanyeli, Becoming Istanbul, an encyclopedia, Garanti Gallery, 2008, p96.

AKP for Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi in Turkish. It is a social

conservative political party.

23

Turkey became an official candidate to join the European

Union in 1999. Its entrance was refused seven years later.

Destruction of the Sulukulé old neighborhood

The Sulukule urban renewal

Photographer: Insaatnoktasi ©

21

Photographer: Kristoffer_l ©

STUDIO IN ISTANBUL 14

the aims of the MHA were to provide dwellings for low- and middle-income groups and to regulate the housing sector. The organisation faced different problems and the one who benefitted those housings were more middle- and upper middle-class than the original targets.


STUDIO IN ISTANBUL

Land is used as a powerful tool to transform the society. The Gezi events of May 201324 show an emerging resistance fighting against an authoritarian leader and a lack of consideration of the inhabitants’ voice. Turkey experiments today several challenges. The consequences of the renewal projects are now emerging, showing social un-cohesion, poverty relocation, mono-oriented functions zones among other. That fragmentation of Istanbul social and spatial landscape is one of the main stakes the city will have to face in a close future.

24

The trigger of the OccupyGezy movement was the

reconstruction project of military barracks instead of Gezi park. The movement started spontaneously led by a small group of ecologists but facing the violence of the sit-in repression, supporting protests and strikes took place rapidly across Turkey.

Photographer: Mstyslav Chernov ©

15

Womens get involved during the Gezi events


STUDIO IN ISTANBUL 16

3.

Localised case studies within the territory

“The ecological limits have been surpassed. The population limits have been surpassed. The economic limits have been surpassed. If you ask me where this will lead, I’ll quote Dogan Kuban: chaos.”

In this context, we decided to act on various parts of Istanbul embodying such contradictions. The means of our propositions are the explorations of new forms of stability within a more equitable and sustainable urban future.

Mücella Yapici, Istanbul Chamber of Architect

Istanbul’s fast and unstoppable growth is generating two polarising visions concerning the future: the Turkish state aims to shaping Istanbul as a global city by developing large-scale transformation projects, while the ordinary citizens reclaim their currently neglected rights to the city. The fracture between the wealthiest inhabitants residing in defensible spaces25 and the low-income population living in the margins of both city and society is increasing.

25  The defensible space theory was developed by the architect and urban planner Oscar Newman in the 1970’s. He gave design guidelines to prevent crimes through neighborhood safety. In Turkey, such spaces can be assimilated as gated communities or TOKI housing areas.

The historical centre Five sites located along the Golden Horn carry a heavy historical charge, trying to deal with the historic peninsula and the modern city-centre: •

Galata Bridge

Tarlabasi neighbourhood

Golden Horn dockyards

Eyüp district

Following the footsteps of the Orient Express


STUDIO IN ISTANBUL 17

The outer-city and the periphery

Istanbul fringes

Three districts, which faced an extremely fast urbanisation since the 1980’s, are located outside the historical core:

Finally, a site is located on small fishing villages down the under construction third bridge on the Bosphorus and near the new highway. Four villages take place on both sides of the Bosphorus:

Zeytinburnu district

Küçükçekmece district

Mahmutbey district

Garipçe

Rumelifeneri

Poyraz

Anadolufeneri


CHAPTER

18

STUDIO IN ISTANBUL

II

FROM THE THEMATIC TO THE SITE This following work, mainly toward social status, takes roots in the thematic chosen at the beginning of the semester, in this case Demography, Sociology and Politics. The previous introduction explains that Istanbul is facing crucial issues, mostly from the growth of its population. This increase is the most important element to be considered in this analysis.


STUDIO IN ISTANBUL 19

Photographer: Joshua Sterett ©

w


15 14

Paris

13 12 11 10

Teheran

9 8

Ankara

5

Berlin

4 3

1918 WWI ended

1919 Turkish War of Independence 1915 Armenian massacre more than 2500 villages emptied and over 1 million died

Henri Prost’s urban plans 1930

plans for a city with cars

1923 proclamation of the Republic of Turkey

1.

1960’s Labour migration

1973 Germany stopped accepting Turkish immigrants

1955 September 6 - 7 events

racist attacts against the minorities in Turkey caused them to leave the country

2005

2010

2000

1984 Kurdish rebellions

more than 1.6 Million Syrian refugee moved into Turkey

more than 2500 villages emptied

1st Bridge 1980 is built Alevi massacre in Çorum

1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus

2011 Syrian Civil War started

1995 Forced migration in the south-east of Turkey

to Germany but it didn’t stop people entering the country illigally to work more than 3 Million workers migrated in 40 years Military coup

1995

1990

Military coup

Military coup

expedited with the Marshall aids between 1948 - 1952

1985

1980

1975

1965

1970

1955

1950

1960

1971

1950’s The migration from villages to cities

interchange among Romans and Turks

İstanbul became less-habited as Ankara became the new capital

20

1945

1935

1940

1924

WWI started

1927

1821 Greece gained its independence

1914

1800

1850

1

2014

Athens

2

Athens Agglomeration

6

number of habitants in million

THEMATIC TO THE SITE

7

2013 Gezi Protests

People from various etnicies and backgrounds protested together. 1999 Police forces were much more violent in Earthquake in Düzce minority neighbourhoods.

1988 2nd Bridge is built

7,6 17.127 people died

1978 Alevi massacre in Maraş

more than 150 Alevi citizens were murdered Alevi Citizens were forced to migrate to other cities including İstanbul

The construction of the 3rd bridge started

Istanbul, a population in mouvement ?

Istanbul is the most populated city in Turkey although not the capital, its population has reached 14 350 4231 inhabitants in 2014. The attraction of the city is explained by its complex history through the ages and its well-known and unique geographical situation between two continents. As previously said in the common introduction, it must be remembered that Istanbul has faced different phases of migration, some coming from inside Turkish borders, others from different parts of the world. At the international scale, migrations are mostly coming from Eastern Europe countries such as Bulgaria, Greece; the Middle East from Iraq, Iran and mainly from Syria. Middle East migration also concerns the non-official Kurdistan region shared by those four countries, including Turkey. The recent political conflict that occurred in Kobane (Syria) has forced more than 150 000 Kurds of Syria to cross the

borders and take refuge in Turkey. 2 This last tendency matches the inner migration mostly coming from East, South Anatolia and Black Sea regions. These people are the ones that migrated the most toward Istanbul, following industrial activities. Over the past decades Istanbul has become a hub of migration, a bridge for those trying to make their way to Europe, such as African and Southern countries, sometimes a harbour for people waiting to cross. This migration, either coming from inner or outer Turkey, is one of the biggest reasons of population growth and diversity.

2

Forgetting about the civil war that opposed Turks to Kurds in

1990, Turkey is now accepting Kurds refugees, protecting them 1

Populationdata website

from the rise of the Islamic State.


THEMATIC TO THE SITE

MARMARA SEA

Istanbul

BLACKSEA MARMARA

EASTERNANATOLIA AEGAN

CENTRALANATOLIA IRAN

SOUTHEASTERNANATOLIA

Kurd population

MEDITERRANEAN

21

SYRIA

IRAQ

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

migration toward Istanbul by name

TEKIRDAĞ

BLACK SEA

Catalca Silivri

Eyüp

Sarıyer

Gaziosmanpaşa

Küçükçekmece

Bay. Esenler

Şişli

Beykoz

Kağ.

Şile

Beş. Bey. Gün. Üsküdar Bah. Fat. Emi. Bakırköy Zey. Kadıköy Bağ.

Büyükçekmece Avcılar

Maltepe

Black Sea Eastern Anatolia Central Anatolia

Ümraniye

Sultanbeyli

Kartal Pendik

MARMARA SEA

Adalar

Tuzla

KOCAELI

South Eastern Anatolia Marmara

population repartition by origin regions

0 5

10 15

25 km


THEMATIC TO THE SITE

< 50 000 < 40 000

N

< 30 000 22

< 20 000 < 10 000 < 1000

population density of Istanbul(inhab/km2)

Seen as a cosmopolitan city, Istanbul, even though essentially represented by the Muslim religion, has been and is the heart of different religions. Following the city history, non-Muslim minorities areas are concentrated around the central district. Latin people, followers of the Christian religion, settled first in the historical peninsula where they built churches during the Byzantine period. Chased at the Ottoman time, the Christians and Jews, chased from Spain during the Inquisition, had to settle outside the Fatih peninsula.

0 5

10 15

25 km

CHRISTIAN 0,13 % 60 % Armenian Orthodox 20 % Syrian Orthodox 10 % Protestant 8 % Chaldean Catholic 2 % Greek Orthodox

15% Alevi

JEWISH 0,03 % 96 % Sepharadi 4 % Askenazi

ISLAM

96,83% 85% Sunni

Today, the religious diversity is still existing although only a trace comparing to the Islam religion. Istanbul religious diversity

BAHA’I 0,01 %

Ă˜

ATHEIST 3%


THEMATIC TO THE SITE

+ 10 % + 15 %

N

-1%

23

+5% - 15 % population mouvement of Istanbul (inhab)

-5%

0 5

10 15

25 km

ISTANBUL AGE STRUCTURE

Datas 7.115.721 4.094

7.044.726 90 +

12.192

15.231

85 - 89

18.928

40.273

80 - 84

67.594

57.803

75 - 79

85.186

70 - 74

117.451

90.143 140.347 212.427 302.878 388.157 466.261 557.662

65 - 69 60 - 64 55 - 59 50 - 54 45 - 49 40 - 44

163.215 225.757 305.811 379.427 448.145 538.413

35 - 39

639.368

616.701

30 - 34

731.494

710.359

25 - 29

671.518 556.727

20 - 24

566.464

15 - 19

549.855

10 - 14

664.216 567.087 527.760 517.048

557.802

5-9

527.047

567.218

0-4

536.055

Istanbul pyramid of ages

Mapping statistics figures and census data about the population was the first approach in order to identify problematic areas. These studies helped learning more about the city through different elements, such as medium age, revealing the youth of Istanbul population. The study of density informs that the central districts are the most populated, since they are the oldest ones. However, data showed that the central peninsula heads towards the exodus of its inhabitants, leaving housing vacant, waiting to be replaced by urban renewal project. This population movement is also matching the current urban sprawling that led to merge Istanbul municipality to Istanbul province, two political scales. This is one of the many arguments to highlight that Istanbul has grown into a megalopolis.


THEMATIC TO THE SITE

Once in every four years

GRAND NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF TURKEY (TBMM) PRIME MINISTER TURKEY CENTRAL GOVERNMENT PUBLIC WORKS AND SETTLEMENT

FINANCE

ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTRY

TRANSPORT

1 ISTANBUL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY

EDUCATION

CULTURE AND TOURISM

HEALTH

GOVERNOR OF ISTANBUL National Primary Education, Local Health Authorities, Police Force, Traffic Management, Disaster Management, Industry and Commerce, Social Services

Investment Orientation, Socio-Economic Development

Once in every five years

METROPOLITAN MAYOR * OF ISTANBUL

2

METROPOLITAN MUNICIPAL COUNCIL

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL

3

URBAN DEVELOPMENT

FINANCE

TRANSPORT

INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES

UTILITIES

Housing, City Planning, Real Estate, Purchasing Fire Brigades

Budgeting, Systems, Transport Planning, Transport Coordination

Road, Rail, Public Transport Historical Sites Protection, Waste Management, Parks and Gardens

Construction, Environmental and Tourism Support Earthquake RiskServices Management

Cultural and Social Affairs,

Cultural and Social Affairs, Tourism Support Services,

24

DISTRICT GOVERNORS(39)

DISTRICT COUNCILS*

Once in every five years

DISTRICT MAYORS (39) *

URBAN DEVELOPMENT

LAND REGISTRY

ENVIRONMENT

SERVICES

Development and Urbanisation, Plans and Projects

Registry and Audit, Real Estate and Expropriation

Environment Protection, Parks and Gardens

Cultural and Social Affairs, Support Services, Health, Sanitary Services and Maintenance

executive power including the right for regulatory overwrite some limited powers

National Level State Level City Level District Level Mahalle Level

* Directly elected

1 Recently established, not yet fully implemented 2 Formed by selected members of District Councils

and all District Mayors

3 Headed by the centrally appointed Governor of Istanbul,

it is the council of the Provincial Special Authority

executive power limited power

digram of local governement of Turkey

*

directly elected 1 recently established, not yet fully implemented

2 formed by selected members of District Councils and Mayors 3 headed by the centrally appointed Governor of Istanbul it is the council of the Provincial Special Authority


in habitants

1 000 000

2009 Local Election in İstanbul

DSP 2.5%

500 000

CHP 30% AKP 67.5%

Üsküdar

Zeytinburnu

Sile

Sisli

Tuzla

Umraniye

Silivri

Sultangazi

Sultanbeyli

Pendik

Sariyer

Sancaktepe

Kartal

Maltepe

Kucukcekmece

Kadiköy

Gungoren

Kagithane

Eyüp

Fatih

Gaziosmanpasa

Catalca

Esenler

Esenyurt

Cekmekoy

Beykoz

Beyoglu

Buyukcekmece

Besiktas

Beylikduzu

Bakirkoy

Basaksehir

Bayrampasa

Avcilar

Bagcilar

Bahcelievler

Adalar

Atasehir

Arnavutkoy

0

KIRKLARELI

TEKIRDAG KARADENIZ

Çatalca

Sariyer Beykoz

Sile

Bakirköy

Kadiköy

Sancaktepe

Ümraniye Atasehir

Pendik

Sultanbeyli

Silivri

Pendik

Adalar

Sariyer

Sancaktepe

Maltepe

Kucukcekmece

Kartal

Kadiköy

Gungoren

Kagithane

Eyüp

Fatih

CHP 30%

Sultanbeyli

Kartal

Gaziosmanpasa

Catalca

Esenler

MARMARA DENIZI

Esenyurt

Cekmekoy

Beyoglu

Buyukcekmece

Beykoz

Beylikduzu

Besiktas

Bakirkoy

Basaksehir

5- Küçükçekmece

Bayrampasa

4- Güngören

Bagcilar

3- Zeytinburnu

Avcilar

Adalar

Atasehir

2- Bayrampasa

Bahcelievler

1- Gaziosmanpasa

Tuzla

Üsküdar

Üsküdar

Maltepe

0

DSP 2.5%

Çekmeköy

Sisli Beyoglu Fatih

KOCAELI

Zeytinburnu

Avcilar

2 Bagcilar 4 Bahçelievler 3

Sile

Beylikdüzü

5

Sisli

Esenyurt

Kagithane Besiktas

Sultangazi

Büyükçekmece

1

Tuzla

Esenler

500 000

Sisli

Sultangazi

Umraniye

Basaksehir

Arnavutkoy

in habitants

Eyüp

Silivri Election in İstanbul 2009 Local

AKP 67.5%

2009

KIRKLARELI

TEKIRDAG KARADENIZ

Çatalca

Arnavutköy

Eyüp

Sariyer

Silivri

Beykoz

Basaksehir

Esenyurt

Beylikdüzü

5 Avcilar

Sisli

Sultangazi Esenler

Büyükçekmece Bagcilar

1 2

4 Bahçelievler 3 Bakirköy

Sile

Kagithane Besiktas

Çekmeköy

Sisli Beyoglu Fatih

Üsküdar

Kadiköy

Sancaktepe

Ümraniye Atasehir

Pendik

Maltepe 1- Gaziosmanpasa

MARMARA DENIZI

2- Bayrampasa 3- Zeytinburnu

Kartal

Sultanbeyli

Tuzla

KOCAELI

Adalar

4- Güngören 5- Küçükçekmece

2014 local election results

AKP

CHP

THEMATIC TO THE SITE

Arnavutköy

1 000 000

The expansion of the city has also influenced its administrative and political organisation. Divided in districts, Istanbul, facing massive migration and urban sprawling, had to officialised areas of the city developed by the population itself 3. In 2008, Istanbul moved from 32 to 38 districts, annexing nextdoor independent municipalities. A municipality elected by the local people rules each district. The Metropolitan Municipality of Istanbul is coordinating and controlling the local municipalities. Through the different political levels, the AKP is mainly represented, reintroducing Islam in the society and consequently disregarding the minorities. In order to overlap the previous data with the migration study we look at the minorities repartition in Istanbul, either recent as the Kurdish people, or older as the Greeks and Jews. This last map allowed us to identify one district as a problematic area, combining a great density of minorities but also affected by the strong population movement.

DSP 3

Building gecekondus.

25

Romans Gypsies

N

Kurds Armenians Jews

minorities repartition of Istanbul

0

5

10 km


THEMATIC TO THE SITE 26

2.

Beyoglu, a district at a turning point

The district of Beyoglu is located on the other side of the Golden Horn, called then “Haliçâ€?, in front of the current historical peninsula called Fatih. The first settlement has been developed in the 5th century during the Greek period. During the 6th century the land was mostly used as a farming area due to the development of harbour activities. The Fourth Crusade has been the time where Genoeses and Venetians settled in this northern part of the Golden Horn, Galata, introducing a different culture to the region. This settlement was the opportunity to develop the urban fabric, fortifications, towers but also buildings that allowed this well-protected area to become a place of economic trade. In 1453, under the lead of Sultan Mehmet II, Constantinople was renamed Istanbul with the ambition to become the capital and the economic and cultural centre. Following this idea, and with the necessity to repopulate the city after the conquest, the Sultan allowed prisoners and non-Muslims minorities to settle in Pera. In the 17th century, Pera grew into an economic and commercial centre and

foreign embassies started to settle in the Grand Rue de Pera, increasing the diversity of population (35% Turks, 39% Greeks, 22% Europeans, 4% Armenians). Spreading out of the fortification walls, the agricultural and industrial activities continued to form the outskirts during the 17th century and until the 19th century. At this period, the urban fabric starts to get denser due to the population growth. The densification came with a new urban pattern, more geometrical rather then the originally organic forms, and also the construction of religious buildings, changing the character of Byzantine avenues. This modernisation aimed at transforming Istanbul into a European city model and also rebuilding the burned part of the city. This area across the Golden Horn, called then Beyoglu, became the part of the city associated with bourgeoisie lifestyle. The mid 19th century was a turning point in the social- political and economic trade of the city, allowing European investors to purchase anywhere they wanted, investing capital and developing the urban fabric. Improvement and increase in the


THENATIC TO THE SITE 27

View of the Galata, Beyoglu oldest neighbourhood


THEMATIC TO THE SITE

transportation system, connecting the two sides were even more necessary since Beyoglu became the cultural and modern part of Istanbul. Attracting European upper class merchants and craftsmen, the urban fabric kept changing and improving through technological services, infrastructures and regulations. One of the most important regulation that occurred in the 19th century was the regulation about construction materials and the switching to bricks and stones instead of timber to prevent fires in the most populated areas.

28

The Republic of Turkey was the time for new modernisation projects but none of it was sufficient to respond to the demands. The urban fabric was not adapted to the rapid transformation that occurred during the 20th century mainly concerning car traffic. Even though the Grand Rue de Pera, newly called Istiklal Strreet, was still the biggest shopping street of Istanbul, Beyoglu could not face company development and lost its status of economic place, which was relocated elsewhere. In 1950 Istanbul faced a great period of migration coming from the Black Sea Region and South Anatolia. New districts were developed where the wealthiest families settled, leaving the damaged buildings of Beyoglu. On another hand migrated people from the Black Sea and Anatolia region arrived there, close to the industrial activities on the Golden Horn. Several political events happened such as the creation of Israel State in 1948 and the September 1955 riots related to the conflict between Greece and Turkey led to the departure of Beyoglu’s religious minorities. In the 1980s different plans were executed in order to preserve the urban fabric of Beyoglu but mostly to create a socio cultural area. To this effect, the widening of Tarlabasi Street to connect easily the historical peninsula to the newly built Taksim Square, one of the only official green spaces developed by Henri Prost plan. This modification had a big impact on the architectural dimension and this led to the area being declared as an urban heritage zone. The well-known Istiklal Street was also pedestrianized. Considered the cultural and entertaining centre of Istanbul, Beyoglu became popular again and several sectors benefit from this regain of interest such as tourism, company offices, but mostly real estate developers.

Today, the heritage urban fabric of Beyoglu is facing deterioration because of the land speculation and several urban renewal and gentrification projects have been announced in the district. One of them, the Taksim project, has particularly risen the population against urban policies but also against the current government. The district has faced demographical and cultural changes, reinforcing its capacity to adapt as a multi identity district. However, if Beyoglu did accept and assume the burden of being the witness of Istanbul evolution, urban policies are today heading to the homogenisation and the gentrification of not only the urban fabric but also its population.

Istiklal Street before pedestrianization

September 1955 in Beyoglu minorities area


9 7

1 1

1

Y

3 8

3 3 3

3

2

3

5

4 3 3

1

u

3

5 2

1

i

1

4

2

t 1

1

d

7 3

3 3

3

1

9 9

d

9

1

2

i

i

i

4

2

4

i

2

d

i

1 2

3

4

i 3

i

3

1

2

3

2

2

i

3

3

3

i

i

i i

2

2 2

9

1

9

5

2

2

2 2

3

4

3

2

1

2

5

2 2

5

o

2

2 4

3

r

d i

2

i

3

2 1 1

1

1

13

1

5

3 3

4

10

d

i 4

1

1 15

9

9

6

d

d

1 2

1 2

12

5 10

3

3

9

d

2

3

1

3

4

3

9

2

6

3

7

d

=

3

3

2

30468 21.149

2

r r

i

6

12 3 2 1 4

r

r

c

7

4

1

4

3

7

1

r

4 2

7

9

2

9

2 1 1

10359

5 3 1

;

2.009

1

r

6

5

2 2

1

3

c i

i

i

i

2

1 3

9

i

c

r

i

3

4 3

5

i

i

3

5

r

i

i

4

3

9

r

3

i

r

c

6

1

Y

5

4

3

1

i

4

3

6 4 4

4

3 5

i 2

o Y

1 7 5

i i

4

9

9

9

2

Y

i

8 8 9

10

8

10358

;

1.402 7

8 7

8

8

8

6

8

i

i

t

1 5

1 5 51

51 7

4

4 2 7

1

7

5

5

4 6

5

3

5

i

6 2

6

6 6

3

5 2

6

5

41

6

i

5

5 6

5

41

5 4

6

6

21

4

6 6

2 2

5

5

5

3

3

6 6

6 3 3 5

5

7

7

5

3 4

4

5

4

5

7

5

2

3

5 5

4

2

4

7 7

5 5

3

i

5

7

5 6

t

6 3

5

4

5 5

4

5

7 7

5

8 7

3

5

5

1

6

5

4

4

2

5

2

6

6

3

5

5

3

5

5

5

8

6 5

5

5

5

4 4

5 5 5

4 4

8

7

6 6

5 5

2

3

4

5

6

5

i

8

6 6

2

11

8

8

5

6

6 6

6

6 7

i

9

8 11 7

8

7

8 8 9

8

7

4

3

5

3

5

5

i

4

5

3

6

4

5

4

3

o

1

i

5

5

4

6

6

4

4

6 6

5

5

5

1

6 3

5

5 1

5

4

W 8W

5

5 4 5

5 1

5

11

5 5

3

11

5

5

6

4 2

6 5

6 5

5

5

5

6

i

i

6

5 3 3

5 2

i i

5

2 6

5

2

2

9

t

1

{STANBUL BO~AZI

4

3

i

2

3 5

4 6

7

5 3

3

4 1

4

5 4 2 5

1

4

6

5 4

6

9

2

4

3

99

2 4 4

9

1 3

6

5 2

4

5

5 4 6 1

4

5

1

6 6

6

6

3

6 4

4 4

5

9

5

4

4 4

7

1

C

4 2

4

5

2

9

4

5

5

5 4

2

5 3

10357

;

5

2.885

5 6 5

6 6 5

t 3

Go

ISTANBUL BO~AZI

lde

nH

or

n

N

THENATIC TO THE SITE

Beyoglu district towards urban renewal a loose of its historical idendity

7 6

? urban renewal projects in Beyoglu.

0

100m

200m

300m

500m

29

View of one of the renewal project proposal in Beyoglu.

commercial area manufacturing and industrial area green area sport facilities

N

education buildings cultural buildings

Beyoglu district land use .

0

100m

200m

300m

500m


xx

x

xx x

x xx

x

xx

xx xxxxx x x

x x xx xx x x

UUUU x x

x xx

x x x x

3 3

THEMATIC TO THE SITE

t

5 2

5

3

t

t

t

5

5

3

3

t

3

5

5

3

t

t

5 u

t

t

t

t

5 5

t

u

t

t

u

t

t

5

t

t t

5 x

t u

t

t

x

xx x x xx x x x xx

x

x

x x xx x x x x x x x x

t t

t

x

xx x xx

5

t t

5 x xx

t

5

t

t

t

t

5

t

t

t

t

x

x xx x x

xx x

t

t

x

u

t v

5

t

t

5 5

t

t

30

t

o

t

t t

9

t t t

t

u

t

U

u

tt

u

u

t

t

t

t

t

u

t

u

t

t

t

t

t

u

t

u

t

t t

t

t

t

t

t

u u

t

t

u

t

t

u u

u

t 5

t

t

t

t

t

x

5

u

t

t

x x

t

x x

u

x

x

t t t

t

t t

t

u

t

u u

x

3 u

t

u

u

u

N

u

u

t

u u

t

u

u

actual situation

u

0

u

u

u

u

t u

u

100

u

200

300

500m

To better understand the complexity of Beyoglu, a sample of the district including the Tarlabasi Boulevard was selected so as to comprehend its relation to the urban fabric.

administrative boundaries “mahalle�

This sample is then been isolated with different elements that composed the city. Administrative boundaries, called mahalle, are today following the boulevard, acting then as a separation.


THEMATIC TO THE SITE 31

topography + main roads

The main road network is in accordance with the topography, settling on the plains.

urban developement + main roads 16th

20th

future

13th to 15h

18th to 19th

21th

Confronting to the urban development timing, it is clear that the boulevard is dividing neighbourhoods that used to be one in the past.


Tarlabasi Ă–mer Hayyam Caddesi

THEMATIC TO THE SITE 32

Kasimpasa

view of the gap between the boulevard and Kasimpasa

o

view of the gap between the boulevard and Ă–mer Hayyam Caddessi

relation to the boulevard 0 100 isolated area crossings closed area connected area

200

300

500m

informal officials underground

Those elements combined allowed to highlight which area is in relation with the boulevard. Areas not connected to the boulevard are either closed by

view of the connexion between the boulevard and Tarlabasi

entities such as private infrastructures, or isolated by another element such as topography or road infrastructures.


THEMATIC TO THE SITE

0 5 10 20 30

50

section in Kasimpasa

33

0 5 10 20 30

50

section in Ă–mer Hayyam Caddesi

0 5 10 20 30

50

section in Tarlabasi

In conclusion, one area seems to share connexion to the Boulevard, it is the neighbourhood of Tarlabasi and the Istiklal Street on the other side.


THEMATIC TO SITE 34

3.

The insularity of Tarlabasi

Composed of different layers, the selected area is in definition linked to the boulevard. However the functioning of the space is still very complex. To

view of a slopping street in Tarlabasi

better understand its urban fabric, each element will be again commented upon separately.


Three main roads are to be noticed in the area, the Dolaptere Boulevard at the very bottom, the Tarlabasi Boulevard in the middle part and then the famous pedestrianized Istiklal Street. It is clear that the two boulevards are catching the Tarlabasi neighbourhood in a stranglehold acting as strong physical boundaries.

The secondary road network shows the organic and almost labyrinthine complexity of the urban fabric from the late 19th century, preventing cars to easily circulate inside.

empty spaces

blocks

roads network

main roads

The empty spaces resulting from this existing fabric express the porosity of the neighbourhood but mostly highlight the 20,000 m2 closed zone, consequence of the future urban renewal project.

As a conclusion, the site, previously selected as being in connexion with the boulevard, is actually fragmented and acting as three individual entities that urban history separated and developed in autarchy: the Tarlabasi neighbourhood, Tarlabasi Boulevard and Istiklal Street.

topography

35

From the existing blocks it is even clearer to see the break between the very orthogonal typologies of the buildings in the upper part of the site next and Tarlabasi buildings.

mahalleler

THEMATIC TO SITE

The topography, although not an obstacle to the communication with the boulevard, is still really pronounced. Around 60 meters of difference in level are separating the bottom from the top of the area, making the crossing quite difficult but also the neighbourhood almost invisible.


CHAPTER

36

CHAPTER NAME

III

THE SITE The following chapter will present each individual space of the study area, highlighting the stakes and asking question on waht could be done to treat the different issues.


37

Photographer: Tarlabasi 360 Š

CHAPTER NAME


THE SITE

Taksim Square

Tarlabasi neighbourhood Tarlabasi Boulevard

38

Istiklal Steet

1.

Tarlabasi neighbourhood

To have a better understanding of the Tarlabasi neighbourhood it is important to explain its history more precisely. Following Beyoglu evolution as explained before, Tarlabasi has developed during the Ottoman period around the 16th century when nonMuslim diplomats built their houses. Later in the 19th century, the residential area expanded, hosting middle classes in five storey-buildings that followed the Levantine1 architectural before construction materials switch from timber to stones. Mostly composed of Greeks, Latin People and Armenians, the Tarlabasi population was affected by the tax established on non-Muslim minorities. Not being able to pay it off properly, many of the merchants and craftsmen sold or left their buildings, leaving them empty. The riots of September 6th and 7th 1955 toward minorities, Greeks and Armenians in particular, degraded the Tarlabasi buildings and 1 Architecture style referring to European influence, mostly use in Pera.

forced the local population to leave. Happening during a rural migration period, new people settled in the cheap-rent buildings, sometimes illegally. With its damaged buildings and the massive arrival of low income classes, Tarlabasi was soon seen as a no-go neighbourhood, a slum area. Isolated by the new boulevard in 1988, the area became even more segregated but kept welcoming new migrants such as Kurdish people during the civil war in 1990.

In 2006, the Beyoglu municipality, after submitted it to the Council of Minister, declared 6 areas as urban renewal projects, Tarlabasi being one of them. The recent Law 5366 for the Protection of Deteriorate Historical and Cultural Heritage through Renewal and Re-use give new power of expropriation to the local authorities without the consent of the property owner. Soon enough Gap Ä°nĹ&#x;aat, a private


5

3

t 3

3

t 3

THE SITE

3

3

5

Taksim

Square

2

t

5

basi Tarla

5

vard boule

5

5

t t

t t l kla

Isti

eet Str

commerces

39

manufacture religion housing cultural and religion

land use of Tarlabasi

view of a Tarlabasi street

t 0 10 20 40 60

100

200

Photographer: Svetlana Eremina Š

5


t 3

t

3

3

t 3

3

3

3

5

5

3

3

development company, led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan2’ son-in-law, won the exploitation of the site. The first plan was leaving almost half of the current floor for t the existing owner after renewal and gave them the 5 possibility to renovate their 5building themselves. 3 Finally the official plan was based on transforming the area into a pretended mixed-uses area with luxury housing, hotels, cafes and shopping centre. t

t

3

t

5

5 5

5

5

5

3

5

2008 5

t

t

Homeowners and tenants created an association to 5 plan and with the denunciate the abusive renewal 5 help of the Turkish Chamber of Architects (TMMOB) applied to UNESCO to stop the project. For now the demolition has stop but the construction of the first t block is on-going. Between

t

3

3

THE SITE

3

t

2011 363

t

t

360 5

5

393 594 387 362 361 386 360

5

t t

385

5

5

5

2016 evolution of the urban renweal zone 5

t

t

20XX 5

5

t t

t

t

The renewal project called Tarlabasi 360, based on the gentrification process of the area, is the beginning of the entire neighbourhood reorganisation.

40

t

“Like Sulukule, Fener and Balat4 the cultural and historical heritages of Tarlabaşı are going to be sacrificed to financial benefits of some people or companies […]The poor and rich will be divided spatially, too. The city’s poor will be pushed outside more with this recent gentrification project.”5

renewal zone project on Tarlabasi Boulevard

Tarlabasi Today Today Tarlabasi is still seen a slum area and maybe even more since the shadows of the Tarlabasi 360 boards have been cast on the neighbourhood. Almost 300 buildings are to be knocked down because of the urban renewal project, and all the people living there were evicted. Despite that, a heterogeneous population is still living there, Romans, Kurds, Greeks, Africans, Syrians, Armenians, and Transsexuals. All these repressed minorities found a home in Tarlabasi, sometimes living in very drastic conditions, but very attached to the place, in the heart of Istanbul centre.

future project of Tarlabasi 360 and 361

2 Actual President of Turkey. 3 UM report 4 other historical neighbourhood declared as renewal areas. 5 Mücella Yapici, Istanbul Chamber of Architects into the destruction zone of Tarlabasi

t


COUNCIL OF MINISTERS PROVINCIAL ADMINISTRATIONS 3 months answer

METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITY

define the zones together

BEYOGLU MUNICIPALITY

1993

LAW N°2863

RENEWAL PROJECTS

forbid the owner to renovate

Law of Protection and Natural Assets modification of the law

2006 signature of the contract

6 RENEWAL PROJECTS

submit the selected zones

2007

define the conservation criterias together

GAP INSAAT DEVELOPER

Article 3 : Protected Sites Cities and city relics from various civilizations, extending from the prehistoric era to the present day, that reflect the social, economic, architectural and similar characteristics of their period, places where important historical events have taken place. These sites should be protected and their natural characteristics preserved.

THE SITE

URBAN POLICIES

2005

LAW N°5366

Preservation by Renovation and Utilization by Revitalizing of Deteriorated Immovable Historical and Cultural Properties

TARLABASI

negociations and proposition to renovate their buildings

Article 1 reconstruction and restoration in line with the progress of the area of zones which are registered and declared as conservation areas by boards of conservation of cultural and natural assets which have been worn down and are tending to lose their characteristics.

POORLY MAINTAINED BUILDINGS OWNERS

signatures

LOW SOCIAL LEVEL SLUM AREA

2008 without possibility to renovate the buildings

2010

RENOVATION PLAN

278 BUILDINGS TO BE DESTROY 2005

2011

2008

Tarlabaşı Homeowners and Tenants Social Solidarity and Development Association

HOME TOWN

CLOSE NEIGHBORHOODS

DENUNCIATION TO UNESCO

social actors

political actors

consequences

LAW N°5366

Preservation by Renovation and Utilization by Revitalizing of Deteriorated Immovable Historical and Cultural Properties

Article 4 The use of expropriation by a private administrator is allowed. The possibility of using expropriated land for private interest, within this framework, the expropriated land can be sold by the municipalities for new residential or tourism purposes, thus distorting the original purpose of the expropriation. the law does not set the time or conditions for the agreement with the property owners, and tenants and other inhabitants of the area are excluded from the negotiations.

41

TENANTS

official version

TOKI SETTELMENT

2010

EVICTIONS

explanations and links

Some of them managed to adapt their houses, building expansions on the roof that might be called gecekondus. Historically settled there, craftsmen, mainly in iron, textile or wood, are still living in Tarlabasi having their workshop on the ground floor and teaching their children or apprentice their savoir-faire to keep the tradition of small manufactures alive Informal jobs flourished in the area, such as the picking up of paper or the cooking of food that will be sold in touristic streets. In spite of its poor upkeep and its political situation, Tarlabasi seems to have a strong community feeling. In order to be better educated and integrated, the Tarlabasi Community Centre is offering courses and activities for children and adults. Some of them who are more aware of the endangerment of the area want to express themselves through art or writings on the neighbourhood walls.

Tarlabasi typical facades

How to prevent further destruction on heritage buildings and the dispersion of an entire community ?

How to change the bad image of the neighbourhood ?


In each street, some of the buildings has follen down and there the nature seem to get back its own rights by growing again.

42

THE SITE

Ruines

Tarlabasi Market

Happening every saturday morning, the market is a place of reunion and where people socialize.

Heritage buildin

Built in the 15th c ing has been occu non-Muslims mino people. Today it is n because the munic the owners to resto have been declare h ESCO


ildings

Following the new urban policies, the Beyoglu Municipality let the neighborhood got worse to justify new expensive dwelling projects. Right now the first step of the Tarlabasi 360 project is being constructed where a whole part of the Mahalle has been taken down.

“ Tarlabasi no ways out “ Artists from the neighborhood use the walls of the building and destruction site to express their feelings about the place and against the politics.

THE SITE

5th century, those buildoccupied by diplomates, minorities then migrated it is not be taking care of municipality doesn’t allow restore themself since it lare heritage area by UN-

Destruction area

43

Garbages

The municipality stops to collect house garbages in the neighborhood and the citizen in contestation put them around the destruction sites.The paper is being picking up by the people as informal job

Street sellers

Local food products such as simits, mussels or rice and peas are produced in Tarlabasi in order to be sold in Istiklal street. They have to cross widely the Boulevard with their cars to go there.


THE SITE

Taksim Square

Tarlabasi neighbourhood Tarlabasi Boulevard

44

Istiklal Steet

2.

Tarlabasi Boulevard

As previously said, Tarlabasi Street has been widened in the 1980s for two main reasons. The first matches the new neo-liberal policies of the time and the ambition to transform Beyoglu into the cultural centre of Istanbul. To achieve that goal, it appears to be necessary to connect the historical and touristic centre of Fatih district to the newly transformed Taksim place. Resulting from the Henri Prost plan

and its vision of a city adapted to the cars, the Taksim Square is the only green and appropriable square of Istanbul city centre. The widening of Tarlabasi Street in Tarlabasi Boulevard was not without consequences. Indeed, 1100 19th century buildings were demolished, many of them were listed, and that has caused the displacement of 5000 people. This very consequence is the second reason of the

Tarlabasi Boulevard - before / after

Tarlabasi Boulevard during the widem


3

t 3

3

5 Taksim

Square

2

t

vard oule

5

asi b

5

b Tarla

5

THE SITE

5

5

t t

t l kla

Isti

map crossings

official crossings

construction of the boulevard, seen as an attempt to physically separate the growing slum area from the famous and touristic Istiklal Street. The coexistence of the two opposites had become a real issue for the Municipality reputation.

view of an informal crossing point on Tarlabasi Boulevard

t

official tunnels

informal crossings

but make it still difficult for the people pulling their food cart. For now, the boulevard is as t it has been designed: hard to cross from both sides. However when the urban renewal project will be completed, the urban segregation boundaries won’t be that defined anymore. Ahmet Misbah Demircan, Beyoglu’s mayor declared that the Tarlabasi Boulevard will become the Champs Elysées of Istanbul. In that idea, urban planning would have to think about an official way for the new population to cross the boulevard.

How to improve the access of the economic and touristic side ?

45

Today the 6-lane Tarlabasi Boulevard is a strong boundary between the two areas. Only used oneway, Tarlabasi people are struggling to cross it every day to go to work, selling their street food or being employed in the Istiklal street. Only two formal crossings exist on the Tarlabasi part of the boulevard, which leads to informal ways of crossing. This consists in running through the first 3 highspeed lanes of the boulevard, finding an opening in the central gate, waiting in the central reservation, and then crossing the 3 lanes left. Not only highly dangerous, it is also neither quick nor efficient. On this portion of the boulevard, which starts from the Atatürk Bridge, the topography allows the crossings

eet Str


Blank facades

THE SITE

On the Itsiklal part of the boulevard it is possible to observe the back of the buildings after the massive destruction of on block of the area to built the boulevard in the late 1980.

Risky and informal c

46

People try to cross the b day, doing it in twice. At the two sides of the bou at the same levels, forcin ways to make it easier. Th flow is from the Tarlabas ing the boulevard to han around Itsiklal Street.

Tarlabasi Boulevard

Used by cars but mainly taxis, dolmus, buse lines and tourist buses. There is no speed controls on the 6 lanes road.


“ Tarlabasi 360“

THE SITE

Hiding the destruction zone, those panels are the main proof of the politcal manipulation, using fake local people to praise the futur urban project. It also shows the agreement between the Beyoglu municipality and the State.

mal crossing

the boulevard every ce. At some points, e boulevard are not forcing them to find er. The main people rlabasi area, crosso hang out or work et.

47

Street Informal sellers bus stops

Local Officials food busproducts stops aresuch under as the simits, new mussels Taksim tunnel. or rice and Spontanious peas are produced lanes are in forming Tarlabasi on in the order boulevard to be sold to wait in Istikand lal street. They have to cross widely the wave for the bus to stop. for them. Boulevard with their cars to go there.


THE

Taksim Square

Tarlabasi neighbourhood Tarlabasi Boulevard

48

Istiklal Steet

3.

Istiklal Street

Known as the Grand Rue de Pera during the 16th, Istiklal Street was the picture of Beyoglu westernization. Hosting Europeans, foreign embassies, cafés and stores started to flourish in Istiklal Street during the 19th century, reflecting the new and high standard of living of the place.

the street, old wagons from the Ottoman tramlines were pulled out of museum and re-established to connect Taksim Square to Tünel.

Gezi park

Facing rural migration during the 1960s, new districts were created, hosting new business places which eventually put Istiklal Street in the shade. At this time, wealthy families and companies left the famous commercial area and let it decay slowly. In the 1980s the urban policies started to focus on the touristic potential of the area and wanted to connect Fatih district to Beyoglu. The opening of Tarlabasi Boulevard and its pedestrianization in 1990 had the effect of supporting the trade and economy in Istiklal Street by giving a better access to it. New investors, such as banks and hotel companies found new interest settling around what was the most famous street in Istanbul. To valorise the history of

Taksim

al

ikl

Ist

et

e str

Şişhane

Galata tower Karaköy Go

lde

nh

Bosphorus

or

n

Galata bridge

Eminonu

Istikal geographic situation


THE SITE

5

3

3

3

t

view from Istiklal Street, between heritage and modernity 3

3

5

2

5

5

t

t

t

view of the new tunnel and the pedestrian space above.

Today, Istiklal Street is considered as the most famous street in Istanbul, becoming a street centred around tourism, catering and clubbing. In a city where car congestion is one of the biggest issues, Istikal Street offered a privileged situation by proposing a pedestrian process through the most touristic places, from Taksim Square to Hagia Sofia, walking by the Galata Bridge across the Golden Horn. However, Istiklal is also a strong example of the city turned toward touristic economy and profits,

The violent protest ended with the withdrawal of the Taksim Project and the pedestrianisation of the adjacent part of Tarlabasi Boulevard. In order to organise it, a tunnel has been dug from the beginning of the Taksim Square to its end, letting the upper part of the tunnel currently empty and undesigned. This pedestrianisation could today be developed as a continuity of Istiklal Street, however this has the consequence of overhanging Tarlabasi Boulevard and isolating it even more.

How to make Tarlabasi neighbourhood benefits from the pedestrianized and touristical system ?

49

5

t the pedestrian area linking Istiklal Street and Taksim Sq.

one of reasons why people rose to protect Gezi Park in 2012. Protecting the few advantages that urban policies drew for the citizen in the 1950s, civil riots occurred to protest against the megaproject designed for Taksim Square. People occupied the endangered Gezi Park at the north of Taksim Square and Istiklal Street, fighting with police forces. This was an example of the socio-political tension between the actual government versus civilians and the embodiment of the first rebellion against the urban planning policies.


Empty buildings

50

THE SITE

The very high development of Istiklal has been raising the rents of the entire neighbourhood. Most of the people can’t afford to settle there, the buildings then remain unhabited. Some of them are used for lightings at night.

re under the new tanious lanes are evard to wait and op. for them.

Mussels

Mussels, as well as rice and chicken, are prepared in Tarlabasi in order to be sold in Istiklal neighbourhood. People thus cross the Tarlabasi Boulevard twice a day.

Time for a drink

Beyoglu is a district also well known for its nightlife. Loud music is coming from the old empty buildings, bars and streets begin to get crowded

Demonstra

Demonstratio Taksim and becomes the People usual Galatasaray place where m


51

strations usually take place in and the street of Istiklal then s the way to go down walking. usually end stopping in front of aray Lisesi, which is also the here most police trucks are stay-

Simit sellers are at every corner of Istiklal. They carry their official and easy recognizable red cart all along the THE SITE

nstrations

One lira!

Nostalgia tramway The tramway of Istiklal street as we know it, was reopen in 1990. At this date, Istiklal became a pedestrian area and the shopping street we know. This tramway is part of the two heritage tram lines on both europeean and asian sides of Istanbul, it is called the “Taksim-Tünel Nostalgia Tramway”.

Loukoums Touristic shops are everywhere in Istiklal. It is possible to find the same clothes and food that are all around the world. A lot of these shops are brands that enlight turkish culture by selling its “typical” component for the tourists.


THE SITE 52

4.

Meeting with social patterns

The goal of the trip to Istanbul was to be confronted to the chosen sites and rather than analyse them and feel them. Even more complex than expected, every street was a discovery of social aspects that hadn’t been thought of yet. Studying a low income class zone with heritage buildings in danger, the feeling of indignation was constant.

the degradation of the buildings, Tarlabasi is also known for its illegal trades. Strong drug trafficking is well-settled and between pills and weed, local families are concerned about keeping the children safe of being used as distributors. Prostitution also occurs in the street of Tarlabasi were the Transsexual community found a protected place to live in.

In order not to be one-way influenced, meetings with different political actors were organised or happened unexpectedly, from the citizen to the Metropolitan Municipality of Istanbul.

People of Tarlabasi live together, such as the craftsman inside his workshop, the women cooking mussels in a basement, children playing in the street, men drinking çay sitting on their chairs or students finding a cheap rent.

50 shades of Tarlabasi Tarlabasi is famous for its diversity and its social mix of population coming from all around the world. If social boundaries can exist even inside Tarlabasi itself there is no segregation of origins. If the bad reputation is related to the minorities’ density and

The meeting at the Chamber of Architects was about presenting our work to actors of the city, but also and mainly being told what it is to work as an architect in Istanbul and how powerless they sometimes feel. The Turkish Chamber of Architects has been one of the biggest critics of the Taksim Project and fought against it, until Mucella Yapici as the spokesperson was eventually arrested and prosecuted.


THE SITE

physical intervention on Tarlabasi boulevard

The meeting at the Tarlabasi Community Centre was about asking question about their work toward the community, and the community itself. Ceren, the administrator of the Community Centre explained who was living in the neighborhoods and where were the people evicted from the destruction area. It was the opportunity to catch some aspects of the day-to-day life in Tarlabasi, as the condition of women, the different communities and the issues around children education. This meeting was a triggering factor of the work done during the rest of the semester. On-site interventions were also organised, trying to express the main problematic through physical actions. The first intervention took place on Tarlabasi Boulevard where informal crossings are the most

present. The first step of the intervention was to choose the right place to act and to study the way pedestrian used it. When one of the informal crossings was selected, the intervention began. It first started with the experience of informal crossing with other pedestrians, and then a more literal action consisted in drawing a crosswalk on the boulevard while cars were riding. People laughed and proposed their help but mostly they understood what the intervention tried to highlight. The second intervention concerned the two opposite neighbourhoods and by a basic action try to simply connect them. With a 2kilometer-rope, tape and pictures, the action consisted in linking the two sides by uncoiling the string through Tarlabasi and Istiklal Street. Two pictures were frequently taped around the rope with the word “neighbour” written in Turkish: one picture of Istiklal for the Tarlabasi neighbourhood and one picture of Tarlabasi for Istiklal Street. Between art, provocation and intrigue the interventions were mostly a way to have a contact with local people and have access to their thoughts.

53

The meeting at the Metropolitan Municipality was more about being explained how the city works through different actors, scales and plans. Ulaş Akın, manager of the Istanbul Metropolitan Planning and Design Center was the interlocutor there. The opportunity was also offered to talk about the issues on each site.


THE SITE 54

meeting at the Turkish Chamber of Architects

meeting with, a Roma iron craftsman from Tarlabasi

women demonstrating in Istiklal Street

kids playing in the street in Tarlabasi


THE SITE

Tarlabasi Sunday market

Cheila, a Transsexual that use to work in Tarlabasi

Tarlabasi Community Centre team, Nurg端l, Ceren, Ebru.

55

man colloecting rubbish to sell it

A Muslim worker renovating the Rum Orthodox Church of Tarlabasi


between curiosity, provocation ...

THE SITE

?

56

?

?


You’re doing some kind of art ? Have you seen the painting on the wall ? It is made by a French artist, like you guys !

... and social interplay !

THE SITE

Architect ? Don’t be that kind of architect, the one working here, the one who destruct everything and built this kind of things ! (talking about Tarlabasi 360) Maybe the new buildings are going to help to connect with Istiklal. But for now, it is just buildings crumbling.

We go to Istiklal Street but nobody is coming here. Nobody knows what is happening in Tarlabasi. 57

We are Kurds and don’t have IDs, we don’t go to Istiklal Street because the police is everywhere. Here the police is not coming.

Come and help us !

Istiklal is too clean and the people are unfriendly to us. My son just go their to sell the food I cook.

We know they are on the other side. But do they ? Plus it’s really far !


CHAPTER IV

58

Bronz Dekor

Bronz Dekor

STAKES & STRATEGIES This last chapter of the report will present the different strategies thought during the semester. It will be the conclusion of the whole analysis.


59


STAKES & STRATEGIES 60

1.

Proposed strategies

Through all the process, theoretical studies and on-site analysis, it is possible to understand how the three spaces grew apart from each other and why the situation is what it is today. Although those areas have a different history, today they seem to be a common ground for the people living in Tarlabasi and struggling to belong to one of them. Taking this community as a point of impact, the strategies proposed on the site would have to act at different levels: local, urban and territorial. Those strategies will try to answer the major problem: How to blur the boundaries of urban segregation? This question leads to different goals:

Involving the inhabitants: making them a part of the urban recovery of Tarlabasi and acting on the trauma they lived seing their neighbourhood dismantled. Changing the bad image of the neighbourhood: by offering a mixed uses area and

Reconnect the site : create different supports to offer a better access to the site and the edges of the city. In order to put the proposed strategies in place we first need to highlight in which scenario the project will evolve. As we saw in the previous analysis, Istanbul is facing urban renewal projects everywhere. Claiming that it is not happening will be completely changing the actual mentality of urban policies. Tarlabasi 360 is not only planned but is actually under way, for this reason the project will occur with the renewal area being constructed. However, Tarlabasi 360 being only the beginning of the whole area destruction, the proposal will then try to improve the site having the ambition of foiling the urban renewal criterions and keeping the neighbourhood alive.

The project is developed through time in 3 interdependent phases


PHASE 1 / REORGANISE

ACTUAL SITUATION community center influence potential spaces

the community centre influence :

However the local institution seems to have a great influence on the community. To develop a local governance scale the first step will be to put the Community Centre as the core of the neighbourhood and multiply its influence, then creating a new political level. The existing Community Centre will be moved to a bigger place and will host all the educative and group activities. New Community Centres will be created, acting as satellites and will be aimed at administrative and advising functions.

STAKES & STRATEGIES

The first phase of the proposal is to redefine local governance in the neighbourhood. After meeting different interlocutors having political influence, the conclusion was that even the lowest scale of policy is still not adapted to take care of each specific area. DELEGATION TIME ACTUAL SITUATION

before

community centers influence community center influence potential spaces potential spaces

DELEGATION TIME CONNEXION TIME community centers influence

after

community centers organize potential spaces potential spaces

potential spaces direct link logistical link hierarchy link

muhtar

61

The “muhtar”4 is an existing political status supposed to watch the “mahalle” well-functioning. He / She lives in the mahalle, being the best people in place to deal with the local issues. He will be valorised as a political figure of the new community centres created, surrounded by a citizen council.

muhtar with citizen council

CONNEXION TIME community centers organize potential spaces potential spaces direct link logistical link hierarchy link

Then, in order to really blur the boundary of the Tarlabasi Boulevard, administrative boundaries, “mahalleler” will be extended to the other side of the road, including the transition zone between Tarlabasi Boulevard and Istiklal Street. mahaller 4 Mahalle guardian

new mahalleler


STAKES & STRATEGIES

PHASE 2 / TAKING ACTION

The second phase is about taking action on the Tarlabasi urban fabric and trying to rebuild the community and its spirit around services. The first step is focused on the valorisation and the use of local savoir-faire. Indeed we have seen in the analysis that the Tarlabasi community is composed of craftsmen in different fields and some people are able to build gecekondus. Based on this observation, those skills will be used in the neighbourhood forming trained renovation teams to renovate the damaged heritage buildings. Those newly renovated buildings and the empty spaces of the neighbourhood will host a mixing of programs such as social housing, public spaces or cultural activities.

62

Some of the ruined buildings that cannot be renovated will be kept as witness of the previous state of Tarlabasi and be used as medium of expression for local artists. This will respect a master plan that ensures each part of the area being galvanised.

Set up by the community centres, those interventions will be participatory. Inspired by the method of the architect Patrick Bouchain and its collective “Construire Ensemble”, collective meetings will occur to open discussion within the inhabitants and involve them into the process. Gathering around a big model each one, professionals of the city as the Chamber of Architects, craftsmen and citizens will be able to express their desire.

craftsmen

damaged buildings

ruined buildings

renovation team

new programs

open air programs

To end up with the second phase, the valorisation of the informal collect of valuable waste will be a support to develop a recycling system for Tarlabasi neighbourhood. informal collection

Ensemble à Tour-coing - construire ensemble - P.Bouchain

recycing system

Ensemble à Tour-coing - construire ensemble - P.Bouchain


PHASE 3/ OPENING

The first will consist in the redesigning of the Tarlabasi Boulevard to valorise the pedestrian crossings toward Istiklal Street. This will also allow to finally complete the pedetrianisation of the area, linking it with Taksim Square

STAKES & STRATEGIES

This last phase of the strategies will be composed of three main axes.

before

after

. The second step will create a route to connect the two sides of the boulevard. Passing by public spaces, cultural facilities or heritage monuments this line will be targeting tourists or local citizens to make them discover both sides. It will also lightly include Tarlabasi in the touristic tour of Istiklal and will be the opportunity to develop a Hall on Taksim Square. points of interest

touristical route

63

Finally, the establishment of a local tramline network will be an answer to different issues. The first lane will be a solution to the strong car traffic on the Tarlabasi Boulevard and the second tramline will provide connexion with other manufacturing and isolated neighbourhoods. This last step is shared by another group of the studio, the Industry Group, making this new transport system a collective piece. It is a way to work at a bigger scale, connecting both sites to other parts of the city.

Le Voyage Ă Nantes

New Tram line Tram line Metro line

local transport system

Red Light District Montreal


STAKES & STRATEGIES

STAGE 1

COMMUNITY CENTRE

STAGE 2

engage the process and inform

LOCAL GOVERNANCE & PARTICIPATORY SYSTEM

64

MANUFACTURING RECYCLING CENTRE

informal collection apprenticeship

URBAN

inventary

FABRIC

BOULEVARD PLANNING

develop urban public spaces

scheme of the interdependance of the different phases

SORTING CENTRE RENOVATION TEAM

IMPROVING EXISTANT

IMPROVING CONNEXIONS


STAKES & STRATEGIES

STAGE 3

COMMUNITY CENTRES

activities

hiring

toward local management

LOCAL

interventions

waste management

toward participartion

renovations

social housing

gardens

URBAN

+

65

ACTIVITIES & WORKSHOPS

BUILDING NEW PROGRAMS alternative education

DEVELOPING ATTRACTIVITY

TERRITORIAL

light tourism


STAKES & STRATEGIES 66

Mahalle councils

Having the community center as a centrality in the neighborhood allow people to gatherto talk about big decision in the neighborhood, to aware others and fight for what they believe. (THTSSDA)


Art to enlight

Buildings renovation

Using the local artists to officially ask them to decorate the ruines of Tarlabasi. This action is political and philosophical, to give the message that it is possible to take over the neighborhood even if it is destructed.

STAKES & STRATEGIES

Using the workshop team of the community center, made of local craftmen and volonteers, heritages buildings will be renovated to make it better place to live and also taking care of the damage buildings.

67

TODAY

Community center sattelites

In each mahalle will be sattelites of the community center to “entertain� children of Tarlabasi, then giving free times to the mothers to get involve in the life of the neighborhood.

Street Garbage sellers collection

As for food Local the paper products and cartons, such asthe simits, commussels center munity or rice and organise peas are a collect produced of in Tarlabasi housing garbages in order to to clean be sold up the in Istikplace lal street. and employ They people. have to This cross collection widely the will Boulevard end up in the with recycling their cars center to goatthere. the bottom of Tarlabasi where the municipality will collect it with official trucks.


68


Conclusion

This report aimed to explain all the process of the analysis to make understand to the members of the jury how the site has been chosen and even more what are the stakes. The report was also a support to explain the dynamic of the Changing Cities studio and its interdisciplinary approach and working at different scales. On the day of the final review, the previously explained pieces will be presented to the jury following the different phases of the strategy. The project which has been developed as a teamwork will be composed of different scales, design, architecture and urban, some of the pieces will be pushed further for the PFE review.

Discovering Istanbul through architecture was an amazing way to apprehend the city and the interdisciplinary aspect of the studio allowed the students to easy and shamelessly communicates with the foreign people. As an architectural student the main quality I learned from the studio was the humility and understanding that sometimes, big architecture, or architecture itself is not the solution. Being my last semester before graduation, I was happy to spend it on something that I didn’t know how to handle, I learned a method, but mostly from my colleagues thanks to the collective and open studio approach.

69

To conclude, the Changing Cities studio was no less than expected. It was the opportunity to learn more about the urban scale and handling a complete and precise analysis of a site. Thanks to the complementarity of the teachers, the students learn how to juggle with the different scales of the city.


BOOKS Marcos, L. Rosa, Ute E. Weiland, Handmade urbanism : From Community Initiatives to Participatory models, Jovis, 2013, 224p Françoise Choay, Pour une anthropologie de l’espace, Paris, Seuil, coll. « La Couleur des idées » 19 octobre 2006, 418 p. Ricky Burdett, Deyan Sudjic, Living in the Endless City, Phaidon, Hardback English, 2012, 512p BOURDIEU, P. Effets de lieux. Pp. 249-262 in Pierre Bourdieu et al., La misère du monde. Points/Seuil, Paris. Marc Angélil & Rainer Hehl , Building Brazil!
The Proactive Urban Renewal of Informal Settlements,
 Ruby Press ,Berlin, 2011
English, 464 p.

OECD TERRITORIAL REVIEWS: ISTANBUL, TURKEY 2008 Où va la Turquie, Courrier International, Hors série mai 2014

Jean-François Perouse, Phénomène migratoire, formation et différenciation des associations de hemşehri à Istanbul : chronologies et géographies croisées, European Journal of Turkish Studies, 2005

Rachel Sara , The architecture of Transgression, AD, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. nov 2013 ,134p

WEBSITES

70

THESIS & PUBLICATIONS

Mustafa Aslan & Jean-François Pérouse, Istanbul : le comptoir le hub, le sas et l’impasse, Revue européenne des migrations internationales, vol 19, 2003

Emin Özgür Özakın , Space, identity, and abjection: purification of Beyoğlu, Ph.D. in Art, Design and Architecture, January, 2011

http://www.radikal.com.tr/turkiye/danistaydan_ tarlabasi_kamulastirmalarina_iptal-1202701 http://www.beyoglu.bel.tr

Bediz Yilmaz, Migration, exclusion et taudification dans le centre-ville istanbuliote: étude de cas de Tarlabasi, Institut francais d’urbanisme, Paris 2006, 339p

http://www.tarlabasi.org/en/ http://www.megaprojeleristanbul.com/# http://construire-architectes.over-blog.com http://mashallahnews.com/

The case of Beyoglu, Istanbu, Dimension of a urban Re-development, case study 2013. Technische Universität Berlin Urban Management Program, Berlin 2014.Hüsniye Güngör, Tarlabaşı bölgesinde yaşayan çocukların çevrelerini algılaması ve değerlendirmesi, Istanbul Technical University, 2002.

http://www.tarlabasi360.com/tr/

MOVIES Tarlabasi, Tarlabasi. TTMOD, 1989

Ayse Sema Kubat, Özhan Ertekin, Engin Eyü boglu, Özlem Özer, Movement Activity and Strategic Design Study for Istanbul’s Historical Galata District, Istanbul Technical University, Turkey

Jónsi & Alex - Happiness / The people of Tarlabasi Tarlabaşı halkı, Istanbul Panasonic GH1, 2013


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.