102_PL8361AC

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PL8361AC

M EMORYS CA PE

city of layers

Taksim Square, with its layered structure, is an

statement “There are two types of people in

acropolis shaped through many eras. Formed

the world…” can be completed with endlessly

when a plate of the earth crust lifted suddenly

varying evaluations and each would be true.

from sea level, this area has been the place

Similar to this, we could talk about why Taksim

subjected to demonstrations of political power

is such a problematic location for days and

by the ruling party of its day in the past 50 years

the reasons we come up with would each be

of the Turkish Republic. In the last 20 years,

true as well. But the spatial solutions for these

it has been a ceaseless construction site, a

problems will not necessarily result in a good

problematic urban space that failed to connect

urban space. Whether the solution reached

with an entire generation of people.

might be the answer for a single problem or

It is impossible to create a good urban space

all existing problems, it still will not guarantee

from Taksim Square by just reforming and

a good urban space. Because this area is a

fixing its current problems like any other

sock. It is worn down, aged, it has many holes

square in the world. This is due to the area

which have been patched, and it has evolved

being excessively layered (historically, politically,

with each patch. And so pops John Locke into

geographically, demographically) and also it

our thoughts: If each hole in this sock has been

being an intersection point for the traces of

patched with a different fabric, is that sock still

the sparkling social life of the past empire and

the same sock? We hear Turgut Cansever say:

the modern republic’s social advances, trying

Does the gem (the essence) remain the same

to coexist. A sentence that begins with the

while the features change?

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