14 - 31ne58fi (EQUILAVENT MENTION)

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TAKSIM SQUARE: [UN]BEATING HEART OF ISTANBUL Known as the heart of modern Istanbul, Taksim square is a space of flows, intersection, expression and confrontation. It is a modern city centre with multi-faceted, multi-layered and multiscale characters. Its unique geographical location on a high plateau has made Taksim a memorable landmark for the city. Taksim is a place for social, cultural and political confrontations. As a place for social participation, Taksim has always hosted a diversity of social, economic, ethnic, gender and age groups. Moreover, it is a terrain for political practices in which citizens fight for their right to the city, freedom, and democracy. During much of its existence, Taksim has been an important venue for political and social protests. In this regard, Taksim symbolizes the unification and solidarity of the nation, notion of republic, and global and local representation and public expression.

As the main cultural and recreational hotspot of the city, Taksim has the highest concentration of high-quality educational institutions, hotels and tourist facilities. Istiklal Street and Culture Valley are also integral and inseparable components of the square, identifying its unique urban feature. Embracing various cultural, social and commercial functions, Taksim square is a popular destination not only for native population but also for the flood of tourists who annually visit Istanbul. As a major transportation hub, Taksim connects different segments of the city together. It, therefore, functions as a dominant convergence and divergence hub within the city. Taksim is located adjacent to the biggest remaining green space in the dense fabric of Istanbul’s downtown with a fragile environment. This has make Taksim a meeting point of dense pedestrian flows with the urban green.

MULTISCALE INTERSECTION POINT OF FLOWS

Istanbul is a transcontinental mega city which stretches over two continents and creates linkage between Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus Strait. The historical city centre of Istanbul reflects the cultural influences of former empires who once ruled the city. In a close vicinity of the historical core, a new modern city centre has flourished following the foundation of the Turkish Republic in 1923 and the first Istanbul master plan. Taksim square is considered the heart of modern Istanbul which is centred around the Monument of the Republic. Since its formation, Takism square has played significant national roles by hosting several major political and social events. Known as the heart of Istanbul, Taksim is not only the commercial and cultural centre of the city, but more importantly it functions as an intersection point connecting international and local flows, west and east, traditional and modern, tourist and native, formal and informal, public and green, and past and future.

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Red square Moscow, Russia

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Saint Peter’s Square Rome, Italy

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Tiananmen Square Beijing, China

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TURKEY, TRANSCONTINENTAL COUNTRY IN EURASIA

TAKSIM INTERNATIONAL POSITION

Naqsh-e Jahan Square Isfahan, Iran

BLACK SEA

ISTANBUL, CITY BETWEEN CONTINENTS

TAKSIM, INTERSECTION BETWEEN GLOBAL AND LOCAL FLOWS

BEFORE 1920 WATER DISTRIBUTION AND MILITARY DISTRICT

1920-1940 TAKSIM AS A PUBLIC SQUARE

1940-1960 TRANSITION INTO A MODERN CITY CENTRE

1960-1980 BECOMING A COMMERCIAL/TRADE CENTRE

1980-2000 CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT

2000-2020 CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT

Taksim Square Istanbul, Turkey

Trafalgar Square London, UK

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TAKSIM URBAN IDENTITY

Kevin Lynch defines identity as “the extent to which a person can recognize or recall a place as being distinct from other places”. Such distinctive character in Takism can be shaped only by excavating its historical identity: a public space for people. Taksim is the space of temporality, constantly changing face through its life and presenting diversity of experiences to the city and citizens. It is the melting pot of heterogenous urban flows. Lifelong transformation and fluidity are intrinsic to the identity of Taksim. The future experience of the square would be yet featured by time. Taksim as the heart of Istanbul is not currently sufficiently beating life to the modern downtown. The current situation of Takism, its monotonous and silent image cries out for change to get back its lost identity and to host people.

Taksim needs to be humanized and warmly embrace people with different kinds. Through physical organization and changing social atmosphere, we can get back the lost historical identity to Taksim and make it a distinctive and memorable city centre. Reinforcing Taksim urban identity and image would affect individual and collective sense of belonging to the public space. The rejuvenation of Taksim could introduce it as an origin-destination to more consistent urban flows and experiences and integrate it more to the vitality of the city. This vast concrete city centre which pose the sense of being detached and passive, could be turned to a place where can take you in, and make you feel safe and being welcomed, hence, encouraging you to participate in shaping the space and taking an active role therein. The ripple effect of reinforced urban identity in Taksim would greatly affect the neighboring areas, the whole city and in turn Turkey.

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?!

As a result of constant change, Taksim square suffers from fragmented identity: the flows and functions are not efficiently tied up in the square. Despite of being a platform for major cultural and commercial facilities and hosting many social and political events, Taksim has never been a vibrant city centre hosting everyday life of citizens. As an open and vast concrete space, Takism is used for two main purposes: a major transit station in Istanbul, and a huge vacant entrance for the Istiklal Street in the south and the culture valley in the north. As a place of everyday passing through, Taksim lacked a clear image, memorable identity, and sense of place. Moreover, the Gezi park as one of the major components of the square has left isolated from its surrounding.

To make Taksim a democratic urban public space, where everyone regardless of its religion, gender, social level, age and race could enjoy equal opportunities to not only experience the public space but also play role in shaping the space, a modest layer of intervention is necessary to blend all the historical layers together and make Taksim a place for people and their everyday life experiences.

DESIGN STRATEGIES FROM AN OPEN SPACE

TO ENCLOSURE

FROM A PLACE OF PASSING

TO A PLACE OF BEING

FROM MONO-FUNCTIONALITY

TO MULTI-FUNCTIONALITY

FROM THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

TO THE LIVING ENVIRONMENT

PEOPLE AT THE CENTRE OF PLANNING AGENDA

To achieve a more environmentally sensitive and socially sustainable development strategy, people has been placed in the centre of planning agenda. Taksim is revitalized as a distinctive public space creating destination for everyone. People with different social class, religious background, age, gender, race, and ethnicity can enjoy of everyday life practices in Takism. Therefore, in order to rejuvenate Taksim as a symbolic urban space, the collective memory of the space is highlighted.

The relation of the square with its surrounding buildings is redefined in a way to create the sense of enclosure, and enhance the staying quality of the space and in turn its identity. By optimizing the vehicular traffic in Taksim, the square is rearranged to effectively and peacefully integrate the vehicle and pedestrian traffics. The visual environment and legibility of the square is improved to make Takism a people-friendly square. Through making the Gezi park more inviting and attractive by improving its public quality and softening its borders, the park and square are strongly integrated and blended. The softened borders of the park facilitate the flows of people towards the square. Therefore, the square and park are perceived as one single unified public space serving the population rather than two segmented urban components.

TAKSIM ACTIVATED THROUGH PARK-SQUARE SYNERGY

Provoking the synergy between the park and the square as the key strategy to unlock the potentials of the site. On the one hand, the square as the climax of urban pedestrian flows enjoys the constant presence of citizens; while as an urban void, it greatly lacks people-friendly and climatic comfort aspects of a civic space. On the other hand, the park as the gem of green space of the city fabric lacks the public quality and diversity of urban activities. The green quality of Gezi park creates a setting for informal activities adjacent to more formal quality of the square. Therefore, the integration of these two urban typologies can improve their coexistence as a pilot ecological urban space.

DESIGN CONCEPT

1- The focal point

2- Pedestrian flows

3- Framing the focal point

4- Respecting visual corridors

7- Exchange of green and public quality

8- Edge definition with trees

9- A network of public activities

10- Creating linkage with underground

5- Hard borders of the park

11- Strengthening the park’s axis

6- Softening the borders

12- Adding complementary axes

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PUBLIC SPACE PROGRAMMING FOR INCLUSION

People are placed in the centre of design strategies. In order to attract various groups of people towards Taksim, different spots throughout the site are activated to enhance the quality of public space and make it welcoming and inclusive. Modest physical transformations and interventions have enabled Taksim to offer a robust public program of various activities which can take place on a regular base and also in spatial days and events. Through enhancing the flexibility and fluidity of the public space, Taksim can host a multi-faceted program for the day, weak, and year.

The flexibility of the space promote unplanned activities and let citizens to improvise activities of their own choice. The goal is so simple: attracting people towards Takism and using their collective energy to bring life to the public space. This, definitely, fosters the sense of belonging to Taksim, where everyone finds itself not as a passive user of the space but an active creator of the space. The flexibility of the public space and its inclusive program would make Takism a common ground which brings different people together and let them to interact with each other. In so doing, Taksim crucially needs a public space program which can works for everyone and fits their interests and habits. Such program can potentially draw diverse users ranging from different social groups, cultural and religious background to different age, gender and to minorities.

Beyond becoming an inclusive and democratic public space, the activated site can also provide inclusive local economic opportunities by welcoming minority-owned businesses. Being a magnet for economic activities in line with social interactions, the public space is planned to host local vendors, different scale markets and various exhibitions. Such organized commercial activities can represent Turkish cultural character through offering local food, products and services. Through mingling socio-cultural interactions with economic activities, Taksim would gradually become a vivid public space which not only attracts people but also invite them to stay and hang out with a friend, enjoy a coffee in the park, visit the art exhibition, watch a public performance or even freely dance.

public speech

public performance

permanent art and culture exhibition

skate plaza

fountain square

lawn seating

sculpture garden

outdoor sport

outdoor informal gathering

outdoor cinema

demonstration

emergency tent shelters

water square

seasonal market

playground

public transportation waiting room

Art Gate/main metro entrance

outdoor living room

Art Pavilion

outdoor cafe

Central Canopy

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THE LIVING ENVIRONMENT

A mixture of natural and built environment create a living environment. The whole ecosystem works through interactions between living and non-living environment. But, to meet the needs of rapidly growing cities, the place for natural environment is getting smaller and smaller. This has turned today cities into a mere built environment where buildings and infrastructures are dominant over the living environment. Through the gradual disappearance of nature in cities, the urban living quality has been adversely affected. The detachment from nature has gave rise to mental health and social problems for citizens. To enhance the living quality in cities and to make them liveable places for people, reconciliation with nature is crucial. By opening space within the growing dense cities, we can gradually transform the existing built environment into living environment where not only people could live cheerfully and pleasantly but also different living species.

SEC A

Mete street

Outdoor gym

Gezi art garden

Art gate

Scale 1:700

Promenade plaza

In the dense urban fabric of Istanbul, Takism offers a great opportunity to bring the living environment back to the city. Gezi park in its huge size should not be taken for granted. Rather, Gezi park must be seen as a green gem in the heart of Istanbul which can be rejuvenated and transformed into a vivid park offering a memorable experience in the dense city of Istanbul.

Gezi Park can potentially revitalize the identity and image of Taksim as a unique public space where people can feel detached from the hustle and bustle of the city by listening to the birds’ songs and the sound of pouring water, and feeling the light of sunshine and the chill of breeze.

Through adding different plant specious, the green quality of the Gezi Park is largely improved. Moreover, by planting new trees in and around the square, the ecological condition of Taksim is strengthened. Green living rooms located in the square’s edge enhance the quality of the place by creating micro climate and a pleasant place for everyday life.The materials and colors are selected in a way to allow human activities and plantation to stand out, while reducing the chaos of the space.

SEC B

Mete street

Green living room

Scale 1:700

Taksim square tribune Green living room

Metro entrance Public transport station void

Amphitheater

SEC C

Taki Zafer street

Green living room

Fountain/Event plaza

Flexible plaza

Cafe

Taksim square tribune

Scale 1:700

Gezi art garden Fountain square Skate plaza

Art pavilion

Natural playground Asker Ocagi street

PLANT SELECTIONS

GREEN STRUCTURE STRATEGIES

Tunnel underground

Platanus orientalis

Gleditsia triacanthos

Quercus rubra

Tilia tomentosa

Stone pine

Magnolia grandiflora

Aesculus hippocastanum

Prunus cerasifera

Cupressus sempervirens

Quercus ilex

Human scale hierarchy in Gezi park

Enriching the green quality of Gezi park

Layering and diversity in planting

Ginkgo Biloba

Albizia julibrissin

Square trees not blocking the view

Strengthening Gezi park axis

Framing the square

Flexible softscape

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Fragmented neighbourhoods

Due to former urban renewal projects the surrounding neighbourhoods are largely segregated from each other. Moreover, despite the fact that the area offers a diversity of functions, they are clustered in a way which has led to the monofunctionality of each segment.

Isolated green patches

Parks and green areas are disintegrated and function as isolated islands. In order to integrate them more actively with the everyday life of people a green network strategy should be proposed.

Hilly topography

The topography and the steep slope of the areas have led to the prioritization of automobile to ease the accessibility. As a result of this, vehicle traffic has been regarded as the primary and dominant mode of transportation.

Public transportation coverage

Despite the fact that Taksim itself is a dominant public transportation hub serving at the urban scale, the existing public transportation system in the surrounding areas does not offer a complete coverage.

Undefined pedestrian network

As a result of prioritization of vehicles over pedestrians, the neighbouring area lacks a coherent and well-defined pedestrian network.

This has been exacerbated by missing linkages between isolated neighbourhoods.

TAKSIM SQUARE THE BEATING HEART OF ISTANBUL

Taksim is the space of temporality, constantly changing face through its life and presenting diversity of experiences to the city and citizens. It is the melting pot of heterogeneous urban flows. Lifelong transformation and fluidity are intrinsic to the identity of Taksim. The future experience of the square would be yet featured by time. Taksim as the heart of Istanbul is not currently sufficiently beating life to the new downtown; the ripple-effect of the rehabilitation of this space could introduce it as an origin destination to more consistent urban flows and experiences and integrate it more to the vitality of the city. The horizontality of the space, posing the sense of being detached and passive, could be turned to something that the square takes you in, that makes you feel safe and being welcomed. Hence, encouraging the user to participate in shaping the space and taking an active role therein. Functioning as a dominant public space, Taksim should also pour life and viability to its neighboring areas and in turn the whole city. The future of Taksim and the sustainable development of its surrounding neighborhoods are closely tied together.

As a reaction to the current challenges of the site, a well-developed and coherent pedestrian network can gradually bring a new life to the district by creating strong linkages between Takism and isolated neighbouring areas. The idea behind such pedestrian network is more than simply changing the street layout and improving the quality of sidewalks. This pedestrian network should function as a catalyst between segmented neighbourhoods, isolated green areas, to facilitate a constant flow of people in the whole district. To assure the functionality of this pedestrian network, the network is strongly integrated with proposed art and cultural plazas. Public art is considered as a counteract of over-commercialization and privatization of Taksim and its surrounding which has made the district a place for the benefit of investors rather than users. Public art as an integral component of Takism and its neighbouring areas would give voice to citizens to express themselves in urban spaces. Public art can potentially transform the whole district into a distinctive place which is democratic, inclusive, creative, and caring through inspiring public participation and engagement in shaping urban space. Street intersections and small squares in the existing dense urban fabric have left without specific urban identity. However, thanks to the rich historical context of the area these small open spaces have great potential. The improved image of these small open spaces and their transformation into active urban squares with particular artistic and cultural character can enhance the urban experience and the legibility of the area. The growing active square and art hotspots would also target the local economy. Therefore, the pedestrian network activated by such qualities can attract not only citizens but also tourists to move around the whole area. This let the locals to have interactions with visitors and the other way around. Such interactions would definitely affect the local economy.

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PEDESTRIAN NETWORK

Walkability as the main mode of transportation has been strengthened in Taksim’s neighboring areas. A coherent pedestrian network could help creating strong linkages between segmented neighborhoods, detached waterfront, isolated green areas, and proposed art and cultural hotspots, and activated plazas. By enhancing the accessibility, the pedestrian network facilitates a constant flow of people in the whole district.

MOBILITY STRATEGY

Wherever it is possible, the pedestrian network is backed by e-bike sharing. In this regard, potential streets coming from Taksim is proposed to have a separated bike lane. To make e-bike sharing system work, small bike parkings are dispersed in the district, particularly adjacent to public transportation stations and other hotspots.

GREEN STRATEGY

Dispersed green patches in the district are connected by the proposed pedestrian network. The functionality of a successful pedestrian network is not only dependent on facilitated paths, but also proper spots for having a paus and a short break before walking towards the next point. In this regard, dispersed green patches in the district offer a great opportunity to reinforce the pedestrian network.