TAKSİM URBAN DESIGN COMPETITION
AAT4KS1M
URBAN DESIGN PLAN 1 / 2.000
SERBEST SAHALAR OR FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT Paramount to public life is a well-connected system of parks, plazas and public spaces. The competition area includes a key node in Istanbul´s public realm network as observed by Henri Prost in 1942 when he completed his largest public park proposal, Park No 2, which connected Takism Square with Maçka Valley. However, different planning decisions and large hotel developments have jeopardized the continuity of parks in the master scale of Istanbul. In this proposal, the valuable relationship between Maçka and Gezi Park is restored and considered as the starting point of a larger scale public green space development for the whole of Istanbul. Honoring the rich historical context of the competition site, the proposal aims to celebrate the past while simultaneously looking towards a more sustainable and just future. During the 17th and 18th Centuries the area supported a water distribution center, coffee houses, promenades and cemeteries and in the early 19th Century Taksim Square achieved a military function with the construction of the Artillery Barracks. Later abandoned, the military structure transformed into a successful public space and became Istanbul’s first football stadium in 1921 and a platform for cultural celebrations and events.
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OSLO 68%
SYDNEY 46%
ROME 39%
ISTANBUL 2%
GREEN SPACE IN CITIES AROUND THE WORLD
GREEN AREAS AT THE BEGINNING OF XX CENTURY
GREEN AREAS PROPOSED BY HENRI PROST
GREEN AREAS TODAY
TAKSIM SQUARE AS THE CONNECTOR OF ISTAMBUL GREEN NETWORK
Compared to other significant metropolises, Istanbul stands out as a city that lacks public green spaces, bringing into question the wellbeing, health and overall quality of life for its urban inhabitants. Research indicates that dynamic public life, has tangible benefits, from improving mental and physical health, fostering community cohesion, increasing economic value, and reducing violence and crime.
At the beginning of previous century, the green spaces around Istanbul was generous and evenly distributed. The wide streets and boulevards were able to create a more connected network than the one existing in the city today. These areas have not disappeared but diminished in size and quality. The project aims to bring these previous network back to city for the enjoyment of its citizens.
Henri Prost while working in the planning of the city of Istanbul proposed an extensive green network throughout the city. His largest public park proposal was Park No2 which was the area extending from today’s Taksim Square to Maçka Valley and this park was fully constructed in the 1940s. His attempt to connect the city through green areas were present in the masterplan for Istanbul.
Today, the green areas of the city have decreased in size and quality. Planning decisions in the last decades have lost the opportunity to create a connected system. The evenly distribution of the main green areas in the city has the potential to become an interconnected network. The seeds for a larger and wider system of green areas are waiting to be unified.
Different planning decisions and large hotel developments have jeopardized the continuity of parks in the master scale of Istanbul. In this proposal, the valuable relationship between Maçka and Gezi Park is restored and considered as the starting point of a larger scale public greenspace development for the whole of Istanbul.