POCKET PUBLIC SPACES IN KADIKÖY
Contribution to the “MEMORY” program at TAK Kadıköy, İstanbul, September 2013 Lukmoeng Swangpol (Intern) Urban Management Program (M.Sc.), TU Berlin
Pocket public spaces in Kadıköy terms of human activities and value of spaces. Therefore, identity of urban space can be either created or ruined by well or unwell transformation.
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adıköy, one of the oldest districts in İstanbul, lied on the Asian side of the Bosporus with significant characteristics of long-line waterfront edge, numbers of hilly topography and various building types created a unique urban skyline. Unlike the European side, Kadıköy is less touristy, as known as very Turkish middle class and plays a role of a commercial, transportation center, and Asian residential district of İstanbul.
Due to the rapid growth of urbanisation process during decades, the city expanded and existing urban landscape was invaded by a massive current of dwellers and buildings through times. The grey has swallowed the green and left green spaces scattering in the developed urban environment (Başer, Kubat, 2007). “First we shape the cities, then they shape us” (Gehl, 2010) According to Gehl’s quote, it is possible to interpret that the urban layout, which people has established in order to serve their needs could effects and reshape their daily behaviour as well. Dynamic interrelation between people and spaces characterized new profile of the city in the mean time, not only in the physical aspect but also in
It can be obviously seen that, fortunately, the district which is located close to the crescent-shaped coastline has successfully provided huge green open spaces along the coast, serving people daily use i.e. as a recreation areas, market places, as well as a main transportation service of ferry, bus, and dolmuş. Nevertheless, if we look through the inner area particularly sub-districts of Caferağa, Osmanağa, and Rasimpaşa, the urban structure illustrates a high-density building patches integrated with walkable street networks. Later, some questions, regarding to small public spaces where people uses as a meeting point, recreation space, common space and so on, popped out. Thinking about the phenomena occurs inside of these green-surrounded districts, Where are those small public spaces? What kind of activities daily took place in those spaces and how people perceived their value, which could have reflected substantially to their everyday life? This small research aimed to understand the urban phenomena of urban structure and street network in sub-districts of Caferağa, Osmanağa, and Rasimpaşa by analysing social practices in small public spaces; pocket parks, community spaces or whatever to be called, and also aimed to map these certain spaces and analyse how they linked to big greens spaces around as well as seeking for more potential spots; neglected space, vacant plots, misuse areas, to evaluate the importance of pocket public space connection to the city. Plus, to address how to expand the web of more effective public space network as well as to increase awareness in preserving urban spaces where people in such neighbourhood, tourists or in essence every human can share those public spaces together.
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Halitağa... “Either good or bad, clean or dirty, we used to walk in this street...”
2013 © Lukmoeng Swangpol
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Baharıye, battle of Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray in parallel with the Nostalgic line
“A city is a multi-purpose, shifting organization, a tent for many functions, raised by many hands and with relative speed” (Lynch, 1960)
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Havuz Meydanı... fountain, market and remarks of our childhoods
“space is not a reflection of society, it is society” (Castells, 1983)
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Transition and Connectivity
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“The ballet of the good city sidewalk …This order is all composed of movement and change, and although it is life, not art, we may fancifully call it the art form of the city and liken it to the dance ...” (Jacobs, 1961)
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“I grew up with this mixed colorful place, it belongs to me...” “Everybody needs networks of other people, is impossible to make community without networks” (Jacobs, 2002)
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Intersection of social practices from altered urban circumstances
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Let the sound of music and live concerts stop you by this peaceful square
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“...Once I met my wife here, today we took our children here...”
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“Pocket neighborhoods exist across all transects ... The key idea is that a relatively small number of nearby neighbors share and care for a common space together.” (Chapin, 2012)
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“Perfect beautiful children-friendly space...”
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“Quiet, calm, nice place for drinking and enjoying panoramic view of the sea”
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Questionnaires
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Purpose of use / activity others
meeting point
shortcut recreation / relax shopping park
family / friends gathering
meeting point (21%)*** shopping (18%) family / friends gathering (19%)** park (10%) recreation / relax (16%) shortcut (7%) others (10%)
Perception of space identity others historic place
landmarks variety of activities
good landscape design large area connectivity
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landmarks (12%) variety of activities (23%)** connectivity (30%)*** large area (3%) good landscape design (15%) historic place (8%) others (8%)
Transitional spaces and tools of connectivity Kadıköy, nowadays, is crowded and mixed by people commuted from several parts of İstanbul. After the field surveying, the map of 10 selected study public spaces was made as a key to understand generally the existing relationship between public spaces, networks and the big green parks around. Photographs and questionnaires played important parts of this research while the images were likely to represent phenomena occurring within the particular public spaces. The questionnaires aimed to capture different ideas from both the Kadıköy and Non-Kadıköy dwellers about their perception to the public spaces. Two last open-ended were questions about “keyword” when participants define exactly about those certain spaces and about the “memories” which rooted into participants’ concentration. “Most often, our perception of the city is not sustained, but rather partial, fragmentary, mixed with other concerns.” (Lynch, 1960) According to the result, showed by charts, it can be interpreted that people mostly used those public spaces for meeting point and for transit to another activity. The study areas close to the pier, the famous public spaces such as the legendary Statue of the Bull, pedestrian Baharıye caddesi and Halitağa caddesi showed obviously more mixture in terms of people in age, sex and originality. While the inner study areas (i.e. Moda), which are more residential presented more participants of local people as well as the elderly. Furthermore, it was clear that more various social practices tended to arise in diverse contributor spaces. The space with remarkable historic value as Havuz Meydanı reflected memories in particular from the elderly. They used to sit and relax in the square, meeting their peers and relatives and talking about their memorable pasts.
“Nothing is experienced by itself, but always in relation to its surroundings, the sequences of events leading up to it, the memory of past experiences.” (Lynch, 1960) One of the main result revealed that people perceived those public spaces mostly in the sense of transitional spaces and tools of connectivity, space to transfer themselves to another space and as well as another interest. From individuality to plurality, these public spaces illustrated the dynamic in urban pattern of the city. Various people and activities, yet again, the urban moving elements - people and their activities - played a role in shaping the spaces. From time to time, they probably looked stable in general outlines, but they are ever changing in detail. (Lynch, 1960) They were short and simple 60 copies of questionnaires and due to the limitation of time, obviously, this is not a result of any strong reference, but as an ideology and methodology in a way of considering the experiences in urban landscape. To extend further the determination of this research, more potential spaces were addressed during the field survey. There are still some more plots that could be recruited to expand the public space networks; neglected space, vacant plots, misuse areas. Finally, the new network plan including more projected spaces has been proposed as an idea to broaden the connectivity of public spaces to serve more areas even small neighbourhoods. The new proposed plan, somehow, could possibly be helpful to guide the development in the future.
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References
Başer, Bahar / Kubat, Ayşe Sema (2007), A New Landscape Design Strategy for Creating Continuous, Perceptible and Productive Urban Green: A Case Study of Kadıköy - İstanbul. 6th International Space Syntax Symposium, İstanbul, 2007, 114:01-08. Castells, Manuel (1983), The City and the Grassroots: A Cross-Cultural Theory of Urban Social Movements. University of California Press. Gehl, Jan (2010), Cities for people. Island Press. Jacobs, Jane (1961), The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York: Random House. Lynch, Kevin (1960), The Image of the City. Cambridge Massachussettes, MIT Press. Video, Jacobs, Jane (2002), Jane Jacobs: Neighborhoods in Action. Available form: http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=Z99FHvVt1G4&feature=player_embedded (20.09.13). Website, Chapin, Ross (2012), Pocket Neighborhoods: Building Blocks for Resilient Communities. Available form: http://www.planetizen.com/node/56611 (08.09.13).
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Thank you to TAK platform for this precious opportunity and for bringing a space for research and contribute to make Kadıköy a better place. I also would like to express my sincere gratitude to collaboration of Sıla Akalp, Derya Aguday, Ömer Kanıpak and intern Kınay Yıldız. Lukmoeng Swangpol (Intern), Urban Management Program (M.Sc.), TU Berlin Submitted: 30 September 2013 for “Memory” Program at TAK 2013 © Lukmoeng Swangpol 20