“I,
Francisco
Azagra,
confirm
that
the
work
presented
in
this
report is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the report.�
UCL Bartlett School of Architecture MArch Urban Design 10-11 / Unit 4 Francisco Azagra email: fco.azagra@gmail.com Tutors: Anna Rose / Bernhard Rettig/ Daniel Ringelstein
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As many old Metropolis, Istanbul has grown through strong barriers: complex geography and defensive walls over the time. They have generated enormous difficulties to connect the city leaving urban voids, obsolete areas and a clear segregation of local communities. In the last decades, several projects have been created in infrastructure’s matter as enormous motorways and bridges in the middle of the city. However, they have increased the fragmentation over time. Recognizing this problem, “Plug-in Theodosian Wall� is an urban regeneration project developed over a key area of Istanbul (zone of restoration) which runs throughout the historical wall and Green Belt. The purpose of this project is the transformation of these barriers into connected pieces in benefit for the city and particularly for local communities. 5
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Contents Introduction _____________________________________________ 1. The Topic: Structural Barriers _____________________________ 1.1. Limits in the City Growth _______________________________________ 1.2. Large Urban Barriers ____________________________________________ 1.2.1. Along the Water
1.2.2. Along the Ancient Walls 1.2.3. From the Railway Infrastructure to the Motorways
1.3.1. Rethinking Infrastructure as linear parks
3. The Proposal: Plug-in Theodosian Wall
______________________________
6 8 9
12
1.4. Definition of Sustainable Corridors _________________________________ 14 1.4.1. Why Introduce Sustainable Corridors into the Central City Areas?
2. The Case: Inner Ring of Istanbul
________________________ 16 2.1. Inner Ring & Green Belt __________________________________________ 22 2.2. Connectivity ____________________________________________________ 24 2.3. Definition of a Strategic Area ____________________________________ 24 2.4. The Two Sides of the Wall _______________________________________ 26 2.5. Studies on the Area &Objective Plan ___________________________ 28 2.6. From the Threat to the Opportunities ____________________________ 28 2.7. Strategies of Intervention _____________________________________ 30
_____________________ 38 3.1. Masterplan __________________________________________________ 38 3.2. Green Spine ___________________________________________________ 40 3.2. How daes Green Spine operate? ________________________________ 50 3.3. Historical Wall Park ____________________________________________ 52 3.4. Preservation of Urban Agriculture ________________________________ 54 3.5. Markets and Local Economy ___________________________________ 56 3.6. Rethinking Water Supply _______________________________________ 58 3.7. New Housing in Consolidated Neighbourhoods ___________________ 60
Projecting Istanbul in the Future (Conclusions)
Reference List
3
1.3. Transformation of Structural Barriers
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_______________
62
____________________________________________
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INTRODUCTION As a consequence of the city growth, several structures have become into barriers which, through time have generated fragmented cities and intermediate zones. These zones which often remain inactive and disconnected to the rest of the city represent a gap within the urban fabric. However, they also represent interesting opportunities of new developments or the response in opposition to the fast urban sprawl and the need of preserving some areas. The objective of this investigation is detecting those structural situations and to make a proposal about how they can be transformed over time in a sustainable way.
Therefore, this report is structured into three parts according to the definition of the topic, the study of a particular case and the proposal. The first part, is an investigation of different kind of barriers which have limited the city through the time. Along the water, historical walls and obsolete infrastructures, cities have been fragmented in several parts leaving in their edges some areas under use, disconnected and dangerous for their neighbours. However, there are also some experiences around the globe which have changed these trend to be transformed into new sustainable projects: promenades, longitudinal parks and green corridors.
The second part is a strategic analysis in the city of Istanbul, Turkey. By recognizing its structural barriers clearly evidenced along the historical city walls, Istanbul represents an interesting case of urban fragmentation. In fact, Historical Walls were the limits of the city for long, leaving outside agricultural areas and later cemeteries, hospitals and industries; in other words, the known Green Belt. Across this Green Belt was built the beltway in 1973 as the unique line able to connect east and west, Europe and Asia separated by the Bosphurus and the Golden Horn. At present, beltway Otoyol 1 is one of the most important motorways, which has allowed the connection of several areas along the circuit; however, it has left also redundant areas without a clear definition of their use.
The third part identifies a key area of Istanbul which presents a unique opportunity of urban regeneration. As a result of connecting the beltway with a new metro system and the Marmara Sea, the proposal generates a circle line of transport which certainly could improve the connectivity in
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the city of Istanbul. At the same time, this project called Theodosian Wall Green Corridor, could efficiently reactive several wastelands and obsolete industries by the regeneration of consolidated neighbourhoods and the creation of new areas where it will put greater emphasis on sustainable transformation. Bosphorus bridge at pick hour traffic (1)
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1.
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THE TOPIC: Structural Barriers
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1. THE TOPIC: Structural Barriers Limits in the City Growth The context of rapid urbanisation today accounts for 50% of the total global population lives in cities (rural areas 50 years ago accounted around 70%). The number of people who choose to live in the city has risen, that means nowadays citizens prefer urban lifestyle rather than living in the countryside, in spite of the perception in the quality of living in cities is quite debatable. This process has been the subject of extensive discussion with various experiences in different cities. At present urban growth can be described from two perspectives: on one hand in terms of the urban sprawl, but on the other hand about the compact city. Although for many urban planners, the last typology is closer to the sustainable urban model, most societies and planning systems has not yet been able to overcome the free urban sprawl in cities. Throughout history, many towns have limited their territories for defensive purposes in order to provide security as the walled cities of the middle ages, otherwise for planning reasons as in the case of post-industrial cities. Planning as a discipline in western societies, generated the division of functional areas in many city plans, for that reason different zones were clearly recognized, such as residential, commercial or industrial areas which were connected through main transport routes. The emphasis on the connectivity of the city was one of the most significant issues in the designed theories for growing cities. As a result, certain concepts such as radial/ rings or organic systems were proposed and articulated by transport corridors, originally were presented by the railway system as a clear limit which was imposed on the city.
(2)
The need to pass these limits to satisfy the urban sprawl, produced the construction of new bridges and el-
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evated motorways to connect them with residential neighbourhoods, shopping centres and new sub-centres that have guided the attention toward new areas of interest and development. Meanwhile, the old sites (transport and industrial corridors) are now shaping urban voids characterized by insecurity, low standard habitability and deteriorating. This is a concept which Ignasi de Sola-Morales has defined as “Terrain Vagues�.
Large Urban Barriers To understand the concept of “Terrain Vague� in the contemporary city it is necessary to look into typologies of the former boundaries and peripheries which represent a series of clearly recognizable situations in various parts of the territory. That situation is displayed as lines that have divided the city creating a set of pieces, these lines indisputably have fragmented the city under topographic or manmade interventions. In that sense, we observe industrial lands associated to disused rail infrastructure; old ports which later were accompanied for a large urban highway; or ancient walls that once were the city boundaries. Thereby, we can identify a group of situations along the water, ancient structures and the transport development; all of them have opened up interesting possibilities to be transformed into new urban projects.
WEST SIDE YARD STORAGE, NEW YORK (3)
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ALONG THE WATERFRONTS With a clear awareness about the importance of water in human settlements development, the logic action in towns was looking for strategic locations along rivers, canals or coastlines which, by natural condition, determinate one of the most significant limits of the city growth. At the same time living around the water meant to have natural resources and a good connectivity. Later, with the city growing these boundaries became industrial barriers and port machinery on major rivers which have kept away for long people from their edges. It meant first; isolated local communities and secondly one of the most pollutant episodes of the aquatic environmental history. In recent decades, the moving of the industry toward new centres, using air transport, new technologies innovation and the consequently space reduction in the ports´ work area, resulted in the transformation of many territories. The main reason was the nature of trade had changed (Banks instead Ports), bigger ships meant ports moving away from city centre areas, then sites became available for urban regeneration. These sites have now been redefined as service corridors, recreation areas and culture equipments, highlighting the potential for tourist attraction what has been a model for rethinking cities and improving people´s quality of life.
BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK (4)
ALONGSIDE ANCIENT WALLS Since old age or maybe previously, walls where built at different times and locations as defensive and control systems of some specific areas in order to protect them. The period recognized like the peak of those kinds of constructions was the Middle Age. Castles, villages and feudal cities were built in many places; today the majority of them have been restored for tourism purposes. In the same line several buildings around the world have been maintained, rebuilt or restored in some of their pieces for heritage preservation. Within these structures there is a possibility to incorporate old bridges and culverts which have been embedded in the city. there are also significant number of old structures which have become in an obstacle rather than 10 However, an opportunity. Due to the high damage and recovery projects’ cost it has been difficult to make something for rescue them. The majority of them have survived wars, even natural disasters, but they have not been able to respond to social and economic dynamics of the contemporary city. This situation becomes them into barriers without clear use or destination.
WALLED CITY OF DUBROVNIK, FORMER YUGOSLAVIA (5)
FROM THE RAILWAY INFRASTRUCTURE TO THE MOTORWAYS Through the history, and originally associated with the industrial sector, the use of the train has brought considerable benefits for productive activities in the city. Nevertheless, put it into practice meant the city had to incorporate probably one of the biggest physical barriers which have crossed or surrounded the city. Nowadays, functional and technological changes based on the space reduction, new kind of structures and new lines´ introduction, by subterranean systems, have left obsolete most of these lines, which no longer will play the role they played in the past. Otherwise, highways appeared slowly in the first half of the twentieth century by reusing traditional streets in the city, which at the beginning were used by people, horses, bicycles, carriages and so on. The same streets later were used by motorized vehicles; the condition of the former pedestrian street had changed. In the second half of the century, the explosive growth in the cars’ number and the urgent need to connect cities produced vast stretches of concrete on elevated structures through the city and the countryside, flush with the floor or under ground, leaving uninhabitable large areas in their borders.
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LINE 5, RAIL STORAGE, SANTIAGO OF CHILE
Transformation of Structural Barriers Under different perspectives, the city has been fragmented by plenty of natural and manmade corridors, which, following the logic of growth have been embedded in key areas of the city. According to Benton & Rennie (2008):
“The decline of manufacturing especially in the older inner city areas is creating the brownfields of an industrial legacy with issues of soil contamination and pollution. The trajectory from factories to brownfields to Greenfield sites is not only a social process but also an ecological transformation�1
In the past the need to connect the city was one of the main tasks. By introducing fossil fuels in the transport system, cities concentrated large emissions of toxic gases which have produced enormous damage to the environment. At present, the task is to repair this damage, not just through the creation of new neighbourhoods, but also recovery from the existing structure by introducing a suitable and sustainable environment for the design of our cities.
RETHINKING INFRASTRUCTURE AS LINEAR PARKS One of the main trends that have been occurring in cities with significant rail experience is the transformation of old railway infrastructures that had fallen in disuse. Some of them today have become into new linear parks. These sorts of interventions have revitalized and restored the degraded character of industrial areas encouraging the creation of new residential areas. This new concept can be clearly illustrated in two successful cases in Paris and New York City.
HIGH LINE PARK, NEW YORK (6)
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The case of Promenade Plantée in Paris is an elevated park which was developed between 1987 and 2000. The Project is a 4.5 km-long corridor which was built on an abandoned railway viaduct which ceased operations on 1969. The parkway runs from the Bastille area connecting the eastern suburbs of Paris. Time after that, a new project is developing in New York City, the High Lines Park is a 2.3 km-long corridor which runs along the west side of Manhattan over the long standing High Line railway at Chelsea. In this particular case, people who lived near to the obsolete railway line decided to defend the Line’s permanence and transform it into a public open space. This project tries to preserve wild grasses, plants, shrubs, and rugged trees which grew along the huge route after the train stopped working. Both projects have the virtue of being located at key sites of the city, through reviving areas which were previously degraded with a low interest from citizens. The condition of elevated parks has generated an habitable second floor which is safe and effective in order to get a space for recreation separate from vehicular pollution. With adequate urban furniture, lighting to control and maintenance of its facilities, the project consolidates a new space in the city. Also, and without diminish the importance of Promenade Plantée which was the first experience of this kind, High Lines Park achieves greater interest in the community with high participation in the design process and the rescue of pre-existing values for the construction of a new corridor (preservation of wild vegetation). Such projects can be compared to the large amount of waterfronts’ projects which have revitalized ancient ports and industries transforming them into new public areas. The tourist interest and a new perspective of waterfronts ´design has encouraged the creation of pedestrian walkways connected to cultural centres, sport fields, service and recreation. In a different scenario, perhaps one of the most difficult tasks is the regeneration of historical structures like city walls or some others protected pieces. Strict protection policies without a clear criteria about interventions in this field, have slowed the process of transformation in big areas making infeasibility most of these initiatives. However, the need to recover historic structures which are being destroyed day after day is urgent. Recovering ancient structures is a task that cannot wait anymore.
PROMENADE PLANTEE, PARIS
OLYMPIC SCULPTURE PARK, SEATTLE (7)
13 Figure 7. Olympic Sculpture Park,
Seattle Waterfront, Seattle. US.
1. Benton-Short, L.; Rennie, J. 2008. Cities and Nature. p.151
ANCIENT WALLS OF AVILA, SPAIN (8)
Sustainable Corridor Definition Finding a clear way to define Sustainable Corridor is not an easy task. Frequently, its definition is associated to green corridors, which has been limited to the introduction of vegetation and wildlife in the urban environment, as defined below: “A thin strip of land that provides sufficient habitat to support wildlife, often within an urban environment, thus allowing the movement of wildlife along it. Common green corridors include railway embankments, river banks and roadside grass verges.”2 However, the latest examples of green corridors include human activity as a fundamental part in linking ecological systems (not necessarily wildlife) within towns and city centres, workplaces and communities. Often follow along rivers, disused railways and roadways. These corridors promote paths for running, cycling or skating.
WHY INTRODUCE SUSTAINABLE CORRIDORS IN CENTRAL CITY AREAS? It is important to mention that vegetation and nature positively influence the climate of a given area not only in the physical or aesthetic aspect but also in such a good psychological environment. That is produced by being in a clean ambient, breathing fresh air, coexisting with nature, everything together in a microclimate. For the reasons outlined above, what the modern family wants today is to live on the outskirts of the city due to the good living conditions that the edges of the town and countryside provide. An attractive landscape, recreational spaces, overflowing green areas and low density generate a good balance between natureplace-habitability which means quality of life. However, peripheral areas are often segregated from the rest of the city because of the lack of connectivity and the automobile´s dependence.
NATURAL CORRIDOR IN HAWAII (9)
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Furthermore, the central city areas are characterized by a low percentage of green areas in comparison with its surroundings. Nevertheless, they have usually plenty of activities immersed in a dense urban fabric and provided by an efficient public transport system. According to difficulties of introducing green areas in every corner or narrow streets, where vegetation does not receive enough light, we should focus our view especially in redundant areas. The advantage of these lands is, they are limiting the city centre which is a positive thing considering the lack of available land in those areas. On the other hand, the need to connect the city has been a natural human urge, generating conditions for moving supplies for our subsistence and our own displacement through the city. The main difficulty has been the means used to solve this challenge, fundamentally motorized transport which has invaded our settlements. The current model of urban development for decades has promoted the use of private car rather than public transport which has produced a collapsed system in most towns and cities around the world. Certainly, the traffic congestion on the streets creates an imbalance in the estimated time for a particular journey. It also creates stress on drivers and often noise when the horn is used repeatedly in high traffic jam situations and obviously, environmental pollution by the emission carbon dioxide. In contrast as a sustainable solution, walking and cycling apart from being a not pollutant way of movement, is also an economic and healthy exercise. Bicycles do not consume fuel and today there is more availability since the rental bike system (also known as bicycle sharing systems) is operating in several European cities. In terms of healthy, they fight obesity, one of the mayor problems in urban societies. During the last years, many cities have promoted cycling and walking more than a recreational activity. However, just a few have actually created the necessary infrastructure for this, i.e. well-designed roads, accompanied with vegetation to allow the separation from motorized routes. All these grounds have stopped the increase in the use of these systems which obviously are consistent with other public transport systems, as the subway, the tram and other means of transport of low energy consumption and non-polluting, for long distances journeys. Unfortunately, the perception of citizens regarding the automobile is still social status and comfort, with priority over any other mean of transport. But a way of coping may be through well-structured green corridors that can be attractive for users. For the reasons just explained we must not understand the redundant infrastructure as a barrier within the city, because they offer a good opportunity to incorporate the best characteristics of both sectors already mentioned at pericentral city zones. Otherwise, redundant areas have not been intervened; thereafter planners can take advantage of a good location integrating sustainable transport systems, the community and local government participation and the incorporation of new uses for abandoned areas as it has been shown in many cases around worldwide. The biggest challenge then, is how to introduce these sustainable corridors in the heart of the city. Faced with the inability to build garden cities everywhere, perhaps as the visionary Ebenezer Howard had dreamed, or inability to control private property to the entire population assuring a green space in their homes or places of work, we must act on the existing natural corridors, streets and redundant infrastructure capable of making a city-wide transformation, considering that many of these actions can be taken by the hand of one head: the state or the administrative system which is in charge for public use.
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GARDEN CITY SCHEME, WARD AND CENTRE BY EBENEZER HOWARD, AND A PERSONAL PROPOSAL RETHINKING GREEN STRUCTURES (10)
2. Defined by Planning Portal. UK Government’s.
2.
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THE CASE: Inner Ring of Istanbul
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2. THE CASE: Inner Ring of Istanbul As few cities in the world, Istanbul was the capital of three empires on its history. These cities grew along the Bosphorus strait by defining the triangular area known as historical peninsula. Under every empire, defensive walls were built or reinforced preventing the offensive of any adversary. The most important and still erected double line of dungeons around the historical peninsula is the Theodosian wall, which was built in the 5th century during the early reign of Emperor Theodosius II (r. 408–450).
For a long time, the city was limited by the Theodosian Wall leaving outside, areas suitable for agricultural purpose, cemeteries, hospitals and later, the increasing industry. All of them, defined the concept of Green Belt. Inside the walls, the growth of the population duty to find new limits traspassing the barriers imposed for centuries. Thus, the city was expanded along the straits and rivers, valleys and hills creating many branches that remained scattered in the territory.
The need to connect this fragmented city gave place to the creation of new structures: motorways or railways which changed the face of Istanbul in the last century. The construction of the Bosphorus bridge on 1973 opened the posibility to cross east-west (Europe-Asia) by vehicle through the beltway otoyul 1. This motorway run along the Green Belt connected with part of the historical wall generating the concept of Inner Ring. In the last decade, the urban sprawl in Istanbul has demanded the construction of new motorways and bridges to generate a new connectivity. Thus, the Outer Beltway is operating as a second ring around the Outer City and there are plans to generate a third beltway considering the fast growth of the urban population.
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The Inner Ring & Green Belt
Along 25 kms., the Inner Ring defines several areas under the logic of Green Belt. It links city attractions for recreational, touristic, religious or business interest.
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Mosques and Religious Centres Cemeteries Parklands Sport Fields
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Office Areas Cultural Centres Health & Education Industrial Lands Transport Terminals
Connectivity As the most important motorway in Instanbul, the Beltway Otoyol 1 Initially it served basically to private transport, but in the last decade, Metrobus transport system was introduced carries around 450.000 passengers a day. Therefore, Metrobus system is one of the most successful public transportation defined in around 22 kms. in semi-circle from Kadikoy to Topkapi.
Definition of a Strategic Area One of the most anticipated projects that will be implemented in Istanbul is Marmaray project. It consists of the construction of an undersea rail tunnel connecting east and west side of the city under the Bosphorus strait. The whole project also considers the renewal of the existing lines and station to be transformed in a modern transport system. The implementation of Marmaray ostensibly will reduce travel times and traffic congestion into the Inner Ring area by opening a new and efficient route. This route could operate in conjunction with the Beltway Otoyol 1 by generating a circle line. However, there is still an area which is not connected by structural transport system from Topkapi to Kazlicesme. Topkapi is an intermodal passenger transport area where several transport systems converge: Metro, Tram, Local buses, Metrobus and Dolmuts (share taxis). On the other side, Kazlicesme will receive the impact of the new metro station coming from the Marmaray project that definely will transform an old industrial area in a new intermodal area.
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These two points can be efficiently connected by public transport system in 3.5 kms. long. At the same time, it opens a tremendous opportunity of regenerating those areas along the Historical Wall and Green Belt which have remain in very low standard for long time.
The two sides of the wall The Theodosian wall is a fundamental piece to understand the evolution of Istanbul. It describes two opposite situations from east to west defining an inner and outer city. The Inner city is historically evolved, characterized by dense urban fabric where the commercial and residencial use coexist in mostly of the areas. On the other hand, the Outer city is a patchwork of industrial, educational campuses, hospitals, sport fields, cemeteries and parklands. However, both sides have in common the significant number of empty lands and inactive areas along the borders of the Wall because of the stoppage of many factories or the moving to new industrial areas. The most clear interpretation of this sector is the fact, that until now it never has been integrated into the built up area. In the 1950s, during the era of the redevelopment, the city sprawl hardly reached the Theodosian Wall and the Green Belt recently projected. Later, the new urban fabric was drawn behind the Green Belt, leaving this area as a green lung which has been quite controvertial until now. However, it represents the most important piece of environmental sustainability considering the low percentage of green areas registered into the Inner City of Istanbul (around 6.4 sq. mt. per person) At present, the government is encouraging initiatives to meliorate inactive areas along the Theodosian Wall through the construction of local infrastructure. In that sense, some new recreational areas can be found in diferent sectors; however, the lack of residential areas connected with them have reduced the expectations and results of these new spaces. This situation is clear in the two poles of the Strategic Area : Topkapi and Kazlicesme. These two huge parks are surrounded by wastelands or former industrial areas which basically operate as zones of connections without programmes of interest to attract people. Along the Wall, one of the most difficult issues is the connectivity east-west because there are only four gates which allow this crossing. The distance among gates fluctuates between 400 to 900 mts. This zone has become in an isolated and dangerous sector in terms of the perception of the people, but on the other hand it concentrates mostly of the services necessary for communities (health, education,etc).
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Studies on the Area & Objective Plan
From the Threat to the Opportunities Based on the global situation, the Inner Ring illustrates a low connectivity in the Strategic Area area generated by:
A. Nor structural transport system by land. Nor continuity in main street (paralels and perpendicular to the wall)
B. No transport system connecting by Sea.
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C. Historical Wall is a clear limit in the city.
D. The Gates generate obstacles to cross from the east to the west side.
E. Significant number of empty lands, brownfields, old industries and inactive areas.
F. No pedestrian facilities.
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Considering the new scenario that will be configurated with the with the Marmaray project, the strategic area can be transformed from new objectives and strategies of intervention
Strategies of Intervention ,
A.
Inner Ring can be efficiently connected
between Topkapi and Kazlicesme.
Kazlicesme Station will be one of the 4 new stations of the Marmaray
Road.
1. By structural transport system along 10 Yil
2. By sea connection between Kazlicesme and Kadikoy.
3. By the improvement of the Road network (north-south connection).
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B.
Inner & Outer City connection can be improved
along the Theodosian Wall.
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4. By rethinking the old gates and its transversal roads.
5. By rethinking areas surrounding the old gates
6. By opening transversal roads.
C. land.
Recovery of the Theodosian Wall as a linear park-
7. By generating new uses for touristic attractions
8. By encouraging the existing agriculture
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9. By reusing the old moat
D.
Regeneration of old industry, empty lands and deactivated areas to be transformed into new programmes.
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10. By creating new residential areas
11. By opening markets and new commercial areas
12. By consolidating a new cultural area
13. By generating a new office centre
3.
The Proposal: Plug-in Theodosian Wall
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3.The Proposal: Plug-in Green Corridors As has been illustrated in the analisis, the Strategic Area is a disconnected piece of the city located in an interesting sector around the historical centre of Istanbul and immersed into the Green Belt. According to this situation, the concept of Plug-in represents the new connectivity as well as the activacion of some obsolete areas to be developed in a long term. It is clear that a project of this magnitude need to be planned in different stages according to their feasibility. For this reason, the entire proposal has been structured into 3 fases:
The Masterplan represents the final objective on the Strategic Area. In 3.5 km. long the north and south poles have been connected by public transport system (tram) which combines with metro and metrobus and Marmaray project to complete the mentioned circle line. The tram system considers seven stops from Topkapi Park to Kazlicesme according to the main intersections and points of interest along the corridor. The last station is combined with the passenger port which opens new alternatives to connect east and west sides of Istanbul through Marmara Sea. The Theodosian Wall is transformed into a new park which preserves the pre-existing values: grass, plants, shrubs and urban agriculture. The existing paths and part of the old moat are recovered to create a new trail for touristic purposes. New cycling routes are also designed paralelly to the Wall. Cemeteries and existing parks in conjunction with Theodosian Park generate the new network of green spaces.
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On both sides of the corridor, empty lands are redefined as new housing, commerce, service, sport, culture and office areas. It works in a redesigned street network and land use which incentivate the diversity of programmes, the pedestrian connectivity and the practice of urban agriculture as a value in the local structure.
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MASTERPLAN
Masterplan
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DEFINITION OF MACRO AREAS
PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM
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STREET NETWORK
LAND USE
Green Spine As the main piece in the strategic area, Green Spine concentrates several structures on its way which can produce the development of surrounding areas by following the strategies of intervention. The main focus of this piece is the Green Belt activation throught the introduction of different corridors which create a new network of activities.
BOOK MARKET
MIX USE CORRIDOR AGRICULTURAL MARKET
NEW HOUSING ABDI STADIUM SKATEPARK
ANTIQUE MARKET SEVEN FORTRESS MUSEUM
CULTURAL CENTRE
CEMETERY PARK LANDMARK PLAZA & ANFITHEATRE OFFICE PLAZA
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HISTORICAL WALL PARK FISH MARKET
TRAM TERMINAL PASSENGER PORT
D
D
C C B B
41 A
A
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SECTION A_DOCKLAND & FISH MARKET
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SECTION B_LANDMARK PLAZA & ANFITHEATRE
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SECTION C_SEVEN FORTRESS MUSEUM
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SECTION D_AGRICULTURAL STREET MARKET
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How does the Green Spine operate?
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Historical Wall Park The Theodosian Wall is a serie of defensive stone wall around the Old Istanbul peninsula which date back to the 5th century during the Roman era. The best conserved area of this structure is precisely located along the Strategic Area between Topkapi and Yedikule. On this area, the walls are composed of three sections: the internal ramparts, the external rampart and the moat. At present, the moats are used as agricultural gardens which generate a 20 mts width of green corridor. The external rampart in the Strategic Area is composed of 49 towers with approx. 25 mts high and a projection of 10 metres from the rampart walls which remain in different conditions of preservation.
During the 1980s many parts of the Wall were restored with financial support from UNESCO; however, it has been criticized because of the poor quality of the resoration which was partially collapsed after the 1999 earthquakes. In the list of the World Monuments Fund, Theodosian Wall appears as one of the 100 most endangered sites in the world. This fact has motivated the searching of different alternatives to guide the future of the Historical Wall in a sustainable way. The proposal in this case, consists in the redefinition of these old structures immersed in a parkland which will be renamed as Historical Wall Park.
As has been illustrated in some other projects which have transformed obsolete structures into parkland - e.g. High lines New York - Historical Wall Park generates a new pedestrian network of path and bridges in 3.5 kmts. long. By reusing the existing wall’s walkways and completing those parts which have been destroyed over time, the new park can be connected by walking from Topkapi park to the Marmara’s waterfront.
THEODOSIAN WALL CONDITION (11)
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HISTORICAL WALL SECTION_EXISTING SITUATION
The towers or bastions are structures adjacent to the ramparts which represent the highest point in the Wall’s structure. Today, mostly of them have lost slabs and roof terraces remaining just the walls. The proposal for these bastions depend on the condition of each unit. Some alternatives only consider the use of the interior space left by the walls -e.g. exhibition tower. Others can be utilized as shops by using a container inside, which avoid the contact with the structure of the Historical Wall. This formula can be repeated by multiplying the number of containers which can require an specific programme inside the walls. There are several possibilities of programmes which can be chosen by the communities connected with a tower that is part of their neighbourhood. TOWER CONNECTIONS
53 WALKWAY PROPOSAL
Preservation of Urban Agriculture As part of the historical development of Istanbul, a network of market gardens outside the Theodosian Wall has been inherited from generation to generation until present days. However, in the last decades, a significant number of areas destinated to agriculture have been reduced to fragmented pieces because of the massive urban development and the high pressure for land occupation. Today, these fragments are mostly located along the Historical Wall which is immersed into the Green Belt. In different colours and textures, it generates an interesting corridor which not only acts as a beautiful piece of landscape but it also preserves local economies. The proposal in this case, consists in the preservation of the main corridor from Yedikule to Topkapi Park. This corridor is improved with a new connectivity to transport products by cart. The idea is facilitate the movement from the agricultural fields to the markets. In this way, urban agriculture could incentivice this practice in new areas such as University campuses or into the new residential areas. In fact, some examples in the world have effectively introduced urban agriculture into Universities, as Shenyang University Campus in China with successful results. This example can be an interesting reference considering the enormous free areas into the hospitals and University campuses located at the Green Belt area.
EXISTING URBAN AGRICULTURE ALONG THE THEODOSIAN WALL (12)
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SHENGYANG UNIVERSITY ARCHITECTURAL CAMPUS, CHINA (13)
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AGRICULTURAL PARK PROPOSAL
Markets and Local Economy Considering the strategic location of the area along the Theodosian Wall, a group of new markets can be proposed in different points of the Green Spine. These programmes could incentivise new jobs to reduce the high unemployment identified at some neighbourhoods in Fatih’s district (East side of the Wall). The location of these markets depends on activities that represent the different areas. Therefore, Fish market is linked to Marmara Sea, Agricultural market is settled in the middle point of the agricultural fields, Antiques market is connected with the cultural area, and so on. On the other hand, markets are linked to Mix-use buildings which generate new commercial corridors along and across the Historical Wall. In addition to these programmes, street markets create a flexible network of commerce which undoubtly will open new opportunities of employment.
CROSS SECTION_MIX-USE STREET
AGRICULTURAL MARKET FROM THE WALL
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STREET MARKET ALONG THE WALL
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Rethinking Water Supply
As part of the former structure of the Theodosian Wall, the moat was an important element of defence beside walls. Nevertheless, when the walls left their defensive character, the course of water was replaced by agricultural fields. Today, this agricultural corridor is supplied by water from the inner city which produces a overload of water use on the densest area of the city. As a sustainable solution, is projected a new plan of Water Supply. It consists in the creation of 4 reservoirs connected by a canal which runs from Topkapi park to Marmara sea. This canal is divided into 2 sections: the first is used in touristic purposes by boats that connect the Marmara sea and the Yedikule museum (Reservoir 4). The second is used for irrigation purposes in agriculture fields (Reservoir 1 to 4). Therefore, water can be obtained from 2 ways: rainwater collected in reservoirs or seawater treated for irrigation. On the other hand, reservoirs become in part of the landscape, so it brings many benefits by generating new employments related to touristic attractions and improving the productivity in urban agriculture.
OLD MOAT REUSED AS A NEW CANAL
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RESERVOIR 2
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New housing & consolidated neighbourhoods As part of the government plans, mostly of the empty lands or desused industrial areas along the east side of the wall will be reused for residential purposes. By knowing this fact, the proposal generates new residential areas in adapting to the existing communities and their services. Some of these new areas will be built on former agricultural lands. As a solution to face the continual reduction of farmer land, the project offers the possibility of generate urban agriculture inside the new housing blocks. This proposal is coherent with the character of the area and those groups of families who have an historical connection with the garden markets. At the old industrial zone in Kazlicesme area the situation is different. This zone is almost disconnected with residential areas and local communities, so the new housing in this case is focus in new families and student who can renovate the area, demanding different programmes of use. In this way it is possible to generate better conditions for sustainable neighbourhoods.
FROM THE EMPTY LAND TO THE NEW BLOCK
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NEW HOUSING ON FORMER AGRICULTURAL LAND
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Projecting Istanbul in the Future_Conclusions
It is known that cities will continue the growth process in many places as an exponential equation. This process will inevitably continue generating obsolescence on areas which remain statics in the development of cities. As it has been illustrated, these areas are often connected with old peripheries, industrial zones or infrastructure which felt into disuse; the above represent a slowdown for the economy of the city. Nonetheless, these areas usually have some advantages such as strategic locations and large magnitudes which seem to be attractive reasons to develop new projects. The case of Istanbul is a clear example of this paradox. A Metropolis in continual sprawl which has left a piece untouchable into the city defined as Green Belt. This piece was not planned in the history of Istanbul, as many other cases. It was the result of the mentioned barriers and the consequent process of industrialization which have drawn this area with particular conditions. Today, Green Belt is perhaps a unique piece in the inner city able to provide a minimum percentage of green areas according to recommendations related to sustainable environment. However, the real condition of this belt is not precisely an ecological corridor, it has stored a significant number of empty lands, brownfields, old industries and some areas in better conditions linked to health and education services. This scenario has been in discussion for long, because it is clear that Istanbul need to increase its standard of green areas, but it also need to connect and reactivate several communities around. In the next years, the implementation of structural projects as Marmaray on specific areas connected with the Green Belt will generate an impact on the areas surrounding. The interest for lands, which time ago were not considered, it will start to change the profile of this sector. Anticipating this panorama, the objective is to try to find a balance between opportunities of development and preservation of the local values.
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Therefore, the proposal is offering a new way to operate on Green Belts. In terms of the master plan, it is introduced a new transport corridor that includes tram system which connect it with metro, metrobus and ferry. The historical Theodosian wall is transformed into a new park that protects the pre-existing values: grass, plants, shrubs and urban agriculture which is improved by recovering the old moat as a canal. A new network of walkways and cycling routes is also introduced along and perpendicular to the wall. The impact of this, can encourage the development on both sides of the new corridor by introducing different programmes of use. In terms of the local plan, it recognizes different neighbourhoods as a new layer with its own local road network, adding new housing and a new commercial services structure which could generates new employment opportunities. The new condition of the wall incorporates, at the same time, new markets which could revitalizes the old and decadent wall. At last, the project takes part in the big quantity of educational centres and University campuses encouraging the productive use of their large land through urban agriculture. Finally it is important to clarify the project will not become Green Belt into a high density area, nor that it will become a huge central park, the proposal just introduces some lines of buildings which can work in direct relationship with the new programmes.
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Reference List Benton, L. and Rennie, J. 2008. Cities and Nature. Oxon: Routledge Hall, P. 1975. Urban and Regional Planning. Middlesex: Pinguin Books Ltd. Howard, E. 2003. To-Morrow, a peaceful path to real reform. Oxon: Routledge Jacobs, J. and Keil, R. 2003. Urban Political Ecology. In Urban Geography, 723-738. Bellwether Publishing, Ltd. Kaldjia, P. 2004. Istanbul’s Bostans: A Millennium of Market Garden in Geographical Review, Vol 3, People, Places & Gardens. pp. 284-304. American Geographical Society. Krystallia, K. 2006. Vague parks: the politics of late twentieth-century urban landscapes. In Architectural Research Quarterly, 10 (3-4). pp. 255-262. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Mostafavi, M. and Najle, C. 2003. Landscape Urbanism: A Manual for the Machinic Landscape. London: AA publications. Ritchie, A., Thomas, R. 2009. Sustainable Urban Design an environmental approach. Oxon: Taylor & Francis edition. Rogers, R. 1997. Cities for a small planet. London: Faber and Faber limited. Sola-Morales, I. 2003. Territorios. Barcelona: Editorial Gustavo Gili . Turnbull, S. 2004. The Walls of Constantinople AD 324–1453. Osphrey publishing. United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT). 2008. State of the World’s Cities 2010/2011Bridging The Urban Divide. London/Sterling, VA: Earthscan editions. Wall, E. and Waterman, T. 2010. Urban Design. Lausanne: AVA publishing SA.
INTERNET
Hurriyet Daily News. Unmonitored Growth Destroying Istanbul. Published: Monday, June 22, 2009 http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=unplanned-growth-destroying-istanbul EARSeL Symposium. Istanbul ‘s Green Belt. Abstract submitted to “31st EARSeL Symposium and 35th General Assembly 2011”. Available in: http://www.conferences.earsel.org/abstract/show/2476
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New York Times. After High Line’s Success, Other Cities Look Up, By Kate Taylor, Published: July 14, 2010. Available in: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/15/arts/design/15highline.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
London School of Economist. 2009. Urban Age, Istanbul City Of Intersections Published by the Urban Age Programme, London School of Economics and Political Science. Available in: http://www.urban-age.net/publications/newspapers/istanbul/media/UrbanAgeIstanbulNewspaper_ en.pdf
Image List (1). Bosphorus Bridge at Pick Hour Traffic. Available in: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24852832@N05/2572081525/ (2). Radial/ring Traffic Strategies for European Cities. Available in: http://vitruvius.com.br/revistas/read/arquitextos/07.082/259 (3). West Side Yard storage of commuter rail trains, New York City, 2004. Available in: http://www.newpennstation.org/site/hudsonrailyards (4). Brooklyn Bridge Park. Available in: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bkln_Bridge_Park_day_finished_jeh.jpg (5). Walled city of Dubrovnik, Former Yugoslavia. Available in: http://www.travel-tidbits.com/tidbits/002636.shtml (6). High Line, New York. Available in: http://www.plataformaurbana.cl/archive/2009/06/24/high-line-new-york-se-inaugura-un-proyectociudadano/ (7). Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle Waterfront, Seattle. US. Available in: http://www.gsd.harvard. edu/news/weiss_manfredi_green_prize_4_07.html (8). Walled city of Avila, Spain. Available in: Periodismo Independiente, http://www. periodismoindependiente.es/sabias-que/las-murallas-de-avila/ (9). Natural corridor in Hawaii in Route. Volcano National Park, stretch of road on the coast of Hawaii. Available in: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lorenkahle/4214246123/in/set-72157607169864757/ (10). Garden City Scheme, Ward and Centre by Ebenezer Howard, and a personal proposal rethinking green structures. Howard, E. 2003. To-Morrow, a peaceful path to real reform. Oxon: Routledge (11). Theodosian Wall Condition. Available in: http://www.arct.cam.ac.uk/studioworks/2003/diploma/dip3/index.html
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(12). Urban Agriculture Along The Theodosian Wall. Available in: http://www.flickr.com/photos/3536009070_81576f073d (13). Shengyang University Architectural Campus, China. Available in: http://www.turenscape.com/english/projects/project.php?id=324 All un-numbered images were produced by Francisc Azagra during the 2010 -2011 academic year
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