The project had its starting point in relation to theme “encounter” in the question why does Istanbul has made this radical change in population over the last fifty years.
The city structure as encounter space stood central in its evolution from a settlement, to a village, to a city, to a large city and finally to a metropolis.
The city of Istanbul is in the question of either large city or metropolis placed in between of the requirements of definition. In relation of population and its growth, the converted space, the economic aspect and its expansion, it will fit the metropolis. In relation of infrastructure and master plan as concept of constructing and reorganizing the city space, it fits more into the large city concept because of missing essential aspects.
The focus I set was to determine the growth of population and its related concept of housing policy, to track down the evolution and its impact on the city structure from the 1950/ 60 with a population of almost 2 million people till today with an approximately population of more then 20 million people.
The migration wave of 50s/ 60s had created large illegal slum areas around the city centre. These areas were legalized during the decennia’s always in times of elections.
Through legalizing, these areas got integrated as part of the main city and started to grow from a slum, to a simple housing and finally to a new suburb sucked by the city itself.
In the 80s trough economic growth and the race of Istanbul in relation to Ankara, (Istanbul took to main role as the trading centre of turkey, because of its harbour and border role between Europe and the Middle East) forced even more migration.
The new suburbs and its population shifted from poor to mid stand and the centre itself to rich and further more in the outskirts new slum areas came in existing.
In the last few years a new drift came into existing people do not stay longer in the centre itself, they move into the outskirts of the city where big areas were build and get build as gated self sustaining areas. This new stream of gated communities is related to the US model in the relation of the need for security and social-class-identification.
In the project “encounter” I captured this radical shift in the space of Istanbul, its existing housing and settlement policy and the new shifts. |
