Transformations of Public Space, Architecture and the Visual Arts in Late Modern Istanbul 1950–80

Abstract

In the decades following the Second World War, the urban transformation of Istanbul was more radical than in most cosmopolitan cities, comprising all levels from large scale planning to architectural details. While rational traffic solutions, housing and building construction were the targets of urban transformation, some more sustainable solutions were found in the renewal of streetscape and other forms of public space. On the one hand the city possessed a rich, globally famous heritage, on the other hand there was the wish to maintain, or retrieve, its position at the forefront of development. Within this framework, a two-day international seminar was held at SRII, The Swedish Research Institute in Istanbul, on November 29 –30, 2016, one day with oral presentations and one day for study visits to selected buildings in relation to paper contributions. The seminar explored aspects of transforming the architectural structure of Istanbul during three decisive decades, 1950–1980, with a certain regard for the values most often neglected in late modern urban transformation, those concerning the cultural relevance of public space. The publication brings together a selection of recent doctoral and post-doctoral works as well as international research projects based on archival research and discursive reading, offering a reading on the period from the 1950s to the 1980s in Istanbul. In the light of social, economic, political and cultural data, the publication intends to tell the story of urban, architectural and cultural transformation processes of the three decades and tell imaginations, representations and executions of the physicalisation as well as the rapid growth of Istanbul. The book is not a depiction of the urban planning of the city: it gives the opportunity of re-thinking about the processes, the architects, urban designers, the artists and the people of Istanbul, and their visions of the city. In this regard, the new readings unveil dichotomies, conflicts, but also dynamics and potentials of Istanbul that let us speculate on its future. Having envisaged the transformation of Istanbul from the urban, architectural and artistic scope, these works give new feedback for a broader understanding of the city of Istanbul in general.