Reclaiming Istanbul: Reviving the Public Sphere Through Infrastructure

Since the introduction of the coffee houses, Istanbul gained an important element to form a public sphere. These places enhanced the forming of a public opinion which is a crucial aspect of a democratic society. In the Ottoman empire these places were even seen as a nest for the opposition. Nowadays public spaces are threatened by a privatization frenzy resulting in a mass dissatisfaction of citizens. The Gezi protests in Istanbul caused for a national turbulence in Turkey stressing spatial issues in the public domain and challenging the meaning of public sphere in Istanbul throughout the history. Ignited by the protests citizens in Istanbul started reclaiming their public spaces. It started with parks being turned into public forums and continued in empty buildings being squatted and transformed into cultural centers. These local initiatives were adapted by several neighborhoods in Istanbul and functioned as urban incubators for communal activities. They provided for space where everybody could unrestrictedly engage in political debates and form a public opinion. Inspired by this act of reclaiming, this project turns a private object in the urban tissue of Istanbul's Üsküdar into an encapsulated public space. The remains of the first flour factory of Istanbul is reclaimed, which means that the meaning of the object in the city changes in favor of the public. With its porous shell the former building is an extension of the public realm where the infrastructure, nature, institute and the civic society comes together. Through infrastructural elements combined with porous borders and several institutional infills the building integrates the artificial landscape of the urbanized Üsküdar with the view of the Bosporus and the green of the Fethi Pasha Grove.

Subject

reclaiming
Istanbul
infrastructure
reuse
public sphere
public domain
Üsküdar
Pasa Limani
Fethi Pasa Korusu
institution
urban regeneration

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http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:d634213d-ec44-4071-a75d-086de8d555d0

Embargo date

2014-07-11

Coordinates

41.031172, 29.020949

Part of collection

Student theses

Document type

master thesis

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