This article addresses the role and the importance of the 19th-century narratives and depictions of port cities in contemporary architectural design with a specific focus on paintings. In the last decades, cities the world undertook a large number of urban regeneration projects along waterfronts. In this way, vacant sites on waterfront areas became an opportunity to apply contemporary architectural design; however, many of those projects resulted in generic buildings failing to establish relationships with their landscape, environs, and the history of port cities. High-rise buildings, for instance, began to dominate waterfronts in many of the port cities (e.g., in London, Liverpool, Rotterdam, Baltimore). The land was simply used as a “site” by developers, and the contemporary architectural design failed to address the specificity of the architecture and caved in to the demands which had little to do with the possibilities of place. This article showcases a library and concert hall project realised in Bodø, Norway, to provide insight into an alternative model, where the architecture is situated specifically in response to the port condition and acts as a mediator between port, city and landscape. An interview with the architect Daniel Rosbottom, founder of the architecture firm DRDH which designed the project, provided insight into the design process. As Rosbottom elaborated broadly, a 19th-century painting of church San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice h, by the English painter J.M.W Turner was used as an inspiration for the design process. The embedded knowledge in the painting informed the project at various levels and turned a site into a place on the waterfront of Bodø. The design process analysis reveals similarities and significance of paired relations between artworks and architectural design and hints that the remedy of the contemporary architectures in port cities may lie in port cities’ own (immaterial) resources.@en

In the early 20th century, the modern movement triggered the international circulation of knowledge through architects and urban planners. One mode of this dissemination was the invitation of French- and German-speaking architects and urban planners to build modern cities in foreign countries. A notable example was the case of Turkey. Between 1923 and 1950, a number of German-speaking architects and urban planners had considerable impact on the country’s built environment. During this period, German building manuals became tools for the dissemination of architectural ideas and consequently played a crucial role in modernization of the Turkish nation, founded in 1923. This paper investigates the function of the building manual in the process of nation building in the early republican period in Turkey. Through an analysis of key publications, including Camillo Sitte’s Der Städte-Bau nach seinen künstlerischen Grundsätzen; Reinhard Baumeister’s “Stadt-Erweiterungen in technischer, baupolizeilicher und wirthschaftlicher Beziehung”, Theodor Fischer’s Sechs Vorträge über Stadtbaukunst, the paper offers an analysis of the key figures and ideas involved in this process, and the relationship between architectural and political ideals that emerged through the manuals. The new Turkish Republic sought to establish itself as a modern nation that was distanced from the Ottoman Empire. The invitation of foreign experts to advise on the design and planning of Turkish cities was part of this modernization process: for example, Carl Christoph Lörcher was assigned to work on Ankara’s plan in 1924, Herman Jansen’s plan for Ankara came into effect in 1928. In addition to working directly with the government, these practitioners were also involved in the development of the Turkish architectural education system. Ernst Egli, for example, was assigned as a professor to Istanbul Fine Arts University in order to reshape the architecture programme. The influence of German architects continued during the Second World War. When the Nazis took power in 1933, a number of German professors began to work at the Turkish universities. German speaking professors also worked as practicing architects, such as Clemens Holzmeister, Martin Wagner, Hans Poelzig, Bruno Taut, Paul Bonatz, etc. These figures introduced key European ideas, including the Siedlung and the “Garden City”, in written and built form which subsequently influenced the production of Turkish manuals, and thus influenced the construction of the modern nation. The circulation of the ideas during this construction has been seen in several directions. The architects and urban planners were invited by the government, so that they carried their knowledge which is under influence of Sitte, Baumeister, Howard etc. Sitte’s 1889 dated book Der Städtebau nach seinen Künstlerischen Grundsätzen was translated in Turkish by Celal Esat Arseven in 1926; Kemali Soylemezoglu translated the lectures of Theodor Fischer Sechs Vorträge über Stadtbaukunst (1919) in 1941, 1942 and 1945 in the Turkish magazine called “Arkitekt”.@en

Architecture and urban design competitions played an essential role in the formation of the Turkish architecture culture. It contributed in particular to modern architecture in Turkey (1923-1950s). Turkish modern architecture in the modern era emerged especially from a transnational exchange with the German speaking world. The city of Izmir in the early Republican Era 1923-1950s is an exceptional case to investigate impact of the architecture competitions in the further development of the East Mediterranean port city. Exchanges between local and foreign actors within the architecture competitions in a specific geographical context helped reflecting on changing global movements and ideologies in relation to nation-building project approved by the central government in the capital city Ankara that altered architectural and urban developments.@en

In March 2020, UNESCO received a submission regarding to the cultural value of Izmir. Izmir is an East Mediterranean port city, located on the western coastline of present-day Turkey, which has been a significant hub in international trade throughout its history especially during the nineteenth century. Commerce brought merchants from all over the world to settle in Izmir, with their unique habits, interests and socio-spatial practices, which deeply affected the urban and architectural image of the city. In this contribution, we wish to investigate how these processes of influence took place by tracing the narratives of these merchants’ life in Izmir. The submission to the UNESCO World Heritage List defined the port city of Izmir based solely on the physical boundaries of the historic urban fabrics, thereby not addressing the impact of the cosmopolitan life of the city in its wider territorial context, extending beyond historical waterfront. Our contribution will show how the culture of the port city affected the former residential neighborhoods of the trading families, that are today interwoven with the modern districts of Izmir. We chose to focus our inquiry on the urban life of the 19th century: looking at the stories of those who inhabited, used, and visited the city at the peak of its cosmopolitan culture, it is possible to understand the tight relationships between waterfront and hinterland of the city.@en

This dissertation is an invitation to the reader to explore Güzel İzmir / Beautiful İzmir in Turkey. Through three different semi-fictional narratives, it aims to draw attention to specific and singular spaces as they were recorded and remembered through old postcards, black and white photographs, stories, and written travelogues in the past centuries and decades. Thus, it wants to discuss the specificity of an eastern Mediterranean port city by addressing it on eye-level through the experiences of a wanderer. By acknowledging the important role of narratives in building an image of the city, this doctoral research proposes that developing a particular narrative writing method may help to re-establish emotional connections between present-day inhabitants of port cities and their environments. It offers an alternative way of writing and an unconventional reading of the urban and architectural history of İzmir to revive socio-spatial practices by writing narratives of Beautiful İzmir.@en

İzmir, amongst Eastern Mediterranean port cities, has represented compelling architectural and urban developments during the long nineteenth century. Due to their particular geographical position, the port city of İzmir has been considered a place where "East meets West". Building on what Edward Said calls intertwined history, this paper proposes a lens to read cross-cultural architectural practices at entangled territories by closely examining paired determinants from the East and the West. With the duality in mind, this study borrows the concept of "contact zone" from the field of linguistics to identify the correlation of the Eastern and Western norms, knowledge, ethics, values, techniques that led to architectural knowledge production and architectural practices. Mary Louise Pratt coined the contact zone as "spaces where disparate cultures meet, clash, and grapple with each other, often in highly asymmetrical relations of domination and subordination." This study departs from "asymmetrical relations of power" that exist in architectural practices. Not only does the concept allow us to understand the characteristics and dissemination of architectural knowledge, but also it allows us to address the unspoken and invisible process of decision-making in architectural practices. To test the concept for architecture, the 19th-century row-house development in İzmir, i.e., İzmir house, is an appropriate concrete case. Dissecting the building and construction process of the İzmir house through the lens of the contact zone reveals how much the West is present in the East, or vice versa. In conclusion, this paper shows that besides material artifacts and explicit architectural knowledge; socio-cultural contexts and values are also embedded in the architectures. By shining a light on the underlying patterns of the social, spatial, cultural encounters, the concept of "contact zone" establishes a better understanding of the specificity of the knowledge that diverse variables have collectively generated.@en

Port cities have traditionally played an essential role in local and transnational networks. The spatial imprints of cross-border flows and socio-spatial interactions in port cities have left intertwined and entangled histories. However, the physical presence of these rich histories is not always visible. Port cities went through a socio-spatial metamorphosis since the early 20th-century. A series of local and global events have triggered significant transformations, among these: globalisation, natural and human-made disasters, de-industrialisation and changes in regulation (neo-liberal policies), changing social conditions (migration and population exchanges). Such events have resulted in rapid, sometimes haphazard, urbanisation while regeneration projects have erased in many places tangible traces of history. Many European and East Mediterranean port cities were also affected by armed conflicts. Contemporary waterfront regeneration projects produce generic results that further conceal the marks from the past. Despite the physical transformations of port cities, historical narratives remain. Global trade and transnational exchange left tangible imprints on urban patterns and manifested itself in cultural expressions such as paintings, engravings, travelogues, novels, travel books, and poems. Authors, artists, and travellers found inspiration in port facilities such as quays, customs houses, warehouses and site-specific urban typologies and street patterns, as well as social spaces in the cities. In such narratives, many protagonists are brought together, from elite traders, local governors, and white-collar workers (e.g. engineers, developers), to the domestic and foreign labour classes, transit passengers and sailors, and local inhabitants. This issue seeks to investigate port-city narratives and their relevance to the architecture of port cities in two eras: the development of the 19th- and early 20th-centuries, and current transformations. First, we approach the theme from the historical point of view, aiming to compile 19th-century and beginning 20th-century urban narratives that evoke memories of port cities and define their cultural narrative today. Secondly, we look at transnational traces in port cities and in former port areas that are subject to contemporary developments. In studying the past and present of European and East Mediterranean port cities and their intertwined histories, we aim to reveal several questions: How may narratives inform designers, and how can narratives be used in contemporary design approaches? What is the role of the architect/planner in the contemporary narrative formation of port cities, particularly in the changing context of port-city relations? Lastly, how can narratives be a tool for the preservation of the built environment that is subject to transnational exchanges? We encourage authors elaborating architecture projects that have been or are being developed in former port areas, in relation to the narratives. It is also possible to come up with new narratives for the futures of port cities by addressing following questions: What are the possible narratives and tools which may re-connect the citizens to the port city and its history? How can urban narratives contribute to the further development of the city and influence decision-makers? Papers with a historical focus that elaborate on diverse societies (i.e. elites, intellectuals, travellers, clientele, peoples), and touch upon promotional, touristic, ideological or political intentions; Papers that provide insights for urban agenda's (both for urban developments and conservation plans); Projects or experimental designs that propose a design approach and ideas based on the representational value of port cities. We are particularly interested in the contributions that would reflect on how historical narratives can be used for contemporary design within the changing socio-spatial context and shifting viewpoints in the depiction of the cities.@en

Port cities have traditionally played an essential role in local and transnational networks. The spatial imprints of cross-border flows and socio-spatial interactions in port cities have left intertwined and entangled histories. However, the physical presence of these rich histories is not always visible. Port cities went through a socio-spatial metamorphosis since the early 20th-century. A series of local and global events have triggered significant transformations, among these: globalisation, natural and human-made disasters, de-industrialisation and changes in regulation (neo-liberal policies), changing social conditions (migration and population exchanges). Such events have resulted in rapid, sometimes haphazard, urbanisation while regeneration projects have erased in many places tangible traces of history. Many European and East Mediterranean port cities were also affected by armed conflicts. Contemporary waterfront regeneration projects produce generic results that further conceal the marks from the past. Despite the physical transformations of port cities, historical narratives remain. Global trade and transnational exchange left tangible imprints on urban patterns and manifested itself in cultural expressions such as paintings, engravings, travelogues, novels, travel books, and poems. Authors, artists, and travellers found inspiration in port facilities such as quays, customs houses, warehouses and site-specific urban typologies and street patterns, as well as social spaces in the cities. In such narratives, many protagonists are brought together, from elite traders, local governors, and white-collar workers (e.g. engineers, developers), to the domestic and foreign labour classes, transit passengers and sailors, and local inhabitants. This issue seeks to investigate port-city narratives and their relevance to the architecture of port cities in two eras: the development of the 19th- and early 20th-centuries, and current transformations. First, we approach the theme from the historical point of view, aiming to compile 19th-century and beginning 20th-century urban narratives that evoke memories of port cities and define their cultural narrative today. Secondly, we look at transnational traces in port cities and in former port areas that are subject to contemporary developments. In studying the past and present of European and East Mediterranean port cities and their intertwined histories, we aim to reveal several questions: How may narratives inform designers, and how can narratives be used in contemporary design approaches? What is the role of the architect/planner in the contemporary narrative formation of port cities, particularly in the changing context of port-city relations? Lastly, how can narratives be a tool for the preservation of the built environment that is subject to transnational exchanges? We encourage authors elaborating architecture projects that have been or are being developed in former port areas, in relation to the narratives. It is also possible to come up with new narratives for the futures of port cities by addressing following questions: What are the possible narratives and tools which may re-connect the citizens to the port city and its history? How can urban narratives contribute to the further development of the city and influence decision-makers? Papers with a historical focus that elaborate on diverse societies (i.e. elites, intellectuals, travellers, clientele, peoples), and touch upon promotional, touristic, ideological or political intentions; Papers that provide insights for urban agenda's (both for urban developments and conservation plans); Projects or experimental designs that propose a design approach and ideas based on the representational value of port cities. We are particularly interested in the contributions that would reflect on how historical narratives can be used for contemporary design within the changing socio-spatial context and shifting viewpoints in the depiction of the cities.@en

Transnational exchanges between France and the Ottoman Empire, the German-speaking world and Turkey, respectively, were foundational in the professionalization of Ottoman-Turkish architects. In regard to changing regimes, the architecture school Sanayi-i Nefise Mektebi in Istanbul was the key node for pedagogical exchanges and the development of a pioneer architectural program. This paper focuses on three periods between 1882 and 1968 marked with pivotal moments of encounters in the history of the architecture school to have a better understanding of the formation of an urban design pedagogy in Turkey. Established in 1882 by Osman Hamdi, the École des Beaux-Arts served as a model for the architecture school until the appointment of Ernst Egli in 1930. Egli made radical changes to the curriculum in parallel to the modern movement and linked architectural competitions to education. Furthermore, Egli’s suggestion to his assistant Sedad H. Eldem of finding the source of knowledge in vernacular architecture gave a new direction to the architectural pedagogy. From 1936 until his sudden death in 1938, Bruno Taut led the architectural program, placing specific focus on housing in architectural design studios and introducing the concepts of Zeilenbau and Existenzminimum—the theme of the CIAM II held in Frankfurt-am-Main in 1929. Until the next institutional reform in 1968, Eldem consolidated the architectural program and pedagogy, which are still well-protected today by a staunch three-generation of lecturers. Surveying vernacular architecture has been an educational focus, and Existenzminimum has become the norm in architectural design studios. Eldem expanded architectural education to offices of architect-lecturers who worked on architectural competitions with students. Born from transnational exchanges, the École Sedad Hakkı Eldem ingrained new ways of thinking about architecture and urban design in Turkey through French notions (e.g. atelier, esquisse, béton armé, project) that made Ottoman concepts obsolete and paved a new path for the architecture profession in practice.@en

Around 1661, Johannes Vermeer painted what has become one of the most famous city views: the View of Delft. The city of Delft is depicted from across the water of the River Schie. We see the city as a collection of brick buildings with lower and higher towers, peaking into the sky, and being reflected in the water of the river. The light looks alive: despite the clouds it is bright, setting the buildings of Delft and the riverbank in the foreground in a palpable warmth. Delft, an intermediate European city in the province of South Holland, between The Hague and Rotterdam, has featured quite prominently in Dutch city narratives, partially thanks to Vermeer’s paintings, which showed fragments of both spatial and social characteristics of the city in the sev-enteenth century. In the same period, biologist Anthoni van Leeuwenhoek experimented with lenses and built a microscope, which led to the discovery of the micro-world of cells and bacteria. The city’s small streets, the canals, the church towers and the market squares still remind us of the times of Vermeer and Van Leeuwenhoek. But Delft today, as a centre of trade, knowl-edge and art, is a very vibrant city, with the University of Technology as one of its most celebrated contemporary inhabitants. The TU Delft is recog-nized around the world for educating progressive thinkers and innovators in varied engineering fields, while its Faculty of Architecture has raised, and keeps raising, inspired generations of architects and designers. As Delft is the city where this Writing Urban Place network originated, and where many members of the network have lived, studied or lectured, or are still doing all the above, we have asked our Delft-related colleagues for their views on Delft, painting for our readers, in words, their accounts of the sociospatial characteristics of this city, their relationship with the water, their favourite urban places, their personal Views of Delft.@en

Interactions between European experts and Turkish dignitaries largely influenced modern Turkish architecture, particularly in the first half of the 20th century. In recent decades, scholars have widely acknowledged the exchanges between the German-speaking world and Turkey. Building on the existing research, this study highlights the contribution of Dutch architect Dudok to Turkish architecture. The focus of the paper is contrary to the conventional modernist view, and instead shifts the emphasis on the perspective of a port city. Dudok's unrealized project for Konak Square is not only insightful for modern architecture but also provides an invaluable take on designing port cities. The shift in the perception of space and definition of place in port cities is a direct consequence of global history. After the foundation of the Republic of Turkey, the waterfronts of Izmir became primary sites for the application of the modern planning ideas. However, the question of how to build in port cities after the fall of cosmopolitanism remained overlooked during the 20th century. Instead, how to build a modern country was the main focus of the government. The top-down modernization failed to understand Izmir and its changing dynamics. This process resulted in the rapid transformation of Izmir’s waterfronts as a site for housing development. This experience stands as a testimony for the importance of reading port cities from a holistic perspective. In response to the complex dynamics of Izmir, Dudok's project for Konak square is used to understand the design process of a port city. In conclusion, this paper points out that Dudok's attempt is a crucial reminder that the waterfront is a Janus-faced area. Understanding the post-cosmopolitan era highlights the characteristics of Izmir’s waterfront. It suggests that decision-makers and designers must equally consider the perception of port cities both from the land and sea. Dudok’s solution for Izmir in the mid 20th century also shines a light on how to design in port cities today.@en

‘A-BK Since 2000’ is an on-going virtual exhibition and an ever-expanding curated digital repository for the research output of the Department of Architecture (TU Delft). It documents and reflects a part of the architectural culture of the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment (TU Delft) since 2000.@en

This project focuses on the port city of İzmir’s cosmopolitan history and its relevance to present-day. The port city of İzmir, like other Eastern Mediterranean port cities, was home to different cultures between the 15th and 20th centuries [1]. For trade, cosmopolitanism secured social and economic networks and shared cultural settings. İzmir’s geographical location played a considerable role in the increasing attraction of trade and economic wealth. Located on the central Aegean Coastline of Anatolia, İzmir represents an extraordinary example of port city development associated with the global overseas trade during the Ottoman Era(1425-1918). This development was strongly influenced by social and spatial practices, and interactions originated by port actions and enriched through intermingling with local features and practices. Until the 20th century, port activities and a web of trade built and developed port cities at various scales from the waterfront to its outskirts. From the establishments of the large infrastructures (e.g., port, quay, railways) to the emergence of spaces in single buildings(e.g., hotel lobbies, social clubs, tea houses), have built and expanded the port cities under the established networks of knowledge, experts. Moreover, the relationships between social groups and individuals who took diverse roles in trade manifested in architecture and urban spaces.@en