Bakirkoy Cumhuriyet Square Urban Design Project
Year: | 2020 |
Location: | Bakirkoy, Istanbul |
Site: | 1,000,000 m² |
Client: | Bakirkoy Municipality |
Bakirkoy has witnessed three different civilizations since the 2nd century. Every society has left its own culture and architecture to Bakirkoy. The geographical location of the once upon a time small fishing village is one of the most critical factors that urbanized it in the historical process. Bakirkoy, the summer resort of the high-level administrators of Byzantium, was also used as a military training ground. The summer resort feature, which continued in the Ottoman period, was preserved until the early 1950s; After this date, as in all Istanbul, its landscape matrix has changed rapidly. Bakirkoy has pioneered the industrial and innovation developments of Istanbul from past to present, but today it is losing its position. The most important feature that does not change is its heterogeneous structure; it has hosted different cultures, religions, and functions from past to present. The city form, which cannot meet the current demands and needs of this heterogeneous tissue, necessitates the production of flexible space. Heterogeneous tissue has been accepted as both the main problem of the study and has a great potential to guide the study. At every stage of the study, we aimed to analyze the heterogeneous texture of the area and to transfer the functions corresponding to the obtained parameters. In Bakirkoy, we sought the old and new traces of social-cultural lives reflected in the physical realm. Also, we evaluated the multiculturalism and stratification situation from the past of the area to the present. And then, we added the axis of Digital Society-Smart City, taking into account the pioneering role of Bakirkoy in technology and innovation for Istanbul at all times. Based on historical traces, economy, socio-cultural structure, land use, and transportation, we defined three design keywords: digital design, flexible design, and universal design.