continuity and change in workplaces of beyoglu in the period 1950-2011

Abstract

20th century witnessed Istanbul's unexpected and tumultuous economic, politic, social and spatial transformation. In the first quarter of the 20th century, Istanbul lost half of its population and went through a stagnated duration; however the city regained its importance and former population at the end of 1950's. The city's macroform and transportation infrastructure that could have easily handled the needs of the city at the beginning of the 20th century. However migration accalerated by industrilization began with 1950's and increased need for more transport infrastructure in the urban area and other cities. Due to these rooted changes, the city's macroform turned inside out in terms of spatial context. During this tumultuous and multi-layered transformation period, Istanbul's central business district was restructured and Istanbul pursued being the centre of commerce and economy in the country. In the last decade of the 20th century, with the influential effect of producer services, this transformation and change was reflected to the sectoral and spatial environment. 1950 and following years are the times of radical transformation of the economic, social and cultural structure for Istanbul. The structure and function, cultural and ethnic diversity, the appearance and silhouette the city had sustained for thousands of years has started to change first gradually in the 1950s, then dramatically in the 1970s and finally 1990s and 2000s Istanbul has become an unorganized, unplanned giant metropolis. In this framework, Istanbul's fastest transforming district, Beyoglu underwent through some big changes in economic, cultural and daily-life aspects. In this context, Beyoglu district which is a perfect example to observe the transformations that Turkish city went through between the years 1950 and 2010 and the influence of producer services during this transformation period. This research is aimed at analyzing the workplace geography of Beyoglu district in the period 1950-2011. Research focusing on; - recognition of sectoral assemblages that produces and reproduces economic and spatial change and transformation; - discovering the economic and spatial differentiation and segmentation which characterized by spatial shifts in years; - characterizing and monitoring the economic and spatial transformation processes by using policies, actions, and tools. The research analyzes the economic landscape of Beyoglu in the 20th century period with adopting a relational perspective. The research looks in detail to the characteristics and activity assemblages of economic structure of Beyoglu, spatial formations of change and transformation, and the effect of these all economic processes to the formation of the district and the city.