Landscape Architecture: Istanbul, Turkey
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Landscape Architecture: Istanbul, Turkey By: Julia Krummel Brief History Before “Westernization” in the 1850s no real designed public urban spaces within Ottoman cities aristocracy used landscape and garden design to express their power and wealth “gardens of yali” Baroque era Tulip Period Beginning of Republican Era-invited designers/landscape/urban planners from around world 1940s-beginnings of modernization within Istanbul 1950s-change from single party government to multiparty democracy, integration into capitalist world economy, rapid urbanization took over society 1960s-70s-deteriating economy, continued migration to cities, shanty towns become economic commodity, constantly filling up space 1980-90s- rural migrants shape/affect the city by creating own, unique ways of life, values, and culture Amount of Green Space per Person (m²) Landscape Design and Functionality in Istanbul Today “In Istanbul the lack of space causes people to use space more creatively. For example, a lot of people use roofs for gardens. Corporate offices or restaurants, or private residences use their roofs for inhabitable spaces. Also, I found myself having to shift my thinking that landscape architecture isn't just plants and trees. Here some times it's just not possible for plants and trees to survive, you can also create landscape architecture with many, many other elements.”-Brit Example: Kemerlife XXI Project Water utilization/storage/ reserve project Collects rainwater in the “aqua garden” Microclimate with plants specific to water ecosystem Walking paths between buildings mimic materials of the buildings-which are all natural and local Examples: Roofs, multilevel, etc. Edible Estate garden headquarters at SALT Beyoglu, Istanbul Meydan Shopping Center Witt Hotel, Istanbul Sishane Park Unprogrammed, Unplanned Spaces “If there is any open space, it will be filled and it will be well used. Even if there is no design involved. One of my favorite scenes on Istanbul was driving along a crowded 8 lane highway with banked slopes on a hot summer weekend. There were loads of people with little barbecues having a picnic on these grassy slopes next to the highway! And you could see they were so happy because they had a little spot of grass to sit on. Also, because a great amount of the public aren't that wealthy, walking around the city is a very poplar past time. It is free, and there are always people just walking around, sitting around with their families or friends. So for that reason it's really important to have public spaces in this city.” - Brit “take place on the vast areas of grass that lie between motorways and crossroads across the city”-”The Potential of Istanbul’s Unprogrammed Public Spaces” Layers of Istanbul’s Landscape Design Political Designed by government for the government, designed by government for the public, designed by the public for the public Social Diverse group of people sharing space Cultural Uses of the space, people shaping the space, relating to cultural diversity of Istanbul Historical Historical aspects of designing landscapes Natural Importance of natural elements Designed vs. unplanned Scale local vs. global Specific case studies: Yildiz and Emirgan Parks “Traditional” Historical Imperial Gardens (publicly funded) Yildiz Park Forest during Byzantine times hunting grounds gardens behind seaside palaces French influenced One of largest public parks in Istanbul Originally imperial garden during 19th century at Yildiz Palace during reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid II of Ottoman Empire Walled off park only used by inhabitants of palace Made up of artificial lake, small pavilions, summer vacation houses, variety of plant life and tree species Today: opened up to public use, tourist attraction, contains free outdoor fitness facilities Yildiz Park Emirgan Park One of largest public parks Similar to Yildiz Park in many ways Located on coast of Bosphorus Known as “Cypress Forest” in Byzantine times Since mid-16th century, the owner of the estate and gardens changed several time among various Ottoman Empire leaders 1860s-owned by Khedive Ismail Pasha, Ottoman governor of Egypt and Sudan Used area as backyard of his yali on Bosphorus Built 3 wooden pavilions that still exist today 1930s-land granted to the City of Istanbul Today serves as public park Serves as center of festivities during International Istanbul Tulip Festival every April concerts, exhibitions, performances Emirgan Park Specific Case Studies: Meydan Shopping Center, Zorlu Center Park Modern Landscape Design Projects (privately funded) Meydan Shopping Center “Meydan”= traditional Turkish term meaning “square” and “mundane space”-not as structurally rigid as typical squares/plazas Modern approach to landscape design of public space that looks to past traditional cultural values Use of roof as green space Multifunctional Bringing together many different people Large open spaces allow for variety of activities/use Connecting people to different parts of surrounding city Variety of views Different levels Meydan Shopping Center Zorlu Center/Playground Large multifunctional shopping center similar to Meydan Shopping Center Internal open central green space Largest playground development in Istanbul Gradients of colors, spaces, shapes, forms, activities, sizes of structures to accommodate wide range of ages of children using space Made up of unique forms, colors, levels Integrated within surrounding city Natural gradient Zorlu Center/Playground Specific Case Study: Bosphorus and Golden Horn Waterfronts Natural Waterfront Revitalizations and Natural Unplanned Shared Spaces Greenway Project Greenways connects cultural, historical, natural aspects/places, contemporary, newer aspect to landscape design within urban settings Halic (same thing as the Golden Horn area)-major urban waterway area, where Bosphorus Strait meets Sea of Marmara, forming narrow, isolated peninsula Physical separation between “old and new” Istanbul Greenway plan-creating parks/green spaces along both shores of the Golden Horn that connect variety of people, places, cultures, activities Plans for the Halic Greenway Project Sources Baykan, Aysegul, and Tali Hatuka. "Politics and Culture in the Making of Public Space: Taksim Square, 1 May 1977, Istanbul." Planning Perspectives 25.1 (2010): 49-68. Web. Cesarz, Michael, Manina Ferreira-Erlenbach, Murat Pulat, and Cornelia Tomerius. Meydan Shopping Square: Ein Neuer Prototyp Von FOA = A New Prototype by FOA: A Metro Group Project in Istanbul. Berlin: Jovis, 2007. Print. Erman, Tahire. "The Politics of Squatter ( Gecekondu ) Studies in Turkey: The Changing Representations of Rural Migrants in the Academic Discourse." Urban Studies 38.7 (2001): 983-1002. Web. Fuller, R. A., and K. J. Gaston. "The Scaling of Green Space Coverage in European Cities." Biology Letters 5.3 (2009): 352-55. Web. "Istanbul." Landscape Architecture Works Landezine RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2015. Kafescioğlu, Çiğdem. Constantinopolis/Istanbul: Cultural Encounter, Imperial Vision, and the Construction of the Ottoman Capital. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State UP, 2009. Print. "Landscape Architecture Magazine." Landscape Architecture Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2015. "Laud8 -landscape Architecture+urban Design." Laud8 Landscape Architecture+urban Design. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2015. "Meydan Retail Complex and Multiplex." Laud8 Landscape Architecture+urban Design. N.p., 29 Sept. 2010. Web. 13 Apr. 2015. "Parkland per Person in the United States - Per Square Mile." Per Square Mile. N.p., 27 Jan. 2011. Web. 13 Apr. 2015. "Short History of Landscape Architecture in Turkey." Short History of Landscape Architecture in Turkey. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2015. .