Urban dynamics and transformations and their impact on urban housing: the case of Istanbul

Abstract

Cities throughout the world have experienced fundamental social, cultural and economic transformation in recent decades. Socio-cultural and urban identities have been transforming radically; globalization, internationalization and the rapid flow of information, as the case in the rest of the world, have played a significant role in changing cities and their people. These changing dynamics have affected continuity and development trends in urban-housing environments and housing preferences. The multidimensional outcomes of this transformation are manifest in peculiarities of activity patterns, behavioral relationships, and socio-cultural norms, as well as in architectural and urban configurations. These rapid economic and social changes demand continual redefinition of urbanization and housing concerns. Therefore, the main aim of the article that based on ongoing research is to examine implications of urban and architectural transformations in Istanbul with the subjects of economical, cultural and political conditions. Based on these above arguments, article aims to analyze and discuss the relationship between urban dynamics and new housing developments in Istanbul in the context of transformation process. The article, which consists of five sections, has three sections besides the introduction and conclusion. In the first two part a theoretical framework is established, explaining and discussing culture, continuity and change in the process of urbanization. The second part includes the latest housing trends in Istanbul with the subjects of economical, cultural and political conditions that Turkey is already in and related. The third part examines the emerging patterns of social and cultural differentiation in Istanbul through the examples of the exclusive suburbs At the end, we argue that recent housing projects and trends represent new forms of organizing social and cultural differences, and could be read as urban forms, which create segregation and reproduce inequalities while transforming the character of public life.