Political Motivation of Research: Most of planning and design in developing countries such as Turkey is made by grand political decisions for the electoral campaigns. These grand projects create grand (too big to be designed) waste-lands in the heart of cities where the most voting potential is. We believe thinking in the opposite spectrum of scales can benefit these areas and show decision makers about potentials in thinking local and thinking in micro-scales.

 

Photographs by Gudjon Thor Erlendsso, Ertunç Hünkar and Elif Ensari

 

 

Subject of Research: The shoreline roads are a very popular urban planning approach in Turkey. These land fill areas are ornamented with flat parks on the side of the water. What is interesting for us is, all of these infill areas interact with the sea in exactly the same manner. The typical section for these parks is applied without any variation throughout Turkey. This typical section creates a 1.5 meter high step from the sea. This height which won't allow for an easy step down disables any physical access to the water. In the image above it is easy to see the effects of this typical section. It is possible to see this exact section extending as far as eye can see.

There already are some mistakenly left out areas in İstanbul where the effects of varied sections can be observed. There are boat slides on Bebek and exposed landfill rocks in Salacak shore. The public have found many interesting ways to utilize them. Sunbathing, afternoon beer with friend and cooling down in hot days are some of the uses.

 

Project Team:

 

Elif Ensari

Can Sucuoğlu

Gudjon Thor Erlendsson

Ertunç Hünkar

 

Project Assistants:

 

Aycan Terzioğlu

Mehmet Sadık Aksu

Gözde Damla Turan

Buket Öztürk

Gamze Şahin

Bengisu Özpirinççi