Taksim Square’s Transformation from a Public Space to a Representation Stage - Bilge Yılmaz

Problematizing ‘Public Space’ in Today’s Turkey “Taksim Square’s Transformation from a Public Space to a Representation Stage”

Bilge Yılmaz

The most important factor while creating a ‘public space’ is examining the context it will exist in. Also considering the needs and demands of actors in urban life, which are the users in this particular context. While preparing an intervention for a public space, single-acting and demand for annuity shouldn’t be the approach of high autorities and urban designers. Consequently this essay will argue about Taksim Square’s transformation over the years, as today being so far from the mentioned understanding. Essay will examine the Square’s transformation from a significant public area to an estranged political representation stage and a center of conflict. Topic will progress as explaning the definition of ‘public space’ and evaulating it as a main element which conducts the society. Also, emphasizing the connection of ‘public space’ with concepts as urban memory, physical environment, social – psychological environment and political influence. Then it will continue as analyzing the evoluation of Taksim Square over the years, as a whole with the reasons and results. Lastly, it will emphasize the approach which should be assimilated by high autorities and urban designers for creating and sustaining an efficient public space.

“Public spaces are, in the simplest words; available and accessible to all citizens and the common foundation for the formation of a social life, also the most important urban areas which give identity to the city.”1 Individual’s existence in urban life and city’s meaning for individual gets stronger as physical and social needs of urban actors can be fulfilled by public areas. As urban life is always in motion and has a dynamic structure, so as urban actors. Therefore, public areas in city naturally adapts to the changing features of urban life. But in our day, this natural adaptation cycle which is shaped by the user itself is getting decayed by the hand of authorities with large scaled annuity projects. This on-going situation causes the corruption of local social structure, elimination of the belonging sense and urban memory, also alienation of individuals. As a result of that, public areas are evaluating to insecure, unfamiliar, deficient and derelict parts of the city without having a meaning for urban actors.

Individuals are bonding to a certain thing by creating memories about it. “In psychology, memory is defined as the ability to store experiences and learned information with their relations to the past in mind as a result of a conscious process.” (Assmann,2001) Also we can talk about the existence of a ‘social memory’ which is common values belonging to the past experiences of a society. “Similar to that, ‘urban memory’ is kind of a collective memory that is constituted by individual’s experiences within the place itself and through its history and social environment.

‘Urban memory’ can be considered as not only through the social memory of habitants, but the collective memory of people who experience the city.” 2 ‘Taksim Square’ has been a significant public space for decades. Area is defined by the Republic Monument and contains the ‘AKM’ building which are the main symbols of Republic years. This mentioned property of the space is strengthening its bond with the conscious memory, also urban memory within.

“In later periods especially after 1970, with the effect of luxurious hotels and buildings made around the Square, ‘Taksim Square’ has become a space of government and capital’s representation area.” 3 The existing relation between individuals and public space started to corrupt as alienation and demolition of urban memory started with the large-scaled differentiation. Some of the grand on-going projects in critical locations which will have a huge impact on ‘Taksim Saqure’ are ‘Kabataş Martı’ and ‘Taksim Allitary Barrack’ projects. These are certainly familiar by public, nevertheless most of the important transformation projects on critical points effecting ‘Taksim Square’ are unfamiliar and unannounced to public. High authorities are advertising these grand projects so few to public, not even giving an opportunity to them for criticize or evaluate it. Users are basically unaware of what will happen and be changed on their daily habitat tomorrow. But on the other hand, these projects are not things that urban planners and government could decide only by their perspective. Because the economic and political profit demand of authorities would overbalance the considering of needs and requests of individuals, whether they will be the actual users in the public space.

“When we look at the functioning of the public, there are two basic mechanisms. First one is the ‘cognitive domain’ formed by bureaucracy and experts. Second one is the ‘political power’ that performs the representation function. Although these are sometimes in an inconsistency, generally works as a coalition. The plans and projects that make up the content of the decisions, and the processes that enable them to be developed, are guided by the public bureaucracy.

Politics is a representation scene where complex forms of representation techniques appears.” 4 Politicians continue to produce power by forming alliances. This power is highly sustained and reproduced by the help of bureaucracy experts. Because of that, whether urban planners and designers who are intimate with government seems to produce projects for the public benefit, they are actually guided by highly authorities which demands annuity and profit. This on-going situation shapes urban life, especially public spaces in a detrimental way.

If we turn back to the ‘Taksim Square’ case, consequently this domain public area went through a long process in time, at the effect of mentioned top-bottom design approach. In early 1980’s, there was a development plan made without having any arrangement about the green open space ‘Gezi Park’. But this plan included the transformation of immediate buildings as turning them into high buildings, hotels, business centers, also motor ways are planned to be carried under-ground with tunnels for eliminating the traffic. But this plan didn’t actualize as current Mayor lose the election. After that time in 1990’s, an arrangement planned for ‘Taksim Square’ by the subsequent Mayor which includes the biggest shopping mall of the city planning to build in there. But this plan also cancelled and found inconvenient with the objection of independent architects. Next period arrangements continue with the old project revisions, also ‘Taksim Mosque’ is planned to be build at late 1990’s. “The main issue about these transformation plans that these social strata that form a coalition with the bureaucracy impose their own public interest understanding by using the political power.” 4 The common feature of these initiatives is the lack of strategies to identify the public are and improve its quality. Especially as a continuing project, construction of the ‘Taksim Mosque’ by the hand of government in front of the ‘AKM’ building, which is a significant representative of Republic years, can be defined as the effort of government to prove itself, some kind of a power demonstration. This opposition in the area and discussions, protests of public against the new implementations and the pressure formed by the authorities are causing the public space’s main function to be forgotten and turning the space into a conflict and demonstration stage.

In conclusion as can be examined in this example, public spaces are becoming the power demonstration tools for politicians, with the help of bureaucracy and capital as time goes by.

Annuity and profit have become the most significant parameter while designing and changing the urban area. This causes the reproduction of a complex phenomenon such as the city, precepted as an ‘object’ with various sorting techniques. But ‘city’ and ‘public space’ concepts should be precepted as the ‘subject’, considering within the users themselves. The public benefit including their needs and demands should be the significant parameter while designing or intervening in the public space. Therefore, it will be useful to re-discuss this exceptional area for the development of a political alternative that will enrich life, public spaces and not produce inequality or conflict.

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2: Postalcı, İkbal Ece. The New Urban Memory. Available at: (http://www.isocarp.net/Data/case_studies/835.pdf) [accessed May 31 2019].

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