Urban memory of İzmir

Human and the environment are structures that interact and transform each other as an integral whole. This structure shows itself in both micro and macro areas. Urban memory is a collective memory that is built as an integral part of urban identity, together with the cultural, social and historical experiences of the inhabitants of the city. The research was carried out in İzmir, a city where different cultures lived since ancient times due to its geographical position and characteristics. The daily change of the İzmir Urban Memory, which varies according to the cultural characteristics of the groups living in the city, the usage practices of the city and the historical turning around, has been examined according to the ethnic groups and time with different characteristics. There are many reasons to investigate this change. The first is to make visible the changing identity spaces and the activities performed in these spaces on the basis of the group. The second aim is to shed light on a more livable city through the identification of urban inhabitants' thoughts and criticism. The third purpose is to identify the places and events that have disappeared over time, and to make the changing urban identity visible through the discovery of today's spaces and events. For this purpose, Izmir representations and practices of using İzmir as a place of 12 different groups living in İzmir for at least 30 years, who migrated to İzmir or who were born in Izmir and have different historical backgrounds, were searched. The research consists of in-depth interviews with a total of 59 participants, 33 of whom are women and 26 of whom are men, living in different regions of Izmir. The texts obtained at the end of the transcription of the interviews were analyzed by content analysis. The results are similar for all groups living in İzmir. Despite the increase in daily facilities and services from the past; it is observed that in the past period, more and more kinds of İzmir places and activities were realized. The changing aspects of İzmir Urban Memory have been determined with the determination of the mentioned places. The conclusions and limitations in this context are discussed in the light of literature.