An alternative reading of urban memory in the context of anthropocene debates: Dolapdere, Istanbul

In the past century, rapid urbanization, technological developments, and human activities have caused major changes not only in the physical environment but also in the way we think about the world. Modern knowledge systems based on a strict nature-culture divide have become unsustainable, especially in the 21st century. Human-centered perspectives have played a major role in causing and continuing ecological crises, social injustices, and spatial fragmentation. In this context, the concept of the Anthropocene offers more than just a definition of a new environmental era—it invites us to rethink our understanding of time, space, and subjectivity. This thesis aims to reconsider urban memory not as a process created solely by humans, but as one shaped by the mutual interactions between human and non-human actors, within the intellectual and ecological rupture introduced by the Anthropocene. Memory is seen not only as a representation of the past but as a multi-layered process where time, space, and subjectivity are entangled. From the perspective of architecture and urban studies, memory is not only social, but also spatial and ecological. This idea provides a critical framework to rethink architectural practices in the age of the Anthropocene. The theoretical background of the thesis is shaped by posthumanist theory, new materialist thinking, and object-oriented ontology. Key concepts include Karen Barad (2019)'s spacetimemattering, which views time as non-linear and interconnected; Manuel DeLanda (2017)'s theory of assemblage, and Donna Haraway (2016)'s idea of sympoiesis, or collective becoming. Based on these ideas, memory is conceptualized through three main themes: multi-temporality, object-orientation, and multi-spatiality. The thesis proposes an alternative method that focuses on multisensory, material-based readings of urban space, as well as traditional archive and representation-based approaches. Alongside literature analysis and conceptual interpretation, the study includes qualitative field research and thematic analysis. Methods include walking practices, collecting natural objects, cyanotype printing, sound recordings, and collage-based layered mapping. These tools help develop a "relational encounter method" through often-overlooked materials in the city—stone, water, and plants. Stone is explored as a bearer of memory shaped by power and destruction; water as a trace of flow and invisible continuity; and plants as symbols of repair, resistance, and solidarity. This approach allows us to see urban memory not only through human experiences but also through the active presence of non-human entities. The study focuses on Dolapdere, a neighborhood in Istanbul. With its historical connection to water and its recent urban transformations, Dolapdere provides a concrete example of how memory can be both erased and reactivated—through planning policies, infrastructure interventions, and ecological elements like soil, plants, and water. The main contribution of this thesis is to offer a non-anthropocentric way of reading urban memory, combining theory with on-site experience and production. It treats memory not only as narrative or visual representation, but also as something built through sound, material, atmosphere, and ecological relations. In doing so, it offers a theoretical and methodological foundation for a more inclusive, just, and ecologically responsive approach to space-making in architecture under the conditions of the Anthropocene.