The role of rallway stations and railway avenues on urban spatial structure: The case of Ankara stations

Being one of the most reliable means of transportation of the 19th century, the railway network, which developed with the invention of steam trains, provided the establishment of a new and open transportation network for the world states. The extension of this systemic development to Anatolia coincides with the 1830's during the Ottoman Empire period. Although the construction of railways in this period caused urban, structural and spatial changes in Anatolia and port cities, the main changes took place in the founding period of the Turkish Republic after the national struggle. The Republic, unlike the Ottoman Empire, followed national and modern policies in the construction of railways, and thus, national railway and industrial policies supported the development of Anatolian cities. After the proclamation of the Republic, the country was covered with railway networks. With the railway construction, it was aimed to ensure economic integration and internal market integrity across the country, and it became one of the most important components of spatial structuring in Anatolian cities together with the industrialization movement. Although railway construction showed a slowing trend after the establishment period, high-speed train lines started to be built by 2000's in accordance with the development of transportation technologies. Recent railway applications prioritizing the development of high-speed trains require understanding the production of new stations, which are the stopping points in these new networks, and their impact on urban space. The aim of this thesis is to read the spatial impacts of the railways since their initial constructions in late Ottoman Empire period, causing structural changes in Anatolian cities. For this, first of all, the effects of the railway lines built in the pre-Republican and establishment period on creating urban space was monitored through the stations and station streets. Then, the effects of the recently constructed stations on urban space was investigated. Departing from the case of Ankara city, where the practices of each period can be followed, the study put forward the influence of stations and station streets on producing urban Gates and urban spire in the spatial structuring. Examining the extent to which railway stations affect the morphology of the city and the traces on urban development and change through the case study, this thesis aims at developing a baseline for the cities that are open to experience of being the stopping point of the newly built lines.