Urban development in Trabzon in the Early Republic Period (1923-1950)

The city of Trabzon has stood out as an important trade center throughout history and has been the center of attention of different civilizations due to its geographical and strategic location. With the advantages of being a port city, it was located at the intersection of trade routes and became a regional center. Trabzon, which was also the heart of trade during the Ottoman period, grew physically and spatially and was equipped with port structures, inns, bazaars and administrative structures. This spatial development enabled Trabzon to create a strong urban identity in the process until the declaration of the Republic. Trabzon, which was invaded by the Russians during World War I, entered the early years of the Republic in a difficult situation. In the first few years after the liberation of the city, there was no visible improvement in the city's most important fundamental problems of development, cleaning, electric lighting, clean water and health. However, the municipal activities that were restructured shortly after the declaration of the Republic made significant contributions to the development and transformation of the city. This study examines the urban development of Trabzon in the Early Republican Period (1923-1950). The changes in the concept of urbanism after the foundation of the Republic of Turkey led to significant developments and transformations in the physical and spatial structure of Trabzon. In this context, it is aimed to investigate many issues such as zoning plan studies, design of parks needed by the city's people, design of modern squares, cleaning of the city, providing electricity to the city that did not yet have electricity, providing clean water, organizing transportation, opening new roads and construction of modern public buildings. In addition to these, the functional areas in which Trabzon was planned in the said period, the effects of these areas on the social, economic and physical structure of the city and their roles on urban development are examined. In addition, the commercial activity areas constructed are investigated and the contributions of these production units to the spatial and physical growth of the city are examined. In the research, the development process of the city was examined using archive documents, maps, city plans, photographs, periodical newspaper news and local government records. All the data obtained were evaluated with a comparative analysis method in order to reveal the transformations in the historical process. In the light of this data, how the planned urbanization concept was shaped in the Republican Period Trabzon, in what aspects the traditional urban texture changed and the reflections of the modernization process in the city were revealed. This study is an important example of the urban development initiatives carried out in Trabzon in the Early Republican Period, in terms of showing the reflection of modern urbanism principles on Anatolian cities. While this process reinforced the role of Trabzon in regional development, it also pioneered the modernization of urbanism. This study aims to reveal the contributions of this period to the spatial memory of the city by examining the urban development process of Trabzon in the Early Republican Period in terms of zoning plans, spatial organizations, urban transformation and innovations.