Population exchange in Gaziosmanpaşa district: Socio-cultural and spatial analysis

Gaziosmanpaşa district, one of the 39 districts of Istanbul located in the Çatalca-Kocaeli sub-region of the Marmara Region, is an important study area due to its historical waterways. Nowadays,Gaziosmanpaşa district consists of 16 neighborhoods. Is this study, the population exchange, socio-cultural characteristics, quality and quantity of the population and spatial distribution of the Gaziosmanpaşa district from 1927 to the present were examined with various data and interpreted using tables, graphics and maps. In the past, the study area, which was called Taşlıtarla and Göktepe, was brought to the status of village and town, respectively, while it was connected to Boyalık sub-district of Çatalca district and Rami sub-district of Eyüp district before becoming a district. As a result of the increase in the total population of the study area, especially as of the 1950s, it became a district in 1963, taking the name Gaziosmanpaşa. The district got its name from Gazi Osman Pasha, who fought heroically in the Pleven Wars between the years 1877-1878 between the Ottoman Empire and Russia and was admired worldwide. The study area has received immigrants from different countries such as Bulgaria, Former Yugoslavia, Greece and Romania and from different regions of our country since the 1950s. As a result of migrations, the population of the district increased and irregular settlement areas emerged. As a result of the migrations in Gaziosmanpaşa, where societies with different cultures live together, the population has transformed from a homogeneous structure to a heterogeneous one. This situation also affected the socio-cultural and economic activities of the district. According to TUIK 2021 population data, migration movements continue in Gaziosmanpaşa with a population of 493,096 and it is estimated that the total population will increase in the future with the population projections made. In this study, the exchanges and developments in the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the total population in Gaziosmanpaşa district between 1927 and 2020 were examined, solutions were sought due to the continuous increase in the population, and population estimations for the future were made with the prepared population projections. Keywords: İstanbul, Gaziosmanpaşa, Population, Balkan Migrations, Socio-cultural Development, Spatial Analysis, Urban Population, Rural Population, Population Projection