The settlements of the emigrants and the transformation dynamics of these areas today in the spatial and social change process of İzmir: Case of Eşrefpaşa/İzmir

Great Exchange of Populations was concentrated in this study which contains the demographic, cultural, economic and sociological effects of the migration process in the centre of İzmir, one of the most important port cities in the Eastern Mediterranean since the 19th century. A transformation process took place in Turkey and Greece in spatial, sociological, economic and cultural fields within the context of the population exchange. The production of information belonging to the population exchange that guided the transformation process had not taken place until the 1990s in Turkey. However, there are many documents forming data about such an important period. Liquidation requests, verbal expressions and area itself are important resources at this point. These sources create a content that will make it possible to understand the historical evolution of the city of Izmir, and it is the base for all varieties of decisions and strategies that will assist to carry into future. Accordingly, the settlements of the emigrants were tried to be determined through the liquidation requests in the study. The Eşrefpaşa district, which was a migrant settlement attached to the city centre, has been one of the primary living spaces of the emigrants in the centre of the town and one of the city's entrance gates. Maps and plans belonging to the 20th century were used, comparisons were made on the historical, demographic and socio-cultural character of the Eşrefpaşa district, which has been formed mainly by the settlement of emigrants and immigrants until today in this unique study. The spatial transform process of the district was examined in line with planning practices within the scope of the ways in which demographic changes based on migration from past to present affect the physical environment. Thus, the needs, problems and potentials of Eşrefpaşa, which is multilayered spatially and socially, was emphasized and it was stressed that it should be articulated to the city by offering a healthy urban life within the framework of the planning decisions, as it is an essential part of the urban collective consciousness.