Istanbul as a layered and timeless city: A reading through the metrobus axis

While the concept of time indicates a wide range of meanings across various disciplines nowadays, it transcends its established meanings when considered within the framework of the relationship between the individual and the city. The fast-paced rhythm and constantly changing dynamics of urban life also make it difficult to define the perception of time. This creates a temporal ambiguity in which the city loses its own time, struggles to connect with the past, and fails to leave a trace, revealing a period in which the city increasingly feels alienated. Repetitive routines in the city, on the other hand, make time part of the daily flow, gradually blurring the original perception of time. The aim of this thesis is to analyze the concept of time through urban stops on the Metrobus line running along the east-west axis of Istanbul, revealing the different conceptual dimensions of time in metropolitan life and their reflections on urban space. The study employs a combination of literature analysis, conceptual interpretations, field research, on-site observation, photographic documentation, and various analytical techniques. The theoretical framework established a conceptual reading and analysis grounded in approaches that shaped urban theory, such as Marc Augé's non-place, Henri Lefebvre's production of space and rhythmanalysis, and Paul Virilio's theories of speed and time. Within the scope of this thesis, Istanbul's spatial and temporal structure is examined under the subheadings of speed, stratification, and uncertainty, and the changes and transformations these concepts exert within the city are categorized. The Metrobüs line offers a striking cross-section through which to interpret Istanbul's multilayered structure and the transformation of time. During the fieldwork for this thesis, specific stops on it were selected using a purposive sampling method. Each stop's urban context, surrounding spatial appearances, level of historical and socioeconomic stratification, location within the transportation network, and responses to temporal transformations were considered. The selected stops represent diverse urban characteristics, including areas where historical continuity can be traced, urban development and transformation zones, and transitional spaces. For this reason, the aim was to examine the temporal and spatial diversity across the entire line through a limited number of stops. The research analyzed the concepts of time acceleration, stratification, and uncertainty, as well as urban intervals characterized by temporal ambiguity, through the concepts of in_between space and non-space. Consequently, the city and architecture, along with the production of physical space, are considered a dynamic organism where the layered structure of time, individual and social memories, and constantly evolving temporal practices are intertwined. The thesis illuminates the change and transformation of urban time through the concepts of uncertainty, timelessness, and the stratification of time within the axis of "layeredness, time and the city".