The revitalization of urban waterfront: A proposal for İstanbul Harbor

Throughout history, waterfronts have been a preferred site for settlement, development of urbanization, settlement of industry, and for use as a social habitat. Due to the importance of water, waterfronts have provided social, economic, aesthetic and recreational opportunities which have had a positive effect on their related cities. In the Industrial Era, waterfronts in the city centre had begun being used by factories and ports offering transportation services. After the 1960's, with various advances in technology and developments in transportation systems, industrial areas and ports have moved from waterfronts in the city centres. Meanwhile, the concept of the revitalization through revaluation of dysfunctional and abandoned urban waterfronts has been introduced. The United States and Europe having been pioneers, the revitalization of post-industrial waterfronts have projected positively on the cities. The issue of the revaluation of urban waterfront areas in Turkey has begun in the 1970's. The Port of Istanbul which is located in the city centre and is composed of the Galata and Salıpazarı quays had remained functional until 1986. It has lost its function as it was gradually closed to freighters in 1986 and TIR entries in 1988, and is still today closed to the city and public use as it began to service cruise ships in 1994. This thesis study aims to present a project proposal by researching the development and transformations of urban waterfronts throughout history, revitalised world examples and the history of the Karaköy waterfront which includes the study area, the Port of Istanbul, and by determining the criteria of a design approach that will reintegrate the Port of Istanbul into the city, the urban waterfront and the citizens. Pursuant to the aim of the thesis, a literature review of the academic studies between 1960 and 2013 both in Turkey and the rest of the world has been conducted. In order to fully understand the methods and prominent topics, world examples regarding the revitalization of the degenerated urban waterfronts after the Industrial Era have been researched and studied. While developing a proposition for the regeneration of the Port of Istanbul, the main focus of the thesis, for public use, physical and social data analyses of the study area and the Karaköy waterfront of which it is a part of, have been made and evaluated. This thesis study is composed of 5 main sections. The Introduction which is the first section, thoroughly explains the purpose, context and method of the thesis. The second section proceeds under the heading "The Concept of the Waterfront and the History of the Use of Waterfronts". First of all, a literature review has been made in this section to pave the way for the thesis. This literature review covers the academic studies that have begun in the 1960's with the revaluation and revitalization of urban waterfronts after the Industrial Era. After the analysis of the academic studies as decades, it has been observed that they are pieces of a system that is constantly undergoing change and development. Through academic studies and criticism regenerative designs have formed all over the world. Since examinations and research without definitions, rules or boundaries would be inadequate, the concept of the waterfront, forms of waterfronts and their definitions have been researched and integrated into the thesis study. Finally in this section, the historical course and progress of the formation of waterfront cities and their development into urban waterfronts have been studied. The process of the formation of waterfront cities with the settlement era, their development and growth into port cities, and then with port areas nourishing the industry, their development into prominent industrial areas, and finally, their abandonment as the industry recedes from the waterfronts, has been told. Moreover, research regarding the methods and their results of regenerative studies on abandoned, post-industrial waterfronts has also been included. The third section, 'The Revitalization of Urban Waterfronts and World Examples' first of all discusses the revitalization of urban waterfronts. It studies how the waterfront areas that have been abandoned in factory and port wastes after the Industrial Era are regenerated for the city's and citizen's use by means of the revitalization method which is a subcategory of the urban renewal concept. In this stage, to ensure economic, social, cultural and physical gains, the necessity of revitalization and its methods are analysed. Secondly in this section, 5 projects across America, Europe, Asia and Australia of past or recent industrial areas and/or ports that no longer function as such which have been decided to be revitalized have been studied. Each of these projects have been viewed and analysed in terms of location and historical background of the project field, aim, design and application of the project, and their features which are exemplary for the Port of Istanbul which is the main focus of this thesis have been evaluated. As the past uses of the project areas are examined, sources on the history of the areas have been researched, the complete process from their very first settlements to their revitalization being taken into account. The near surroundings of the project areas along with project locations have been acquired through research from contemporary sources, having taken their relations to the project areas into consideration. After studying the project areas from their past onto their revitalization process, the design process and application of the project has been evaluated with respect to the views and assessments of the design and application companies, and the related public institutions. As a result of these evaluations, the designs have been studied under the following three main categories: past use, near surrounding use and functions in the revitalization project. In the fourth section, a revitalization proposition has been developed for the Port of Istanbul which is located on the Karaköy waterfront, is composed of the Galata and Salıpazarı quays and is the focal area of this thesis study. The constitution of a healthy and consistent project proposition has been intended for the revitalization of the Port of Istanbul through public use and its integration with the city and its citizens. Therefore, first the historical development of the Karaköy waterfronts have been covered, then the physical and social data analyses of the Port of Istanbul and the Karaköy waterfront that contains it have been formed, reviewed and preliminary studies have been made. Afterwards, the design projects for the northern part of the study area which is the Salıpazarı quay have been examined. Furthermore, the reasons behind the necessity of the revitalization of the Port of Istanbul has been explained, and the revitalization proposition of the Port of Istanbul which is a synthesis of this research, these analyses and examinations, has been the final study of the fourth section. In the fifth and final section, by an overall evaluation of the thesis study, the contributions of the suggestion of revitalization by public use, prepared for the study area, the Port of Istanbul, to both the city and its citizens have been mentioned. It has been emphasized that the revitalization of this area through the its conversion into a public open space will socially, culturally, historically, aesthetically and economically benefit the city, the waterfront area and the citizens.