The effect of urban regeneration projects to urban identity in abondened industrial areas in the coastal regions: Baku, White City case

The economic, social and physical changes experienced with globalization have caused the displacement of industrial areas in many countries and cities, and abandoned industrial areas have emerged around the city centers. One of these projects is the urban transformation project in the Black City, the old industrial area located in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. The Black City area had established in the eastern part of Baku as a result of the revival of the oil industry in the late 19th century and gained an important role in the oil industry for more than 100 years. Gradually, the region has became difficult to live in due to environmental pollution caused by oil revenue. Since 2007, the decision to build an urban transformation project has been accepted. As a result of the environmental arrangements in the framework of project, the region gained a new identity and was transformed from Black City to White City. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the effect of Baku White City urban transformation project on the urban identity of Baku. Initially, in the research, the concepts of urban transformation and urban urban transformation identity were investigated, and the components that form the urban identity were examined. In addition to these, the effects of urban transformation projects made in old industrial areas in different countries of the world on urban identities were examined. From past to present, the urban identity of Baku has been examined through different periods, and it has been researched how the physical and social changes experienced in the process from the emergence of the Black city to its transformation into the White city affect the urban identity. In conclusion, after the literature analysis on White city urban transformation project, a research was carried out using observation, on-site detection and survey techniques. As a result, although Baku White City urban transformation project is considered an environmentally successful project, there are major shortcomings in its relationship with the identity of Baku city. It has been concluded that not paying enough attention to the physical and social components of the urban identity may cause the local identity and originality of Baku to be lost gradually.