The main objectives are to make a rearrangement that respect the historic and industrial buildings concentrated along the shores of the Golden Horn; to reorganise the coastal band to create vivid life and vital spaces for urban use; and to strengthen man-history-nature relationships by preserving the historic values of the Golden Horn.
URBAN DEVELOPMENT ISSUES
The Haliç and its surroundings, with their multi-layered identity and silhouette shaped by architectural works connected to significant events in the histories of politics, religions, and the arts, have been central to İstanbul’s status as a “World City”. Serving as the capital for the Eastern Roman and Ottoman Empires for over 2,000 years, the region embodies the essence of İstanbul’s value. İstanbul, and particularly the Historic Peninsula, presents a unique morphological character as a collage of overlapping cultural layers, reflecting urban textures of architectural heritage shaped by numerous civilizations that flourished here. The interplay of these layers has had played a crucial role in shaping the city’s 8,000-year-old fabric.
For the last 70 years, historic neighbourhoods of Eminönü, Karaköy and Perşembe Pazarı have come to the fore with their commercial potential, but their historic and cultural qualities were not utilised due to various problems. The continuity in quality of public space on the coastline was inadequate.
The coastal area extending from Eminönü to Fener, defined as “the Golden Horn Region 1” in the competition, has a cultural and tourism-oriented public use where historic and natural layers are concentrated. The presence of squares with high vehicular density has caused the coastline and historic buildings worn out, due to inappropriate over-use and thus, the quality of life has been impoverisheed. However, the fact that the region has different types of infrastructure for transport ensures that its urban relations are strong. It is highly accessible throughout the city, especially by rail and sea.
The Golden Horn has undergone piecemeal urban interventions over time, shaped by constraints of limited interaction. This approach has created significant thresholds formed by internal boundaries, roads, shores, and topography. Consequently, the decision was to develop integration of the Haliç shoreline with the existing city under the approach of “Der-Zemin.”
MAIN TRACK: DER-ZEMİN
The master plan and the urban design have been developed within the following framework:
- To re-organize the shore of the Golden Horn with respect to the historic values and industrial structures; to re-establish connections with the shore at points that were and are effective along the shoreline, espeically re-generating points that have now lost their effect;
- To produce solutions that will keep the Historic Peninsula off from private car traffic and support public transport;
- To propose functions that support the use of the coast, especially along Ragıp Gümüşpala Street, that connects the coast from the Galata to the Atatürk Bridge, and on the streets leading to it;
- To preserve the traditional production and commercial functions;
- To re-organise the coastal strip and transform it into living and sustaining spaces;
- To strengthen man-history-nature relationships, re-membering the historic values of the Golden Horn.
DESIGN PARAMETERS OF EXPERIENCE SPACES
The design parameters at architectural and industrial design scales were shaped within the following framework:
- To produce environments suitable for healthy living and easy mobility;
- To protect monuments, images and symbols that will enable citizens to create memory spaces, and to create new activity spaces;
- Improving values of urban aesthetics;
- Creating public spaces that provide free socialization opportunities for young people;
- To protect and preserve local commercial enterprises and local forms of production; proposing flexible design elements, mountable and dismountable units along the coast.
HISTORIC PIERS AND URBAN FURNITURE
The history of a place can be reflected in many ways. In the context of the historic piers of the Golden Horn, in addition to a narrative, ‘being permanent’ was adopted as a critical issue. Urban furniture loceted at rhythmic and measured intervals along the shore from Eminönü Square to Fener Ferry Pier marks the actual locations of the historical piers. In addition to offering view points to city dwellers with in-depth information boards engraved on the open-air museum, it creates alternative landscape viewing points with seating units. All building material and design decisions are based on sustainable, permanent and durable values.
