Revitalisation of the Main Street of a Distinguished Old Neighbourhood in Istanbul

Abstract

This study investigates the revitalisation of the main street of Beyoglu, which was the westernised part of Istanbul's CBD in the nineteenth century. Beyoglu started to develop in the sixteenth century with the introduction of embassy buildings of European countries. Its development reached a climax during the nineteenth century as a result of increased European trade and cultural influence, remaining the most distinguished quarter of Istanbul until the 1960s. Thereafter, it suffered from decay, disinvestment and abandonment as a result of later suburbanisation and the multi-centre development of Istanbul. Revitalisation of the quarter started with the pedestrianisation of the main street. This study investigates the functional transformation and changes in land prices along the main street and surrounding neighbourhoods after the pedestrianisation. The factors which effect land prices are investigated by the use of regression analysis. According to the results, access to mass transit is the most important factor. Besides its convenient central-city location, with easy access to the city's main transportation arteries, no doubt also its distinguished architectural character contributed to its revitalisation. Although the revitalisation of the main street as a cooperative movement of public and private sectors, effectively, it was a market-lead restructuring afterwards. At the same time, international companies opening up stores reflecting the globalisation movement increased the attractiveness of the main street. The results of the study can be used by urban planners, policy-makers and investors for the revitalisation of other historical neighbourhoods in Istanbul and other cities. For further research, hierarchical analysis of spatial impacts of revitalisation areas is suggested.

Death of the high street: identification, prevention, reinvention

“…An array of types of obsolescence has been referred to within the literature, such as economic; functional; economic and functional (as a single category); environmental; financial; obsolescence relating to physical structure, legal framework, social and aesthetic issues (as separate categories); control and statutory (as separate categories, similar to legal framework obsolescence); community; perceptional; physical deterioration; site; site and surrounding area; structural; style; technological; and, of course, locational (see Baum, 1989Baum, , 1991Cowan, Nutt, Sears, & Rawson, 1970a, 1970bDokmeci, Altunbas, & Yazgi, 2007;Golton, 1989;Khalid, 1992;Mansfield & Pinder, 2008;RICS, 2012;Williams, 1985). Some of these categories of obsolescence are used interchangeably by some authorsfor example, Baum (1991) describes Wofford's (1983) use of economic obsolescence and locational obsolescence in this way and Wurtzebach and Miles (1984) assert that economic depreciation and locational depreciation are economic obsolescence.…”

Reclaiming Cairo's downtown district: Contesting the nineteenth- and early twentieth-century European Quarter

“…By seeking to pedestrianise the narrow side streets wherever possible and keeping cars out, rehabilitation should minimise occupation by middle-class gentrifiers for whom life without a car would be unattractive. Previous studies of people as active participants in the making of place identity for conservation areas in Singapore (Yuen, 2005) and the cooperative movement of public and private sectors in revitalising and pedestrianising Beyoglu's street (Dokmeci et al, 2007) suggest that community involvement in the rehabilitation of Cairo's European Quarter can be maximised through reforms to establish conservation-orientated committees. These would act as catalysts and watchdogs favouring the rehabilitation of the European Quarter whilst linking city centre revitalisation to ongoing upgrading of Islamic Cairo.…”

“…Since the 1980s, increasingly more cities have developed pedestrianised city centre districts, creating new urban consumption spaces for public activities, as noted in the study of Dokmeci et al (2007), which investigates the pedestrianisation of the main street of Beyoglu in Istanbul's Central Business District (CBD). The revitalisation process was attributed to Beyoglu's distinguished architectural character and accessible central-city location.…”

Pedestrian Space Characteristics Analysis on Kyai Tapa-KH. Hasyim Ashari Street Corridor, West Jakarta

“…They also have supplementary benefits for other road users, such as motorists and cyclists (Job, 2007;Dokmeci et al, 2007). Implementation of safety measures requires commitment and informed decisionmaking by government, industry, nongovernmental organizations and international organizations (World Health Organization /WHO, 2013 Pedestrian risk is increased when roadway design and land-use planning fail to plan for and provide facilities such as sidewalks, or adequate consideration of pedestrian access at intersections (Zegeer and Bushell, 2012.).…”