Bosphorus Coastal Road and Settlements Between Beşiktaş and Bebek in 1939 Plan

Abstract

PurposeThe aim of the study is to question whether this plan, which was signed by Henri Prost and showing the settlements between Beşiktaş and Bebek on the European side of the Bosphorus in detail and explains them in cross-sections, is implemented or not, and to reveal the effect of the plan on the formation of current state of the Bosphorus coasts. In the study, which decisions are taken during the planning process are also questioned.Design/Methodology/ApproachIn the study, the city centers of Beşiktaş, Ortaköy, Arnavutköy, Kuruçeşme, Bebek and the settlements between them and the conditions of the coastal road before, in and after 1939 are examined with the help of maps and aerial photographs. With the aerial photographs that have survived until today, the physical change of the urban texture over time and its current situation are also revealed.FindingsAs a result of the examination, it was determined that most of the plan, which was approved in 1939, was implemented between 1956-1958, during the Menderes period. In this process, many settlements lost their original urban texture, historical structures, and architectural identities. It can be said that the seeds of the pile road, which was built during the Dalan period and cut the connection of the mansions with the sea, was planted with this plan. It was also possible to obtain some clues about the planning approach of the Prost period from this plan. Accordingly, it can be listed as opening squares, turning dead-end streets into streets, widening the streets, and cleansing industrial-related spaces from the coastline. The fact that these plan decisions are encountered in other regions of Istanbul during the Prost period, suggests that although Prost did not draw the 1939 plan, it had a share in its design.Research Limitations/ImplicationsDue to the lack of a clear aerial photograph or map after 1939 until 1955, the year in which the changes foreseen in this plan were applied could not be determined clearly, and the time interval was stated.Originality/ValueThis plan, being one of the first steps of the Bosphorus coastal regulations on the European side, is an original document that has not been evaluated in previous research. This plan was drawn when Henri Prost was working as an urban planning specialist in the Istanbul Municipality Zoning Directorate and it bears the signature of Prost's approval.