Space as a Projection of Spatial Practices: An Urban Park in Western Anatolia in the Early-Republican Period

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to analyze the effects of discourse in the production of designed landscapes within the urban environment. The study concentrates on the social construction of space within the framework of Lefebvre's spatialization trilogy and Foucault's approach to power in order to investigate a public park as a tool for studying the emergence of order and power relationships in society. In this work, Lefebvre's ‘spatial practice’ concept was considered a ‘discursive practice’ providing a conceptual ground for the discussion of the problem. Additionally, Lefebvre's definition of spatialization is reconceptualised along with Foucault's notions of power, knowledge and discourse. The problem is studied in reference to Atatürk Park in Balıkesir, a small city and regional capital located in the western part of Turkey. Through the discourse of the modernization process, how Atatürk Park as an urban space been socially constructed has been described and analyzed.