From empire to republic: Port infrastructure and urban development in Istanbul

Abstract

This article analyses the role of the port and transportation infrastructure projects proposed in Istanbul during the transition from the Ottoman Empire to the Republic. Additionally, it questions the effects of the fragmented structure of the city's natural harbour on urban development through modernisation initiatives. It looks at port projects not only as economic and technical initiatives, but also as instruments for the political redefinition of space in three distinct periods: the Tanzimat (Reorganisation) reforms, the Committee of Union and Progress, and the early Republican era. This article's theoretical framework is grounded in the relationship between modernisation, power, space, and the history of planning. The historical analysis, based on archival documents, maps, and projects, also shows how transportation networks developed between the city centre and its surroundings through implemented and unimplemented port projects shaped new settlements. In this context, the study contributes to the fields of urban, transport, and planning history.