A Historico-geographical approach of Fringe-Belt Phenomena in Kadıköy, Istanbul

Abstract

Fringe-belts are significant in determining the spatial growth cycles and relationships of poly-centric cities such as Istanbul, where rapid urbanization accelerated with the land use changes. Kadıköy, located on the Anatolian side of Istanbul, is not only a primary transfer and cultural center and secondary central business area, but also a primary urban transformation area today. While Kadıköy, which formed the outer fringe-belt of Istanbul until the mid-1800s, completed its spatial development on the basis of the building block in the 1990s; it has been going through a renewal process on the building scale for the last 20 years. This study targets the analysis of the formation and modification of fringe-belts in Kadıköy's historical settlement area and its immediate surroundings with direct/indirect actors in a historico-geographical approach. Concordantly, the ‘fringe-belt theory’ constitutes the methodology of the study. The land utilizations of fringe-belts in Kadıköy are analyzed comparatively by overlapping the historical city map, periodic satellite images and zoning plan; and the results are also digitized. The findings, while revealing whether fringe-belts should be recognized in urban policy-making and planning for megacities with historical and natural heritages, question the role of fringe-belts within the scope of ongoing and future urban projects.