Speaker
Description
Bayramoğlu, historically known as Philokrene and dating back to the 14th century, stands out as one of Istanbul’s coastal settlements. After the 1970s, it was reshaped as a holiday area extending beyond the city limits in response to Istanbul’s expanding urbanization dynamics. Located on the Bayramoğlu peninsula, the Öbitaş Coastal Site was designed as an alternative holiday settlement to address Istanbul’s secondary housing demand, representing an example of the coastal expansion of the apartmentization process in Turkey. Consisting of concrete blocks, this site was built to ensure that every apartment had a sea view. The design and planning approach, which maximized individual views, simultaneously contributed to the removal of waste through the same landscape.
Bayramoğlu and similar coastal settlements exemplify the impact of urban growth on rural and natural areas. The filling and reconstruction of the shoreline extended the coastline further into the sea, transforming both the built environment and ecosystems. As seen in the Öbitaş Coastal Site, many residences in Bayramoğlu provide direct access to the sea via modernized concrete sunbathing platforms. However, in this process, concrete sewer pipes have transported waste that has harmed the coastal ecosystem. These interventions pose a significant problem for urban ecology while also becoming part of the growing ecological crisis in the Marmara Sea. In recent years, with the mucilage (sea snot) crisis, the necessity of reevaluating such coastal transformations within a political-ecological context has become even more evident.
This text aims to discuss the intersection of coastal urbanization, housing policies, and ecological destruction, with a particular focus on Bayramoğlu. The privatization of coastal areas and the restriction of access highlight the need to consider urbanization not only in spatial terms but also in its ecological and social dimensions. While tracing my childhood memories of this area’s transformation, I will also focus on developing a critical perspective within the framework of ecological responsibility. Rather than viewing mucilage merely as a disaster, it should be understood as a consequence of coastal policies and urbanization processes, emphasizing the importance of developing a sustainable approach in coastal areas. In this context, I aim to present a discussion centered on the decisive role of concrete in urbanization practices and the ways in which coastal landscapes are reimagined.
References
Bennett, J. (2010). Vibrant matter: A political ecology of things. Durham: Duke University Press.
Loftus, A. (2012). Everyday environmentalism: Creating an urban political ecology. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Massey, D. (2005). For Space. Sage Publications. Sultana, F. (2021). Political ecology 1: From margins to center. Progress in Human Geography, 45(1), 156-172. link
| Keywords | Concrete, Landscape, Mucilage, Housing, Political Ecology |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
