The port of Istanbul: The space of entangled visions in the early republican era

Abstract

The Port of Istanbul, a key economic and spatial concern since the late 19th century, remained central to urban planning debates in the Republican era. Efforts to reorganize the port were closely tied to Istanbul’s master plan and legislative regulations. While aligned with state-led modernization initiatives, the port’s history reveals a complex interplay of diverse actors, urban spaces, and conflicting visions. Continuously reshaped both physically and discursively in the public sphere, it became a site of negotiation, reflecting broader urban transformations and discrepancies.

This paper examines the reproduction of the Port of Istanbul from the Early Republican period to the mid-20th century, a transformative era in urban development. Beyond physical alterations, it explores how various actors’ perceptions materialized in the public sphere through archival documents, articles, reports, planning documents. By offering insights into the port’s layered history, the paper highlights its multidimensional role in shaping Istanbul’s modernization. Ultimately, this study reveals that the port was not merely a government-directed project but a dynamic urban arena-one that functioned as a microcosm of the city’s evolving urban complexities.