Morphological Analysis of the Transformations of Konak Square in Izmir

Abstract

Historical public spaces are always seen as the shop windows of cities by local authorities. Therefore there have been continuous discussions on public spaces' use, display, power, and control in every city. Konak Square, first public square of Izmir, was constructed consciously as an administrative centre by the government. The square has gone through different processes since 19th century. This paper tries to examine these cyclical transformations of Konak Square through morphological analysis. It focuses on Konak Square and its vicinity through the three available maps of 1941, 1989, and 2013. Subsequently it examines the two future proposals of the square both by looking at the syntactic analysis of pedestrian models and recent discussions on the square. It uses axial analysis, in situ observations, and archival research. Axial analysis coincides to reveal how the square's accessibility has shifted within the city but also compares it with the other important squares of Izmir In situ observations support the axial analysis but also signify the different daily practises and the appropriation of hard and soft spaces in the square. This study revealed that in order to judge the future proposals of a public space, we have to understand first how the space was being used and changed, most importantly the current uses and practices. Although the global integration values of the square decreased each period, locally the square became more integrated both physically and socially. Consequently, the two proposals pose a threat in the pedestrian use of the square.