Urban Squares as Social Interaction Spaces in Istanbul: The Case of Karaköy–Galataport

Abstract

City squares have long been an essential part of the lives of the people and the location where
one can move around, meet people, observe the world passing by, relax and be generally social.
But in modern cities, these areas are transforming significantly, as they are affected by major
redevelopment projects, stores and companies, tourist attractions, and regulations concerning
their operations. This article will examine Karaköy-Galataport in Istanbul - a city square and
waterfront open space - and will examine how its layout, its accessibility, its openness, the
number of activities it offers, and how it is managed influence what people do in their daily
lives, how they socialize, and how public the space is.
This article argues that we cannot tell how well modern city squares perform simply by how
pleasant they appear; we must consider also how inclusive they are of everybody, how easy it
is to move about in them, how flexible they are, and how much they genuinely promote actual
civic life.