Project Area Three: Per şembe Pazari

6 Project Area Three: Per şembe Pazari

Project area three is called Per şembre Pasari, which means Thursday market. The area contains the small strip between around an arterial road, the Yüzba şi Sabahattin Evren Caddesi, and the waterfront of the Golden Horn (see figure 1 on page 4 and figure 15 below) In the past, there stood a great wall that bordered the Golden Horn in this area, but from this wall there are no remnants.

Figure 15 The Per şembe Pazari area on a satellite image. Source: Google Earth, 2006.

Function of the Area The Northern side of the Golden Horn is characterised by its clustered specialised shops. Here, one can find paint shops, hardware stores and fishing industry-related functions. The eye catcher of this area is the fishing market, on the shores of the Golden Horn (figure 16).

The area has a recreational function as well. Small private boats and green and open spaces occupy the shoreline. These boats and spaces stimulate the recreational fishing in the area.

Another function of the area is transportation. The captains of the small boats that are lined up on the shore are willing to take you to other parts of the city. Furthermore, the arterial road and the two bridges that border this project area, together form a major transport axis.

Figure 16 Fishing market on the shores of the Golden Horn

Infrastructure and Traffic The area is enclosed by an arterial road to the North, and the Atatürk and Galata Bridge on both sides. The area is easy accessible from Galata Bridge, but the other infrastructure forms a barrier for pedestrians. It is not easy to cross the streets because of the amount of traffic and the lack of pedestrian crossings (figure 17). Therefore, it is difficult for pedestrians to go through this area to a destination in another area.

Figure 17 Pedestrians trying to cross the Yüzba şi Sabahattin Evren Caddesi

Heritage and Landmarks Only a small amount of heritage is present in project area three. The only building that could be regarded as heritage is the Azap Kapi Mosque, a building that was rescued from ruin when the Atatürk Bridge was built in 1942. The mosque is somewhat overshadowed by the amount of noise caused by the traffic that crosses the bridge. The rest of the buildings in project area three cannot be regarded as heritage; most of them are derelict, underused buildings. The collapsed buildings give the area a negative image. The sites of the collapsed buildings look very disorderly with all the rubble and rubbish.

Open and Green Spaces There is a lot of green and open space in project area three, but most of the space is deprived (figure 18). The buildings in the first line (seen from the water) are deteriorated or collapsed, creating open spaces. This makes the area seemingly less busy, and the sunlight can create an open atmosphere. The collapsed buildings provide the city planners and architects with opportunities. Housing prices are probably low in this area, so regeneration or renewal can easily be afforded.

Figure 18 Garbage on vacant lot near waterfront Figure 19 Small fishing boats at the waterfront

Use of Waterfront The connection between the water and project area three could be better. The boats

that lay anchored at the waterfront seem to do that randomly and not in harbours, but just some meters from the shore in the water (figure 19). This makes the shoreline look messy and disorderly. A small harbour could improve this problem. Another point of concern is the absence of a relation between the green areas along the coast and the waterfront. At this moment the waterline stops where the green areas begin. There is no connection between the two. This could be solved by letting the water flow into the area, in a playful way. By doing this, the area could become known as a green, water-rich area which would improve the image of the area.

Environment The derelict buildings provide opportunities to dump garbage illegally. The same accounts for the neglected parks, where a lot of rubbish can be found in the grass (figure 20). Of course, this is an environmental problem, which should be dealt with appropriately. A solution could be to place garbage cans. These garbage cans are totally absent in the area.

Figure 20 Deteriorated green space at the waterfront

Parking The opportunities to park differ in the area. Along the Yüzba şi Sabahattin Evren Caddesi it is virtually impossible to find an open spot to park your car. On top of that, the road is meant for through traffic which makes it hard to exit the road. So the visitors of the shops and the commercial buildings this road can have problems finding a place to park their cars. It could prove to be easier to park your car in the area between the waterfront and the Yüzba şi Sabahattin Evren Caddesi. This area contains a lot of open space which could be used for parking purposes.

Walkability The walkability within the area is good. Because the area is not as crowded as surrounding areas, the roads are easy accessible. It can be relaxing to walk in this quiet area, on roads through open areas. By foot, the area is easy to reach from the Galata Bridge by taking one of the pedestrian tunnels. When regarding the walkability, only the insufficient signage and the lack of pedestrian crossings at the arterial road are major points of concern.

Connectivity The arterial road in the North of project area three forms a barrier to the Galata Tower Region, project area one. The connection between the Galata Bridge and project area three is good; the area is easy to reach by foot. At the other side of the area, it is hard to reach the area from Atatürk Bridge by foot. By car, the area is also hard to reach. The roads that surround the area mainly serve ongoing traffic. Overall, the poor connectivity makes the area a bit isolated. This isolation causes the area to remain quiet and peaceful, in contrast to project area four.

Liveability The area is relatively quiet and this positively influences the liveability. The poor connectivity preserves this quietness. At the same time the poor connectivity negatively influences the liveability by giving residences no proper means to travel to and from the area. The amount of derelict buildings shows that the housing prices are low. This provides opportunities for urban regeneration giving a boost to the regional economy and improving the liveability.