Feedback on Site Conditions

2011-10-09T19:13:00.000-07:00

Hi Brit,

Thanks for the pdf. I just skimmed it and it seems like a great start! Adding a bibliography/reference page will certainly help, but that will come. I will look at it more closely and give some feedback. There are probably a lot of environmental conditions to note as well (maybe you did and I skimmed over them), like geology (earthquake zone), watershed data (if it exists), lack of stormwater management, etc.

One fun fact about the urban morphology on the Bosphorus - there is not a significant tide, which is why all those restaurants, etc have been built directly on the water. It has created an urban form unique from other places - e.g., Mediterranean cities, other sea ports, etc. This obviously has consequences for whatever you propose. You might also want to show the precedents along the middle and northern Bosphorus. Arnavutkoy, for example, did not have the existing shore road until the 1980s (I think that date is right). You can see where the water hits the restaurants - that was the old shore line. They built the road and the walkway around it. Anyway, as you mention, it is very successful as an open space, but the pressures on its use are immense. We would always marvel at all the people coming to the area every Sunday. Anyway, you could show what has been done and how that is and isn't successful. (BTW, I always had the dream of putting a bike superhighway cantilevered over the Bosphorus. I thought biking could be the next big thing there - if only people could do it safely).

Yildiz Aksoy (graduated from ITU, but is professor at Bahce Sehir - right on the edge of your study area, right?) was the author of the paper on Istanbul's lack of park space. I'll try to find the article.

Haven't heard of the book, but it does sound pertinent.

I'll make a point of contacting ITU for files this week. The lab people have probably turned over since I was last there, but the professors are the same, so hopefully I'll get some results.

I'll also send info your way as I think of it. I just sent a report via yousendit. It's a pretty good source.

Hope all is well!

The beginning

2011-10-09T18:52:00.000-07:00

I am attempting to track my process for my capstone project for my Masters of Landscape Architecture degree. I do not expect people to pay attention, its more an effort for myself to keep track of my process, and post interesting things I find. Let's see if this works.

Brit Salmela

Feedback on Site Conditions

The beginning