Istanbul / Reshaping Istanbul’s Urbanscape

1950 onwards migrants from rural Turkey moved into Istanbul in search for jobs. The settlements created by the migrating population were locally known as ‘Gecekondus’, which were like squatter houses – a form of informal housing. The houses were built by the migrants near numerous small industries so that they could live near where they worked and wouldn’t have to worry about transportation. The map below highlights the industrial zones and the settlement areas.

1. Akdogan, Gizem., Marwan. Ghandour, Claire. Cardinal-Pett, Hsain. Ilahiane, and Iowa State University. Architecture. Dealing with Rapid Development [electronic Resource]: Creation of the Informal Urban Economy and Gecekondu Housing in Istanbul.