Urban Transformation vs Soft Mobility: the Istanbul Case-study

Abstract

In this article the recent urban transformations of the city of Istanbul (Turkey) are described in relationship to the implementation of pedestrian areas and the use of soft mobility. The ancient district of Sultanahmet has entirely been retrained and connected, through fast tramway that cross all the district, to the rest of the city and to suburban areas. In the same way the Beyoðlu district that, after the Independence it was fallen in total downfall, has again become elegant. The Independence Avenue (ancient Rue De Pera), that crosses the whole district, has been made pedestrian and it has been endowed with a vintage tramway that connetted the Taksim interchange node, endowed with one subway and one funicular, with Tünel interchange node, endowed with fast tramway and bus line. The article underlines as the urban retraining of the city of Istanbul has been driven from integrated transport and urban planning politics and also from politics on the social safety.