- Concept of ‘Identity’ in designing the Future – the case of a historical peninsula in Ýstanbul    88 kb by    Ulusay Alpay, Bilge | bilgeualpay@yahoo.de    Short Outline This paper will discuss the local identity and traditions within the historical part of Istanbul and estimates will be made with respect to problems and opportunities in its traditional connections with local people and identity. Abstract Cities acquire identities in line with the consciousness of people. Cities constitute the economic, cultural and social structures which people have created to maintain their lives which in turn affect their lives. Cultural processes shaped throughout time as reflected on the physical space constitutes the urban identity. Social processes create urban spaces which in turn are shaped by that space. Identities are not only the products of the social structure; people are connected to each other by physical spaces they live in. They tend to attribute a meaning to a space they live in. Recently, creation of monomorphic environments with influences of globalization caused cities to become uniform in form. This process results in elimination of the local culture by the dominant culture. Therefore in this paper, content of the ‘Identity’ concept, and different approaches to it will be discussed. In addition, answers will be sought for several questions such as ‘What does identity mean for the historical peninsula in Ýstanbul and which is the subject of a prospective structural change?’ and current position will be evaluated with respect to a its historical development, potentials, both in terms of urban functions and general identity of the public as well as opportunities to highlight the image which will mediate the reflection of this identity and highlight the design for the future. Keywords Case Study presented on the ISOCARP Congress 2006: Cities between Integration and Disintegration   Click to open the full paper as pdf document   Click to send an email to the author(s) of this paper