Critical Mapping of Istanbul’s Fossil-Fueled Urban Metabolism (1950–1980)

Esra Sert, MEF University Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture

This study employs critical mapping as a form of map based visual storytelling to explore alternative ways of interpreting and representing qualitative historical data on waterfronts through an urban metabolism framework, while addressing uneven spatial relations in urban studies. The concepts of metabolic flow and urban metabolism are used here from the perspective of urban political ecology, grounded in a rejection of the nature–culture divide. The metabolic flows examined in this study highlight the circulation and transformation of materials, power, and labor not only in industrial production but also in the production and reproduction of urban space. Coal and oil constitute the primary elements of these flows in the research. Focusing on coastal architectural sites in Istanbul and their intertwined relationships with fossil-fuel flows between 1950 and 1980, the study demonstrates, through interactive mapping, that it is possible to visually trace the spatial expressions of complex historical metabolic processes composed of materials and elements along the city’s continuously transforming shoreline. As a methodological framework, the mapping adopts an interactive critical approach through map-based visual storytelling to trace the origins of coal and oil alongside power relations and to uncover the histories of waterfront architectures in flow. Rather than examining these processes in isolation, the research situates them within interconnected networks of relations and circulations over time, encompassing both human and non-human actors. The mapping is implemented through an interactive interface developed using open-source web technologies and geoweb storytelling tools, enhancing narrative depth by enabling multiple forms of engagement. By tracing how Istanbul’s waterfronts, urban transformation, energy production, and urban imaginaries intersect and circulate unevenly, this paper demonstrates how natural and social forces co-constitutively shape the architectural histories of the city’s environment between 1950 and 1980.

No extended abstract or paper available

 Presented in Session 129. The City and Its Environments