Erken Cumhuriyet Dönemi(1923-1950) meydanlarının form, estetik ve işlev bağlamında değerlendirilmesi
Evalution of Early Republic Period squares(1923-1950) in terms of form, aesthetics and function
Yazar: ELİF AĞAOĞLU YILDIRIM
Danışman: PROF. DR. HANDAN TÜRKOĞLU
İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi / Lisansüstü Eğitim Enstitüsü / Kentsel Tasarım Ana Bilim Dalı / Kentsel Tasarım Bilim Dalı
Derece: Yüksek Lisans, 2023
Konu: Mimarlık = Architecture ; Peyzaj Mimarlığı = Landscape Architecture ; Şehircilik ve Bölge Planlama = Urban and Regional Planning
Dizin: Kamusal mekanlar = Public places ; Kent meydanı = Urban square ; Kentsel mekan = Urban space

Özet:
Kent toplumun yaşadığı, kolektif olarak ürettiği ve zaman içinde dönüştürdüğü bir yerdir. Kentin ana kamusal mekanı olan meydanlar da bu üretim ve dönüşüm sürecinin odağında yer alır. Bu sebeple meydanlar var olduğu dönemin ve toplumun izlerini taşır. Tez kapsamında cumhuriyet ideolojisinin kamusal mekanda yarattığı etki ve yüzyıl içerisindeki değişimi ele alınmıştır. Çalışma Türkiye Cumhuriyeti'nin modernleşme sürecini temsil eden 1923-1950 yılları arasında yapılan kent meydanları ile sınırlı tutulmuştur. 
Tezin ikinci başlığında kentsel kamusal bir mekan olarak meydanın tanımı ve tarihsel gelişimine yer verilmiştir. Batı uygarlıkları ve Türkiye olmak üzere iki farklı toplumun zaman çizelgesi üzerinden açıklanmıştır. Cumhuriyet öncesinde Osmanlı ve Batılılaşma Dönemi kamusal mekanları farklı ideolojilerin mekana etkilerini kıyaslamak üzere vurgulanmıştır. Cumhuriyet Dönemi ise Erken Cumhuriyet Dönemi(1923-1950), 1950-1980 ve 1980 sonrası olarak üç başlıkta incelenmiştir.
Tezin üçüncü başlığında meydan sınıflandırmaları estetik, form ve işlev başlıklarına bağlı olarak incelenmiştir. Estetik, mekanın çevreyle uyumunu sağlayacak formel ögelerin ötesinde meydanın kimliğini ortaya çıkaran anıt, heykel gibi sanatsal ögelerin sembolik anlamlarına ilişkin geniş kapsamlı bir kavram olarak ele alınmıştır. Form bağlamında değerlendirme Camillo Sitte'nin derin ve geniş meydan tanımları, Paul Zucker'ın beş arketipi ve Rob Krier'in geometrik biçimler ile sokak düzeni üzerine yaptığı sınıflandırma çalışmalarını kapsar. Meydanların kullanım senaryosuna bağlı olarak geliştirilen kuramsal çalışmalara ise işlev başlığında yer verilmiştir. 
Dördüncü bölümde Erken Cumhuriyet Dönemi'nde yapılmış 41 meydan incelenmiştir. Bu meydanlarda mimari kütle ve çevre ile uyum formel, anıt kültürü ise sembolik estetikle ilişkilendirilmiştir. İşlev bağlamında meydanlar üç kategoriye ayrılmıştır. Mimari yapı çevresinde gelişen meydanlar, park ile ilişkili meydanlar ve trafik meydanlarıdır. Bu üç kategorinin tüm örnekleri geometrik biçimleri ve üç boyutlu organizasyonları üzerinden form bağlamında değerlendirilmiştir.
Son olarak beşinci bölümde cumhuriyetin yüz yıllık tarihinde meydanların dönüşümü ele alınmıştır. Seçilen 6 şehir üzerinden(Adana, Ankara, Mersin, İzmir, Erzurum, Kastamonu) bulunduğu döneme özgü karakteristikler ve korunmadığı için yitirilen değerler deşifre edilmiştir.

Abstract:
The city is a place where society lives, collectively produces and transforms over time. City squares, as the main public spaces, are at the center of this production and transformation process. Therefore, squares carry the traces of the society and time in which they exist. The thesis examines the effect of the ideology of the Republic on public spaces, and the changes that have occurred over the century. The study is limited to city squares built in Turkey during the modernization process of the Republic, between 1923-1950.
Urban space is a social product. The meaning of space is related to the time and society in which it is inhabited. Society transforms space and space shapes society. Space is constructed in a relational manner. Therefore, public spaces express more than just their function of helping with rest, gathering or transportation in the city.
Squares stand out as city centers among other public open spaces such as streets and parks. Squares have had different meanings, functions and forms in cities, starting from ancient agoras and forums, to places where the foundations of Greek democracy were laid, as arenas for gladiator shows, marketplaces, religious centers focused on churches or places for rallies.
Although Turkey has many squares from different civilizations in its physical geography, it adopted a Western style of square in the early 20th century. With the establishment of the Republic, squares became a tool of the modernization project and were incorporated into urban spaces. The transformative effect of space on society is an important part of the Republic's urban policies. Many Anatolian cities, including the capital Ankara, have been rebuilt with public buildings and Republic squares as the central focus. During this period, Republic squares were a place for official parades and carried meanings that symbolized the construction of the new nation.
The aim of this thesis is to analyze the city squares built during the Early Republic period in Turkey in terms of form, aesthetics and function. The reason for analyzing them in this context is to understand their symbolic values, social meanings, recurring elements and the forms of the squares separately. This way the similarities and differences of the squares built during a certain period will be revealed.
As the Republic of Turkey reaches its 100th anniversary, it has undergone many changes in political, social and economic fields. These changes can be read through the cities and public spaces. Republic squares have been an important part of the city since their establishment, and have taken a place in the city's memory. The research aims to analyze the state of the squares from the period they were built till now, with the parts added, removed or altered.
The research is shaped by three research questions. The first one is what is the role of squares in Republic of Turkey's modernization project? The second one is what are the common characteristics of city squares built between 1923-1950? The third one is how have the city squares that witnessed the Republic history changed over the century?
This thesis consists of six chapters. In the first chapter, the aim of the thesis, research questions, scope and research method are explained. In the second chapter, the definitions of the concepts of space, urban space, public space, and square are given. The concept of space is discussed in terms of Lefebvre's abstract and concrete meanings in his book "The Production of Space", while the concepts of publicness and public space are explained with reference to Habermas' "The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere". Also in the second chapter, the history of squares in Western civilization and Turkey's historical process are analyzed in two different sections. The history of squares in Western civilization starts from Greek agora and extends to modern squares after the Industrial Revolution. In Turkey, the square section covers the Ottoman and Westernization period up to the present day.
The third section of the thesis is composed of aesthetic, form, and function concepts that are created under the headings according to the classifications in the literature. The aesthetic concept is studied by Jon Lang, with formal and symbolic aspects being analyzed under two different headings. The formal aesthetic heading uses the environmental harmony parameters in Camillo Sitte's "Building Cities According to Artistic Principles" as a guide, while symbolic aesthetics is associated with the symbolic values discussed by Lang in "Creating Architectural Theory." In the form evaluation heading, the enclosed feature of squares, as first highlighted by Camillo Sitte and then Frederick Gibberd, is emphasized. The evaluation of squares based on geometric shapes and street relationships is based on Rob Krier's studies in "Urban Space." The evaluation of spatial elements based on three-dimensional organization is based on Paul Zucker's five archetypes in "Town and Square from the Agora to the Village Green." Studies that classify squares based on function are collected under the function category. Marcus and Francis' "People Places: Design Guidelines for Urban Open Space" and Joseph Stubben's "der Stadtebau" provide guidance for evaluations from a functional perspective.
The fourth chapter of the thesis examines the city squares built between 1923 and 1950, based on the classification types discussed in the third chapter. In this period, only 41 out of 65 cities with city status were included in the study due to limited data. The formal aesthetics of the republican squares were examined through the buildings surrounding the square. The hall, government house and station buildings were emphasized. In the symbolic aesthetics and artistic value, which make the urban space memorable, the effects of the monument culture in republican squares were discussed. It was seen that the functions of the 41 squares studied were grouped into three main categories. Squares that developed around a dominant public structure, squares related to the city gardens, which are one of the important public spaces of the republic, and traffic squares formed by the intersection of the main streets of the city. Finally, the form of the republican squares was evaluated in two main categories. Two-dimensional formal features were divided into five categories: square, triangular rectangle, L-shaped, and circular, and street intersection numbers were examined. Three-dimensional organizations were examined based on Sitte's deep and wide square and Zucker's closed, dominant, group, nuclear, and amorphous archetypes. In the fifth chapter of the thesis, two examples were selected from the three categories presented under the function heading. Elazığ and Mersin are examples of squares that developed around architectural structures, Adana and Ankara are related to the park, and Erzurum and İzmir are examples of traffic squares. These cities chosen for this heading are tools for describing the characteristic features of the category in which they are located. Also, in this chapter, which highlights the changes in the squares, the examples represent two different situations of changing and preserved squares throughout the century. Finally, the research studies conducted within the scope of the thesis are evaluated in the sixth chapter.