Kaybolan geçmişin izini sürmek: Adapazarı kent tarihi (1923-1980)
Tracing the lost past: Adapazari urban history (1923-1980)
Yazar: HİLAL EREK İNCE
Danışman: PROF. DR. MEHMET MURAT GÜL
İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi / Lisansüstü Eğitim Enstitüsü / Mimarlık Ana Bilim Dalı / Mimarlık Tarihi Bilim Dalı
Derece: Doktora, 2024
Konu: Mimarlık = Architecture

Özet:
Çalışmanın amacı, en genel ifadesiyle; 1923-1980 tarihleri arasında değişen sosyo-kültürel, ekonomik ve politik süreçlerin ulusal ve yerel yansımalarına paralel bir şekilde Adapazarı kentinin, fiziksel değişimini/gelişimini/dönüşümünü takip ederek, kentleşme deneyiminin dönemlerini ortaya koymak ve incelemektir. Çalışma kapsamında olayların doğal ortamda gerçekçi ve bütüncül bir biçimde ortaya konmasına yönelik nitel bir araştırma süreci izlenmiş ve tarih araştırması yöntemi benimsenmiştir. 
Adapazarı kenti 20. yüzyılda deneyimlediği beş büyük depremle kent tarihi araştırmaları içerisinde özgün bir araştırma alanına işaret etmektedir. Söz konusu depremlerde kent tarihi araştırmalarının en önemli araçları olan yapılı çevrelerin büyük bir kısmı ve kentin gelişiminin kayıtlarını tutan yerel kurumların arşivlerinin tamamı yıkılmıştır. Dolayısı ile yapılı çevreleri merkezine alan kent tarihi araştırmalarının iki temel aracından yoksun olan Adapazarı kent tarihi araştırması, bilgi üretme araçlarının alışılagelmiş sınırları üzerine yeniden düşünmeyi ve bilgiyi inşa edebilmek için yeni beslenme kanalları açabilmeyi hedeflemiştir. Bu bağlamda Milli Kütüphane rezervinde bulunan yerel gazete arşivlerinden faydalanılmıştır. On dokuz yerel gazete kesintisiz zaman akışı sağlayacak şekilde organize edilerek incelenmiştir. Araştırmanın zaman ağını kapsayacak her bir sene iki farklı yerel gazeteden takip edilmiş fakat gerekli görülen dönemlerde bu sayı arttırılmıştır. İncelenen yerel gazeteler içerisinde tespit edilen, kent tarihi hakkında veri sağlayacak haberler öncelikle ölçüt örnekleme yöntemi ile temalara ayrılmıştır. Tespit edilen temaların kartografik materyaller üzerinden gelişimi izlenmiş, söz konusu gelişim ulaşılan fotoğraf arşivleri ve yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmelerle teyit edilerek aktarılmıştır.
Adapazarı kentinin belirlenen tarih aralığı içerisinde ve araştırma yönteminin temelini oluşturan temalar kapsamında incelenmesi sonucunda kentleşme deneyiminin üç farklı dönemi içerdiği görülmüştür. 19. yüzyılın sonunda demiryolu ilave bir hatla Adapazarı merkezine ulaşmış ve yine aynı yıllarda Uzun Çarşı ve civarında yapılaşan ticari ve bürokratik merkez çeperlerinden sıyrılarak yeni bir bölgeye yerleştirilmiştir. Adapazarı'nda devletin kamusal görünürlüğünü temsil eden yapılar Uzun Çarşı ile tren istasyonu arasında yeni bir bürokratik merkez oluşturacak şekilde bir araya getirilmiştir. Osmanlı'nın son yıllarından 1943 depremine kadar uzanan ilk evre özellikle kent merkezinde önemli değişimlerin izlenmesi ile ön plana çıkmaktadır.
Adapazarı kentleşme deneyiminin ikinci döneminin başlangıcını oluşturan 1943 Adapazarı depremi araştırmaya konu edilen Adapazarı kent tarihi izleğinde takip edilen en yıkıcı depremdir. Dolayısı ile ulusal ve yerel bürokrasinin karar alma süreçlerine yansıyan önemli kırılma noktalarını temsil ettiği görülmektedir. Ulusal ölçekte; 1943 yılından itibaren Çark Deresi ve demiryolu güzergahı üzerinde kent formuna eklenen sanayi tesisleri, depremde önemli derecede hasar almış yerleşimin yeniden kalkınmasını hedefleyen kararlar bütünü ile ilişkilenmektedir. Yerel ölçekte ise 1943 depremi kent merkezinde 19. yüzyılın sonunda inşa edilen yeni bürokratik merkezle kurulan yeni ilişkilerin çözülmesinden söz konusu bölgenin yıkılarak geniş bulvar aksı açılmasına kadar giden bir sürecin başlangıç noktasına işaret etmektedir. 1967 yılı ile sınırlanan kent tarihinin ikinci evresi tez çalışmasının zaman aralığında en hızlı gelişmelerin izlendiği dönem olarak öne çıkmaktadır.
1967-1980 yılları arasını kapsayan kent tarihinin son dönemi kent merkezinden geçen İstanbul-Ankara karayolunun kent dışına alınması ile başlamaktadır. Adapazarı kenti için son derece önemli olan karayolunun kent dışına alınması, Erenler bölgesinin kentin yeni sanayi bölgesi ilan edilmesi, kente Erenler üzerinden yeni bir girişin eklemlenmesi ve yeni karayolu ile Erenler bölgesi arasında kalan alanların yeni sanayi sahaları olarak imara açılması ile kentin gelişiminin yeni dinamiklerle yeniden şekillenmesine neden olmuştur. İstanbul-Ankara karayolunun kent dışına taşınması dönemin önemli tartışma konularından olan İstanbul sanayisinin doğu koridoruna desanstralizasyonu fikrini temel alan Doğu Marmara Bölgesi Ön Planı ile ilişkilendirilmeye müsait bir zemin hazırlasa da çalışma kapsamında elde edilen veriler yeni karayolu güzergahının İstanbul sanayinin desanstralizasyonu tartışmalarından önce belirlendiğini ortaya koymaktadır.  Sonuç olarak söz konusu plan karayolunun kent dışına taşınmasında belirleyici bir aktör olmasa da tüm bölgeyi tehdit eden sismik risklere rağmen özellikle Adapazarı için yeni karayolu çevresinde kentleşmenin artmasına neden olacak sanayi gelişimini önermiştir. Adapazarı'nın tarımsal özelliğine rağmen, şehir daha fazla sanayi yatırımı çekebilecek bölgesel bir merkez olarak desteklenmiştir. 1980 yılına kadar verilen bu kararın yıkıcı etkilerinin gözle görünür olduğu söylenemese de aralanan bu kapıdan, 1980 sonrasında yapılacak yeni imar planı ile yoğun yapılaşmaya dair kararlar geçecek, Adapazarı kentleşmesini 1999 depreminde büyük yıkımlarla yüzleştirecek yeni bir dönemin oluşmasına zemin hazırlanacaktır.

Abstract:
The main objective of this study is to dissect the urbanization experience of Adapazarı by tracing its physical changes/developments/transitions in parallel with the sociocultural, economic, and political processes that fluctuated between 1923 and 1980, both at the national and local levels. The study employs a historical research method and pursues a qualitative research process, aiming at realistically and comprehensively presenting events in their natural context. It aims to contribute to the "history of the city's fabric," shaped by the interaction of political, economic, and cultural forces. Therefore, routes followed by political, economic, and sociocultural processes at the national/regional scale have also been investigated to comprehend the production of built environments within periods. However, focusing on the hypothesis that urban planning, design, construction, settlement, deterioration, and disappearance produce the entirety of a city's history, the dynamics influencing the development and shaping of the urban form at a macro level have been addressed alongside the developments observed at the building scale. Since the transformations within the expansive boundaries of Adapazarı take place at different speeds, the study avoids following a single narrative of pace for every corner of the city. In this context, a thematic approach to historical writing has been preferred, acknowledging that each discernible and documentable part of the city has unique dynamics within its fluidity. The identified themes have converged at a larger scale, evolving into primary actors that shape and develop the urban form, thus writing their distinct histories.
Adapazarı city is a unique research area within urban history studies due to the five significant earthquakes it experienced in the 20th century. The majority of the built environment, a crucial tool in urban history research, and the archives of local institutions documenting the city's development were destroyed in these earthquakes. Consequently, Adapazarı's urban history research, which relies heavily on built environments, lacked two fundamental tools, prompting a reconsideration of conventional boundaries of knowledge production and exploring new avenues for knowledge construction. In this context, local newspaper archives housed in the National Library were utilized. Nineteen local newspapers were systematically organized to provide uninterrupted chronological coverage. Each year of the research period was monitored through articles from two different local newspapers, with additional newspapers consulted as deemed necessary. Articles providing data on the city's history were categorized according to thematic criteria using the criterion sampling method. The development of identified themes was traced through cartographic materials and corroborated through access to photographic archives and semi-structured interviews.
The thesis consists of six chapters. The first chapter outlines the study's purpose, scope, methodology, and contribution to the literature.
Due to the Sakarya River's multiple changes in the course since ancient times, resulting in significant floods in its enduring bed to the present day, and the prevalence of marshland and wetlands between its tributaries, traces of settlement in the Adapazarı are only evident from the Ottoman Period onwards. Especially since the 19th century, during the Ottoman era, Adapazarı underwent a rapid urban transformation and gained prominence for its agricultural potential. Towards the end of the 20th century, it emerged as a significant settlement where Turkey's major industrial facilities clustered. The second chapter delves into the traces of this evolution, emphasizing that it cannot be understood without considering the political and economic influences on urban space. It also initiated a discussion on the condition of the settlement as it entered the Republican era.
The third chapter of the thesis delves into urban planning efforts and urban development in Adapazarı during the Early Republic era. The study discusses the contributions of Hermann Jansen, Ludvig Marius Vandenberg, and Gustav Oelsner, who had worked on Adapazarı city planning before the 1957 plan, which was the first comprehensive development plan of the city. Subsequently, the goals set by the 1957 plan for the city's development are analyzed comparatively with cadastral maps from earlier periods, revealing the dynamics shaping the city's development in the post-1957 period.
The fourth chapter of the thesis examines the primary dynamics shaping the development and formation of the urban fabric of Adapazarı, focusing on industry and earthquakes. In the urban form of Adapazarı, it has been observed that the banks defined by the Sakarya River to the east and Çark Stream to the west served as boundaries for an extended period. In a climate prone to abundant rainfall, the Sakarya River frequently caused floods, resulting in significant damage to built environments, especially agricultural lands, until the second half of the 20th century. Consequently, it was determined that the eastern bank of the city, aligned with the Sakarya River, was separated from the production of built environments by forming a buffer zone. In the West, Çark Stream, particularly in the Republican era, was utilized as a qualified water source to sustain the production of industrial structures. This led to the development of an industrial belt along the western boundary delimited by the Çark Stream, spreading along the north-south direction. Before the Republic, the built environments growth trend along Karaağaç Street, Tozlu Hamam Street (Atatürk Boulevard), and Sakarya Street were primarily north-south. However, with industrialization occurring around Çark Creek, this direction shifted towards the west and southwest. The relatively remote location of industrial buildings at the time of their construction from the city center has led to the formation of new workers' neighborhoods in these regions, disconnected from the city center. Neighborhoods such as Şeker, Mithatpaşa, Otuziki Evler, and Şirin Evler are significant examples that can still be traced in present-day Adapazarı. Besides their contributions to the city's physical and economic development, the impact of these clustered facilities is also crucial socio-culturally. In the early 1950s, these facilities established entirely new lifestyles in an Anatolian town, with amenities such as centrally heated and hot water-supplied homes, sports facilities and clubs, cinemas, and events like New Year's Balls. Therefore, it is possible to say that these facilities, in their sociocultural context, vividly revealed the differences in synchronization between life within settlements and urban life, infiltrating modern lifestyles into micro-level urban living.
Most of Adapazarı city is situated on extensive plains formed by the accumulation of alluvium by rivers. Given the historical occurrence of devastating earthquakes over the years and the presence of the North Anatolian Fault line—one of Turkey's most active faults—within Sakarya province boundaries, increasing the dominant ground vibration period of the alluvial plains. This exacerbates the destructive effects of earthquakes. Therefore, earthquakes are expected to be the most critical dynamic influencing urban development; they have been observed as being the most minor, almost invisible, and contentious dynamic closely monitored based on the data obtained in the thesis.
The fifth chapter explores the evolution of Adapazarı's city center and its connected axes. In this context, the diversification of the changes observed in the city center since the late 19th century with the Early Republican Era construction practices and the rupture caused by the 1943 earthquake in the development of the city center are described. The Sakarya Hükümet Konağı project, representing one of the most distinctive examples of International Style in Anatolia, has been noted for not only embodying the enthusiasm and excitement of the newly established Sakarya province but also setting a precedent. Its architectural repertoire subsequently influenced numerous buildings produced thereafter. However, it was found that the effects of the hükümet konağı project at the urban scale were much more significant than mere form derivations, as it led to extensive debates in the local press due to site selection decisions and have left profound imprints that resonate across different layers and scales, particularly evident in the new silhouettes that have emerged in the city center.
Upon examination within the defined timeframe and thematic framework forming the basis of the research method, it has been observed that the urbanization experience of Adapazarı encompasses three distinct periods. At the end of the 19th century, the railway reached the center of Adapazarı with an additional line. Concurrently, the commercial and bureaucratic center constructed around Uzun Çarşı and its vicinity was relocated to a new area, forming a new bureaucratic center between Uzun Çarşı and the train station, representing the state's public visibility. The first period, from the late Ottoman period to the 1943 earthquake, is particularly prominent due to significant changes in the city center.
The 1943 Adapazarı earthquake, which marked the beginning of the second period of the Adapazarı urbanization experience, is the most destructive earthquake in the city's urban history. Therefore, it represents crucial turning points that are reflected in the decision-making processes of national and local bureaucracy. On a national scale, the industrial facilities integrated into the city's urban form along Çark Stream and the railway route since 1943 are linked to decisions aimed at revitalizing residential areas that were severely damaged by the earthquake. At the local level, the 1943 earthquake marks the starting point of a process ranging from unraveling dynamics woven around the newly constructed bureaucratic center at the end of the 19th century in the city center to the demolition of the area and the opening of a wide boulevard. The second period, up to 1967, represents a period marked by rapid developments, particularly notable within the timeframe of the thesis.
The last period, spanning from 1967 to 1980, commences with the relocation of the Istanbul-Ankara highway from the city center to its outskirts. The relocation of the highway, which is crucial for Adapazarı, led to the declaration of the Erenler region as the city's new industrial zone, the integration of a new entrance to the city via Erenler, and the opening of the areas between Erenler and the new highway as new industrial zones, reshaping the city's development with new dynamics. The decision to relocate the Istanbul-Ankara highway out of the city can be linked to the Eastern Marmara Region Master Plan, which aimed to decentralize Istanbul's industry towards the eastern corridor—a significant topic of discussion at that time. However, the findings of this study indicate that the new highway route was determined prior to the commencement of these discussions on the decentralization of Istanbul's industry. Consequently, although the plan did not play a decisive role in relocating the highway outside the city, it proposed industrial development around the new highway, especially in Adapazarı, despite seismic risks threatening the entire region. Despite Adapazarı's agricultural nature, the city was supported as a regional center that could attract more industrial investment. Until 1980, the destructive effects of this decision were not immediately apparent. However, this development paved the way for subsequent decisions, particularly with the new zoning plan implemented after 1980, which led to dense construction. These decisions introduced new dynamics that ultimately contributed to the severe destruction Adapazarı faced during the 1999 earthquake.