Ankara Araştırmaları Dergisi (Jan 2024)
A Movement from Rural to Urban in Performative Topography: Mapping the Transformation of Karakusunlar, Ankara
Abstract
This study is focused on topography and its changing role in determining urban environments. An increasing indifference and neglect towards topography in urban planning practices has recently been observed, and this trend can also be seen in Ankara's urbanization process. The current state of the city, in terms of its unique topography and related waterscape, represents a disconnection from the built environment. In this context, one of the primary objectives of this study is to investigate the process of urbanization within the framework of physical, cultural, and historical topography. The capacity of topography to define both a place and its transformation is examined through the selected area of Karakusunlar, Ankara, and its surroundings. The conducted research on the Karakusunlar area, which represents the distinctive landform character of Ankara, analyzes the geographical, spatial, and cultural transformation of the district, as well as its urbanization, from the 1930s onwards. It is crucial to investigate the history of the site and related experiences in order to comprehend the physical and cultural transformation of topography. The traces left by geography in collective memory are significant layers in terms of how they were used and what meaning they have for locals during different time periods. In this context, this is a field study of Karakusunlar based on findings from historical maps and semi-structured in-depth interviews with individuals who have lived in the area. The main areas that the field study focuses on are landforms, water elements of the area, interventions made to these elements, the spatial attributes of these interventions, the interpretation of place identity based on toponyms, and the mapping of the topographical and spatial transformational process in the Karakusunlar area.
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