Istanbul: Major transformations as a water city

This paper aims to narrate the changes that have occurred in Istanbul and that have consequently altered the very special relationship of the city with water. The city has a very unique setting due to its geographical conditions. Several breakpoints by several actors have constituted these transformations. These breakpoints can be referred as the growth of the city and insufficient transport networks, policy mistakes resulting in serious water pollutions (heavy industry at coasts), building coastal roads by filling in the water, demolishing the morphology at the cost of clearing away industry, etc. Mistakes in big scale can be seen in other parts of Turkey, like the 540 km. long continuous Black Sea coastal motorway and fillings in Izmit which have collapsed to water at the earthquake. Past mistakes should lead to a transformed vision on the issue.