MODERN HOUSING PRODUCTION ON THE AXIS OF INDUSTRY: THE EXPANDING BOUNDARIES OF ISTANBUL

Modern housing’s quest for contact with nature can also be observed in a series of labour houses in Istanbul. Industrialisation, which began later than in European cities, led to a sudden increase in the population of Istanbul, and the resulting housing issue emerged. Migrants built their own houses in the absence of any initiative to produce planned neighbourhoods, leading to many slums, particularly around the industrial areas. The risk of urban sprawl caused by housing problems made intervention necessary. European experience was utilised to shelter low-income labour. Since the existing legal framework prevented the construction of low-cost planned neighbourhoods for labour, the government made the necessary adjustments: Türkiye Emlak Kredi Bank, which financed the construction, was established, and a law authorising the operation of housing cooperatives came into effect. These cooperatives built numerous labour houses near industrial areas during the 1950s, starting with row houses and transitioning to block apartments by the 1960s. The study examined five neighbourhoods associated with industrial areas that had the most contact with nature. These neighbourhoods were local adaptations of German siedlung, and the research of construction processes contributed to the city’s housing production history. Relevant industrial plants, most of which began production in the 19^th century, including a textile mill, a bus garage, and a dockyard, were demolished as part of new development projects. A brewery and another textile mill were more fortunate and are still in use with valuable adaptive reuse projects. The labour houses associated with these plants are still in existence though they have not been extensively studied architecturally. However, Istanbul’s rapid urbanisation and ongoing transformations put their existence at risk. The study aims to clarify the background of labour housing production, to contribute to their representation, and, most significantly, to investigate their potential for the future.