IS ISTANBUL A CITY WHICH COULD ACCUMULATE THINGS AND ACTUALIZE ACCUMULATED THINGS? ON COLLECTED, GENEREATED AND DISPENSED FLOWS IN GLOBAL SCAPES

Abstract

Throughout the history cities have accumulated, controlled, regenerated and dispensed things/concepts which have been carried by flows; nevertheless, with the switch from analog communication to digital communication, they have become more receptive to every thing/concept than ever. In this sense, it can be expressed that, with this switch, Istanbul has also entered into a new period in which the flows have accelerated and intensified. Moving from this acknowledgement this study creates a conceptual ground by defining six global flows existing in modern world which are put forward by Arjun Appadurai and Paul Knox; and, queries potential of Istanbul in the context of flow on this conceptual ground. These global flows are 'ethnoscape', 'technoscape', 'finansscape', 'ideoscape', 'mediascape' and 'commodityscape' while it is accepted that every single 'scape' defines 'spatiality' that collects, processes and dispenses the flows. In this context, this study aims at questing whether or not Istanbul is a city which could accumulate the six flows that move to its scapes and actualize accumulated things; and comes to an end with the evaluation that this city does not transform or does transform hardly while emphasizing that city's historicity and transformational characteristics must be sustainable and consistent.