Istanbul Mapping: A Magical Forward-Looking City

By Andrea Boschetti, Federico Parolotto - 9 August 2013

Istanbul, the extraordinary metropolis on the isthmus separating the continents of Europe and Asia, is a magical city. A symbol of cultural cross–fertilisation, it is as complex as the mountainous terrain on which it sits. As can be seen from the first map showing population distribution, major infrastructure and contour lines, Istanbul at first sight appears a vast homogeneous city. Its incredible growth - in 20 years the population has gone from 6.629.431 in 1990 to 13.854.740 in 2012 - has led to unbridled expansion in the absence of any hierarchical urban plan. As a result the city appears a dense sprawling conglomerate. It resembles a tightly woven coloured carpet blanketing the hilly terrain, turning it into a “mineralised landscape”.
Travelling by car on the ring road gives you a feel for the sort of urbanisation Istanbul has undergone. A tangential “highway” system provides rapid vehicle transport. The many bridges on this grid lie across valleys covered in city sprawl. They provide a series of deep penetrating views more characteristic of natural rather than metropolitan landscapes. This tangential trunk-road system by and large departs from two pivotal points: the two bridges over the Bosphorus. Enormous and exceptionally high, they allow the passage of even the largest ships and link the European and Asian sides.
Perhaps it is the inroad of the Bosphorus, traversed by only two bridges, that is the most extraordinary feature of a city the size of Istanbul. Soon, however, a subway line under the isthmus will be coming into service, allowing connectivity other than by motor vehicle.
The map also shows that this highway grid is not backed up by an equivalent system of lesser roads. The alternative road system is a fine weave of very minor roads, making Istanbul a highly porous city.
By the same token, public transport is sorely lacking for a city of this size. This is quite evident from the services...