From Privatized to Constructed Public Spaces: Observations from Turkish Cities
Aysu Kes-Erkul

Abstract
The examination of urban public space in terms of its definition, significance and use has always been an important issue for urban studies. In recent decades, with the changing role of urban space within economic relations through deindustrialization and the rise of service sector sparked the discussion about the tension between public and private realms in the urban context. Turkey, on the other hand, is going through a new phase of urban growth in that manner. With the growing share of construction sector within the economic system, the construction of big projects such as high-rise office buildings and residences, has been putting a substantial amount of pressure on the authentic public places of the cities. These newly constructed spaces claim to create new public spaces that have features similar to the privatized public spaces of the Western countries, such as US. Therefore, this paper aims to demonstrate that the constructed public spaces are increasingly becoming the locus of the discussion about the condition and the future of urban public spaces.

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