Satellites capture Istanbul’s ‘gray’ transformation over past decade

A comparison of 20 satellite photos hosted by Google Earth reveals how Istanbul has changed with more concrete and less green spaces over the past decade.

As the ongoing construction boom continues with controversial development projects that have angered locals and environmentalists, Mutlu Kent, an urban blog, compiled satellite photos of Istanbul to compare the appearance of various sites today and 10 years ago.

Yaşar Adnan Adanalı, a Turkish PhD candidate at Berlin Technical University’s International Urban Institute, wrote in a blog post on Oct. 29 that “all empty spaces in Istanbul are now being filled” by this transformation. 

“The construction contractors are mobilized to fill all of the empty spaces that should be protected in order to build lucrative shopping malls, residences and hotel projects. The governing mentality is also mobilized to ‘put its signature on the city’ and to conquer it,” Adanalı said.

Below are the satellite photos, first published on the Mutlu Kent blog, with an interface that enables an interactive comparison:

1) Deforestation on Istanbul’s European side to make way for roads leading to the politically-charged third bridge over the Bosphorus.

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2) A similar scene on Istanbul’s Asian side.

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3) The iconic Taksim Square remains a gargantuan concrete field after its controversial pedestrianization project.

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