Urbanism, Modernity, and Nation-Building in Ankara: The Birth of Turkey’s Capital City during the Early Republican Period
Publication: Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 148, Issue 2
Abstract
Following the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, one of the most important urban planning and architectural projects of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s national program was the establishment and development of a new capital city called Ankara. During these formative years, Ankara underwent a major program of architectural urbanism and modernism that visually set the young republic apart from its recent Ottoman past. This paper will attempt to examine historical precedents in capital city planning via a cross-country analysis to that of Ankara; however, it will also highlight the extant literature and contribute to the argument that Ankara provides a unique experience in modernism, urbanism, and especially nation-building in the 20th century. Although Turkey’s political and national direction has taken a new course in the early 21st century, the Kemalist strategy in communicating national identity and nation-building continues to be emulated and communicated in state-sponsored architecture in Ankara.
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Acknowledgments
The author expresses his deepest thanks to Professor Dr. Günsel Renda, whose expertise in the field of Ottoman and Turkish art provided him with a tremendous amount of motivation and inspiration for this paper. Additionally, the author expresses his appreciation to his good friend and colleague, Dr. Mert Gümren, whose genuine interest in his work and valuable suggestions for this paper made this project a worthwhile and meaningful endeavor.
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Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 148 • Issue 2 • June 2022
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 1, 2020
Accepted: May 7, 2021
Published online: Feb 24, 2022
Published in print: Jun 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Jul 24, 2022
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