Large-scale urban development projects as a part of “city branding” have become a significant medium for local governments to promote their cities in order to attract investment globally. In a similar manner, at the turn of the 21st century, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality organized the “International Urban Design Idea Competition for the Port District of Izmir,” for the restructuring and re-planning of a derelict industrial zone into a new CBD (central business district). In this case, it has been almost two decades since the conclusion of the competition. This study takes the process of formation of this new CBD after the international urban design competition as a starting point and analyzes the built environment that takes shape actually. The resultant environment is documented through photographs taken between May 2018 and May 2019. Currently, the site consists of individual mixed-use blocks, each making their own statement without sufficient connection to the urban fabric of the district. The growth and construction pattern of the site shows that the possibility for the site to create an urban way of life is considerably low. This new CBD lacks spatial settings for interaction, especially compared to the activities and diversity the urban core of Izmir offers.

Keywords: Urban way of life, large-scale urban development projects, interface between architecture and urban design