Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
PLANLAMA-PLANNING, cilt.36, sa.1, ss.55-73, 2026 (ESCI, TRDizin)
This study explores the dynamic relationship between the social production, form, and use of public space through a sociospatial framework, with a focus on urban protests. Keeping in mind their political significance, the 2013 Gezi Park protests and the post-19 March 2025 protests in K & imath;z & imath;lay Square are examined through the lens of public space production as primary case studies. K & imath;z & imath;lay has long been central to debates on the loss of public space and the decline of the public realm. The square was designed as a public space in the early Republican period, yet from the 1980s onward it gradually lost its spatial coherence due to increasing traffic and commercialization. Nevertheless, K & imath;z & imath;lay continues to function as one of Turkey's most significant sites of protest. Adopting a qualitative approach that combines spatial analysis and comparative case studies, the research examines protest not only as a political action but also as a practice that (re)produces public space. Drawing on theoretical frameworks on the public sphere and public space, the study approaches these protests through the concept of "spatial choreography," closely examining K & imath;z & imath;lay's morphological and political history. Findings show that creative spatial production through prolonged occupation characterized the 2013 protests, whereas the 2025 protests shifted toward temporary and short-term spatial appropriations under intensified surveillance and control. This shift reveals how public space production continuously transforms under changing political and social constraints.