What Urban Potentials Does Istanbul Have? The Actants Effects on Istanbul s Urban Processes

Abstract

Throughout the history, cities have been organized and transformed by actors taking part in their urban processes. In other words, the actors have constructed and affected the cities and their urban processes which constitute the cities. They can be human actors as well as non-human actors which act the part in the urban processes; and they accordingly can be described as the ‘actants’ of the cities. In this context, analysing the effects of the actants on the urban processes of a city can be crucial in terms of defining a way for understanding this city. Moving from this significant point, this research, which is methodologically based on the ‘Actor-Network Theory’, attempts to understand and evaluate Istanbul, which has highly complicated urban processes, by analysing its actants’ acts. The aims of the research are to explore the actants constructing the urban processes of Istanbul, to trace/reveal their actual effects on the urban processes of Istanbul, and to confront the urban potential of Istanbul.