Istanbul: Impact of high-rises on a historic, yet contemporary, City

Abstract

High-rise buildings have a significant impact on cities and their metropolitan areas in a variety of ways, most notably on cities with extensive historic built heritage, like Istanbul. Many of these buildings can be regarded as iconic structures, constructed using state-of-the-art technologies and demonstrating the economic power of the city and the country. Using Istanbul as an example, this paper discusses the role of high-rise buildings, their effect on inhabitants' lives, and drivers of the high-rise boom in historic cities, regardless of the contentious necessity of high-rise buildings in an urban environment.