A Study on Revealing the Original Spatial Character, Collective Memory of Adapazarı/ Uzunçarşı

Abstract

One of the memory spaces mentioned by Pierre Nora, which carries the collective memory and the traces of each group and touches all walks of life, is the bazaars from the Ottoman Empire to the present. However, these bazaars have been losing their characteristics of being a “lace of memory” day by day for various reasons. One of these places is Adapazarı Uzunçarşı. It has been determined that there is no study or research on the current state of Uzunçarşı, which has undergone significant changes after the restoration in 2017 and is one of the memory places of Adapazarı. Therefore, the aim of the study is to reveal the spatial character and collective memory of Uzunçarşı, and to develop suggestions for a livable bazaar. In line with the stated purpose of the study, a four-stage path was followed. First: The analysis of the history of the settlement (Adapazarı city center commercial spaces and Uzunçarşı). Second: The current situation assessment of the Çarşı via on-site observation (Spatial character of Adapazarı/ Uzunçarşı). Third: The analysis of the “evaluation criteria for the quality of urban space” on Uzunçarşı spaces (Spatial character of Adapazarı/ Uzunçarşı). Fourth: In-depth interviews with 16 Uzunçarşı shopkeepers (Collective memory of Adapazarı/ Uzunçarşı). As a result of the study, the spatial character and the collective memory of Adapazarı Uzunçarşı, its place in memory for Uzunçarşı shopkeepers, the features that the shopkeepers like/dislike and the suggestions to develop have been revealed.Using the collected data, the current features of the bazaar, especially after the restoration, were explained and interpreted by obtaining the users' views on the current state of the bazaar. As a result of the interpretation, it was determined that the users of the bazaar were dissatisfied with many aspects of Uzunçarşı after the restoration (such as making the bazaar an open place, prohibiting the use of displaying elements, problems such as insulation and the bazaar being unappealing to the customer, etc.) and in response to this, suggestions have been developed to address the spatial character of the bazaar and its place in the user's memory.