What We Have and Have Not Done in Transportation: The Story of Our Major Cities in Last Hundred Years

Abstract

It may be considered too pretentious to analyze the totality of a period of hundred years comprising different administrations, regimes and ceaselessly changing world environment. Particularly if the issue is about the transport policies of our large cities, sometimes fluctuating on every one or two years… Therefor this paper starts by focusing on the transport history of Aksaray District of Istanbul, and summarizes the developments from the beginning of 20th Century until 1970’s. In this context, the disruptive consequences of road projects in the Historical Peninsula -implemented mostly unconsciously- are exhibited. After a short review of contemporary transportation policies emerged in the world in subsequent years, policies executed in three largest cities of Turkey –including Ankara and Izmir- are analyzed. It is observed that former understanding continued in major cities, with an exception of few local contemporary implementations. An assessment of transport projects and measures realized in those cities from 1990’s until nowadays -according to globally accepted criteria- follows these observations. The conclusion states that the factors which caused the emergence of contemporary transport policies will remain as a major risk for the whole world in post pandemic period and those policies will be needed more than ever.