Murat Gul is an architectural and urban historian, and is currently Associate Professor of Architecture at TOBB University of Economics and Technology in Ankara, Turkey. He has taught at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in Istanbul, Turkey, the University of Sydney, Australia, and the International University of Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. He has extensive experience in the fields of urban planning and heritage conservation and has worked for various government agencies in Australia.

• PrefaceKey to pronunciation of Turkish charactersIntroduction 1.The Demise of Classical Istanbul 2.Istanbul Between the Crimean War and the First World War 3.The Neglected City 1923–1933 4. Reshaping Istanbul under Kemalist Principles 5. Istanbul under Democrat Party Administration 6. Istanbul in Menderes’ Hands 1956–1960ConclusionNotes Figure SourcesBibliographyIndex

'Gul has done a big service by making Istanbul's modern urban history accessible to a wide international and interdisciplinary audience.' Sibel Bozdogan, Lecturer in Architectural History, Harvard University and Professor of Architecture, Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey 'Murat Gul locates the...development of [Istanbul] in a clearly articulated description of the complex and intricate socio-political history of Turkey. Relying heavily on previously untapped archival sources, this book presents a fascinating and highly readable account of the physical development of the city as shaped by individual laissez-faire decisions and the planning, urban design and architectural ideas and schemes that were developed as different political leaders strove to create a modernised city.' Jon Lang, Professor Emeritus of Architecture, University of New South Wales 'Gul's book is a tremendously interesting read, synthesizing both original archival material with a range of other sources to present the first thorough exploration of the transformation of Istanbul... Judicial in its assessment of the most influential urban redevelopment in Istanbul's long history of piecemeal spatial reform, the book also gives readers a wealth of fascinating details about the history of urban planning failure in Turkey's most important metropolis.' Christopher Houston, Senior Lecturer in Anthropology, Macquarie University 'This book addresses an important and significant gap in the literature of the urban history of Istanbul; it is greatly needed, and Dr Gul's book fills the void in a scholarly and highly readable manner. This book will not only appeal to architectural and urban historians, but also to a wider readership with an interest in modern Turkey.' Trevor Howells, Director of Heritage Conservation Program, University of Sydney ' This is a timely work on the history of Istanbul's modernisation as the city has been declared the cultural capital of Europe for 2010. It tells the story of the dramatic transformation of the city's urban form that took place in the early post-World War II years under Prime Minister Menderes' Democratic Party government - a much disputed and controversial period of Turkish history. ... [T]he book makes a very important contribution to understanding Istanbul's architectural and planning history.' John Dee, Senior Lecturer in Architecture Program, International University of Sarajevo

Murat Gul is an architectural and urban historian, and is currently Associate Professor of Architecture at TOBB University of Economics and Technology in Ankara, Turkey. He has taught at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in Istanbul, Turkey, the University of Sydney, Australia, and the International University of Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. He has extensive experience in the fields of urban planning and heritage conservation and has worked for various government agencies in Australia.

• PrefaceKey to pronunciation of Turkish charactersIntroduction 1.The Demise of Classical Istanbul 2.Istanbul Between the Crimean War and the First World War 3.The Neglected City 1923–1933 4. Reshaping Istanbul under Kemalist Principles 5. Istanbul under Democrat Party Administration 6. Istanbul in Menderes’ Hands 1956–1960ConclusionNotes Figure SourcesBibliographyIndex

'Gul has done a big service by making Istanbul's modern urban history accessible to a wide international and interdisciplinary audience.' Sibel Bozdogan, Lecturer in Architectural History, Harvard University and Professor of Architecture, Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey 'Murat Gul locates the...development of [Istanbul] in a clearly articulated description of the complex and intricate socio-political history of Turkey. Relying heavily on previously untapped archival sources, this book presents a fascinating and highly readable account of the physical development of the city as shaped by individual laissez-faire decisions and the planning, urban design and architectural ideas and schemes that were developed as different political leaders strove to create a modernised city.' Jon Lang, Professor Emeritus of Architecture, University of New South Wales 'Gul's book is a tremendously interesting read, synthesizing both original archival material with a range of other sources to present the first thorough exploration of the transformation of Istanbul... Judicial in its assessment of the most influential urban redevelopment in Istanbul's long history of piecemeal spatial reform, the book also gives readers a wealth of fascinating details about the history of urban planning failure in Turkey's most important metropolis.' Christopher Houston, Senior Lecturer in Anthropology, Macquarie University 'This book addresses an important and significant gap in the literature of the urban history of Istanbul; it is greatly needed, and Dr Gul's book fills the void in a scholarly and highly readable manner. This book will not only appeal to architectural and urban historians, but also to a wider readership with an interest in modern Turkey.' Trevor Howells, Director of Heritage Conservation Program, University of Sydney ' This is a timely work on the history of Istanbul's modernisation as the city has been declared the cultural capital of Europe for 2010. It tells the story of the dramatic transformation of the city's urban form that took place in the early post-World War II years under Prime Minister Menderes' Democratic Party government - a much disputed and controversial period of Turkish history. ... [T]he book makes a very important contribution to understanding Istanbul's architectural and planning history.' John Dee, Senior Lecturer in Architecture Program, International University of Sarajevo

Murat Gul is an architectural and urban historian, and is currently Associate Professor of Architecture at TOBB University of Economics and Technology in Ankara, Turkey. He has taught at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in Istanbul, Turkey, the University of Sydney, Australia, and the International University of Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. He has extensive experience in the fields of urban planning and heritage conservation and has worked for various government agencies in Australia.

• PrefaceKey to pronunciation of Turkish charactersIntroduction 1.The Demise of Classical Istanbul 2.Istanbul Between the Crimean War and the First World War 3.The Neglected City 1923–1933 4. Reshaping Istanbul under Kemalist Principles 5. Istanbul under Democrat Party Administration 6. Istanbul in Menderes’ Hands 1956–1960ConclusionNotes Figure SourcesBibliographyIndex

'Gul has done a big service by making Istanbul's modern urban history accessible to a wide international and interdisciplinary audience.' Sibel Bozdogan, Lecturer in Architectural History, Harvard University and Professor of Architecture, Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey 'Murat Gul locates the...development of [Istanbul] in a clearly articulated description of the complex and intricate socio-political history of Turkey. Relying heavily on previously untapped archival sources, this book presents a fascinating and highly readable account of the physical development of the city as shaped by individual laissez-faire decisions and the planning, urban design and architectural ideas and schemes that were developed as different political leaders strove to create a modernised city.' Jon Lang, Professor Emeritus of Architecture, University of New South Wales 'Gul's book is a tremendously interesting read, synthesizing both original archival material with a range of other sources to present the first thorough exploration of the transformation of Istanbul... Judicial in its assessment of the most influential urban redevelopment in Istanbul's long history of piecemeal spatial reform, the book also gives readers a wealth of fascinating details about the history of urban planning failure in Turkey's most important metropolis.' Christopher Houston, Senior Lecturer in Anthropology, Macquarie University 'This book addresses an important and significant gap in the literature of the urban history of Istanbul; it is greatly needed, and Dr Gul's book fills the void in a scholarly and highly readable manner. This book will not only appeal to architectural and urban historians, but also to a wider readership with an interest in modern Turkey.' Trevor Howells, Director of Heritage Conservation Program, University of Sydney ' This is a timely work on the history of Istanbul's modernisation as the city has been declared the cultural capital of Europe for 2010. It tells the story of the dramatic transformation of the city's urban form that took place in the early post-World War II years under Prime Minister Menderes' Democratic Party government - a much disputed and controversial period of Turkish history. ... [T]he book makes a very important contribution to understanding Istanbul's architectural and planning history.' John Dee, Senior Lecturer in Architecture Program, International University of Sarajevo