A significant fieldwork was undertaken within the scope of the "ICM377-Housing Problem and Policies" course, in cooperation with the Istanbul Gelisim University (IGU), Faculty of Fine Arts (GSF), Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design (ICM) and the IGU Environmental, Urban and Earth Sciences Application and Research Center (CSYBUAM). During the technical trip, held under the title "Politics of Space: Gentrification and the Transformation of Housing in Fener-Balat," students had the opportunity to directly observe the spatial, social, and physical dimensions of urban transformation in the field.
The aforementioned technical trip was conducted with the intense participation of fifty students, under the supervision of Deputy Center Director and Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design faculty member Asst. Prof. Dr. Gökçe Uzgören, and Res. Asst. Merve Karadaban. Along the tour route, while the cosmopolitan structure of the Fener-Balat region—one of Istanbul's most deep-rooted residential areas—stretching from the Byzantine era to the present day was examined, the gentrification processes the region has recently undergone were discussed from an academic perspective.
Theoretical Knowledge Analyzed On-Site On the observation route starting from Cibali, students analyzed many important stops on-site, ranging from the effects of the transformation processes in the region on housing values to the commercial transformation practices on Vodina Street. During the field observations, the transformation of the iconic colorful houses, particularly on Kiremit Street, from their traditional "shelter" function into objects of "visual consumption" was opened to discussion from the perspective of the interior architecture and environmental design discipline.
During the trip, conducted under the guidance of the academic staff, students critically filtered concepts such as property rights, displacement, and spatial justice through concrete examples on the urban fabric. This technical trip greatly contributed to the students' understanding that interior architecture and urban fabric are not merely aesthetic and physical elements, but also spatial reflections of political and economic decisions. The event, which raised urban awareness among future interior architects, successfully concluded with a comprehensive evaluation session held on the Balat Coast.
