For those of you who are big fans of Taksim, next time you see it it might not look like you remember it. The square is undergoing some pretty major construction, and has begun closing off to traffic. Here are a couple articles about the construction.
Basically, it sounds like over the next year Taksim is going to become more pedestrian-friendly. Traffic will be moved underground, for example. Where the changes will go from there I don’t know.
One article I read in the papers talks about adding a shopping center, and for years I’ve heard rumors that they were going to build a mosque in the square. If Istanbul needs anything, it’s definitely more shopping centers where people can buy more expensive things they don’t need, and if Turkey needs anything, it’s definitely more mosques.
Regardless of their plans for the new space, I had a great time walking down some of the city’s formerly busiest streets now emptied of cars.
Construction in Taksim from Matt Krause on Vimeo.
Construction in Taksim from Matt Krause on Vimeo.
Construction in Taksim from Matt Krause on Vimeo.