additions to urban life in Turkey in terms of civilization, modernity, and the democratization of consumption patterns. Their impact does not seem to be limited to the field of consumption only, as they form a new identity combining global and the local” [5].
According to the latest census data of Turkish Statistical Institute, Turkey has a population of over 74 million, and 77% of the total population lives in urban environments (provinces and district centres) [6]. However, urbanization patterns are not the same in different parts of Turkey. Işık argues that industry, tourism (in Mediterranean region), and terror incidents (in Eastern and South-eastern Anatolia regions) are the major influences on the urbanization patterns of the Turkish cities [7]. As a result, identities of different urban spaces in Turkey change and develop in different directions and rates, which deepen “national identity” crisis in terms of spatial, social and political aspects.
Following a brief introduction on the concept of identity within the literature, this chapter will focus on the relationship between place identity and urban landscape. Concepts related to place identity, such as place attachment will also be discussed and some identity relevant examples from Turkish cities will be provided.
2. The concept of identity
The concept of identity has a broad context. The term is more common in social sciences and it has been employed to describe the “uniqueness” of a person or a thing from very different perspectives and purposes, such as personal identity, political identity, ethnic identity, social identity and place identity. The word identity comes from the Latin “identitas” and is defined as “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is” in the Oxford English Dictionary [8]. According to Gleason the use of the word dates back to 16th century and until the mid of 1950’s identity is used to describe “the unity of the self” by the philosophers [9].
As Fearon points out “even though everyone knows how to use the word properly in everyday discourse, it proves quite difficult to give a short and adequate summary statement that captures the range of its present meanings” [10]. The diverse use of the concept makes it even harder to define and explain. Definition of identity has been subject to mainly sociological studies in the last few decades. However, some previous definition attempts might provide some clues to understand the basics of the identity concept, before moving to next section; spatial dimension of identity.
According to Wendt “identities are relatively stable, role-specific understandings and expectations about self” [9]. Castells defines identity as “people’s source of meaning and experience” [11]. On the other hand Katzenstein points out that identity is evolving images of self and other and is mutually constructed [10]. In the encyclopaedic dictionary of “Urban Planning” (printed in Turkish) Ocakçı and Türk defines identity as the expression of distinguishing features of a being which are unique to it [12]. They