“The Nature and the City – The Image of Nature in Istanbul”

According to the ecologists, cities, which are especially in the dominance of human impact, are the units accepted as living spaces for an intensive population (humans, animals, plants) (Uslu, 2007:355). On the other hand according to anthropologists, like Eriksen and Herzfeld, industrial cities of 21th century represent the association of different ethnic groups and social classes (Herzfeld, 2001:178, Eriksen, 2009:384). Also Levi-Strauss mentions that the distinction between nature and culture distinguishes humans from animals. However, as Berkes pointed out “the division commonly made between nature and culture is not universal and, in many cases, is a product of modern industrialized thought shaped by the need to control and manage nature” (Pilgrim and Pretty, 2010:1). So, image of nature in the city is not prominent but a necessary part of human beings’ lives. Thus, this paper aims to put forth the picture of nature in Istanbul city through nature and human dichotomy. Nature – human dichotomy and “conflict” can be seen in different parts of the cities in several ways. The questions of how nature reveals itself and how human beings use and modify the nature is answered by analyzing the observation of some districts in Istanbul. Many photos were taken and analyzed in the context of nature and the city for this research.