This thesis explores the ways in which the concept of &ldquo / city junction&rdquo / has been considered as an element of the urban image within the network of circulation. The aim of this study is to make an historical analysis of urban transformation in In&ouml / n&uuml / Square at Ankara, instigated by the respect to recent traffic problem-centered nodal interventions in the area. Akay Junction, which is thought as 1930&rsquo / s representative space also having historical power as well as being a node where two significant axis intersect, is studied in its social, cultural and political context, through written and visual historical sources, with its relevant physical spatial components and relations to space and its nearby environment. Presenting the interactions within the historical process and considering the traffic based physical transformation, the role of the concept of city junction in the formation of urban public space in terms of architecture is questioned. Based on the material research the thesis presents the existing and the possible alternative models together with a proposal, regarding the further possible transformations especially with the extension planned for the underground rail transport to the area. The alternatives indicate the qualitatively different results that will be got with respect to providing a viable urban public space as such a node.

Le numérique est-il en train de remanier la façon des collectivités territoriales de projeter la ville ? En recomposant une archéologie de ladite « révolution numérique » par ses acteurs, ses utopies et ses idéologies, un consensus semble se dégager aujourd’hui autour du projet de « smart city » : par le concept de « co-construction », la participation des citadins et la coopération avec les acteurs privés se chevauchent. La conjonction entre l’emploi de nouvelles technologies (en constante évolution et majoritairement conçues par les acteurs privés) et la prise en compte des citadins (provenant d’une idéologie du public sur laquelle s’est bâtie l’histoire de l’action publique française) fait émerger le « paradigme de l’expérimentation » auquel l’acteur public fait de plus en plus appel. Ce paradigme se déploie par une série de dispositifs qui sont analysés au travers de trois topos de l’anthropologie : l'expérimentation de nouvelles solutions numériques, qui ritualise les interactions entre les acteurs autour de la conception de « sur-objets » numériques ; l'expérimentation des politiques publiques, qui par l’émergence de « agoras en ligne » engendre une réadaptation permanente de l’action publique, entre « archaïsme » et « modernité » ; l'expérimentation urbaine, qui par des « démonstrateurs » tente d’ordonnancer les récits matériels et immatériels de la transformation urbaine. A partir d’une ethnographie au sein de la Mairie de Paris, la thèse montre qu’à travers l'expérimentation l’acteur public cherche à « publiciser » des logiques et des outils provenant du domaine privé, en atterrissant cependant au même objectif opérationnel : produire des horizons urbains dont les discours et les pratiques franchissent continuellement la frontière entre public et privé. / Are digital technologies reshaping the way local governments plan the city? By recomposing an archaeology of the so-called “digital revolution” through its actors, utopias and ideologies, a consensus seems to emerge today around the project of “smart city”: by the concept of “co-construction”, citizen participation and public-private cooperation overlap. The conjunction of the use of new technologies (constantly evolving and mostly designed by private actors) and the consideration of citizens (coming from the public ideology on which French public action has been built in history) brings out the “paradigm of experimentation”, to which the public actor is increasingly appealing. This paradigm unfolds through a series of devices that are analysed by three topos in anthropology: the experimentation of new digital solutions, which ritualizes the interactions between actors around the design of digital “sur-objects”; the experimentation of public policies, which generates a permanent rehabilitation of public action", between "archaism" and “modernity”, because of the emergence of “online agora”; urban experimentation, which attempts to organize the material and immaterial narratives of urban transformation by setting up digital “demonstrators”. Based on an ethnography within Paris City Hall, the thesis shows that through experimentation public actors seeks to “publicize” logics and tools coming from the private domain, landing however to the same operational objective: to produce urban horizons, whose discourses and practices continually cross the border between public and private domains.

Cette étude présente des éléments de compréhension du processus de transformation de la zone de Ramallah en Palestine après 1993, suite aux accords d'Oslo. L'introduction souligne l'énoncé du problème, les principaux objectifs de l'étude et l'importance de la méthodologie. L'étude est divisée en deux parties, contenant chacune trois chapitres. La première partie donne une brève description de l'évolution chronologique du peuple palestinien et des enjeux socioéconomiques urbains, ainsi qu’une analyse en profondeur de la zone d'étude avec un focus sur le rôle de l'occupation israélienne qui a contribué à la démarcation de la zone palestinienne.La deuxième partie analyse les facteurs qui ont affecté le processus de migration interne et la croissance urbaine. L'étude tente ensuite d'enquêter sur les principaux changements intervenus dans le modèle urbain à travers différents modèles.L'étude a permis de constater que la zone de Ramallah a été témoin au cours des deux dernières décennies, d’un processus de transformation urbaine ; elle coïncide avec des transformations en termes sociaux, économiques et politiques. En outre, l'avènement de l'Autorité palestinienne dans les années 1990 à Ramallah est un point important pour les Palestiniens du point de vue de leur territoire, avec également des répercussions néfastes sur le modèle urbain et sur le paysage. Cette thèse révèle un mécanisme de « leapfrog », une accélération dans le processus de croissance urbaine et l'expansion pour faire face à ces changements et à l'émergence de demandes urbaines en raison de la migration interne. / This study presents an attempt to understand the process of transformation in Ramallah area of Palestine after 1993 due to the Oslo accord. The Introduction highlights the problem statement, the main aims of the study and its importance; also, the methodology has bee nfollowed. While the study contain two parts, each part have three chapters.Part one contains a brief description of the chronological development of the Palestinian urban and socio economic scene, in addition; in-depth analysis for the study area focusing on the role of the Israeli occupation that was contributed in demarcating the Palestinian scene.Otherwise, part two has analyses the drivers that have affected in the process of internal migration and urban growth. Then, the study tried to investigate the main changes that had occurred in the urban pattern through number of urban model.The study found that Ramallah area, during the past two decades, had witnessed an urban transformation process; coincide with the difference transformation in social, economic and political terms.Further more, the advent the Palestinian Authority in 1990s to Ramallah area gives the opportunity to be as an attractive point for the Palestinians over the Palestinian territory. In addition, affected adversely on the urban pattern and landscape.This thesis concludes that has revealed a leapfrog and acceleration in the process of urban growth and expansion in order to cope with and responded to the emergence of urban demands due to the internal migration.

Dans un monde où l'image d'archive fusionne avec la « ville-hashtag », cette thèse relate la récente métamorphose d'une place de Lisbonne nommée Intendente. Parcelle urbaine historiquement traversée par une longue artère commerçante, une population cosmopolite s'y retrouve depuis toujours. Cumulant bars interlopes et activités clandestines, la place d'Intendente est ensuite devenue l'arène du stigma du centre de la ville. Jusqu'à ce que la mairie y impulse, entre 2011 et 2014, un vaste projet urbain visant à en faire un quartier attractif de la capitale. Dès le début, les habitants ont été alertés : le Maire disait vouloir « changer l'image du quartier ». Et de fait, de l'avant à l'après chantier, le paysage d'Intendente bascule manifestement d'un état d'invisibilité à un espace d'hypervisibilité. Reconnaissant l'importance croissante de la dimension visuelle du « faire ville », nous restituons la complexité de ce processus à l'aune d'une question centrale : quel sont les rôles des images dans la transformation urbaine contemporaine ? Des images de la ville aux imaginaires urbains, notre récit suit ainsi au présent de narration le fil de l'histoire d'Intendente. Composant le portrait d'un lieu dans le temps, cette thèse se présente dès lors sous la forme d'une chronotopie, dont la ligne chronologique restitue le cumul et l'anachronisme de multiples évènements. Au sein d'une trame qui entrecroise tout du long images et textes, cette thèse figure ainsi la réflexion anthropologique d'une culture visuelle de la transformation urbaine. / In a world where archive footage melts with the “hashtag-city”, this thesis reports on the recent metamorphosis of a Lisbon square named Intendente. This urban plot historically crossed by a long commercial thoroughfare has always sheltered a cosmopolitan population. Adding interlope bars to clandestine activities, the Intendente square has become the stigma arena of the town center. Until the Mayor launched, between 2011 and 2014, a wide scale urban project aiming to its transformation into an attractive neighborhood of the capital city. The locals were warned from the beginning: the Mayor said he wanted to “change the neighborhood’s image” and, indeed, from the start to the end of the project, Intendente’s landscape undoubtedly toggles from a state of invisibility to hypervisibility. Recognizing the growing importance of the faire ville visual dimension, we restore the complexity of this process to a central question: which roles do images play in modern urban transformation ? From city images to urban imaginaries, our narrative thus follows, in a narrative present, the time line of Intendente’s history. Composing the portrait of a place in time, this thesis appears under the form of a “chronotopy”, whose chronological path comprehends the sum and the anachronysm of multiple events. Within a frame that continuously overlaps images and texts, this thesis displays the anthropological reflection of a visual culture in urban transformation.

This study has aimed to investigate how urban transformation, particularly densification, is received by the inhabitants. For this essay, the district of Ålidhem in the city of Umeå has been investigated. The method has been qualitative in the form of partly a field study of the district to investigate what kind of densification that has been done, partly an interview study with the inhabitants of Ålidhem to investigate their view of the changes. This essay is also based on the comprehensive plan for Umeå municipality, as well as other literature and studies of densification in Umeå municipality, but also nationally. Goals and legislation that concerns Swedish urban construction has been explored to investigate its influence on densification projects in Umeå. The two studies performed in this essay has been compared to the previous studies to make a conclusion. The result shows that there are several examples of densification projects in Sweden that have affected the social sustainability positively in each of the concerned districts. The examples can be compared to the densification in Ålidhem. When it comes to the field study, it shows that the district of Ålidhem has been densified in several ways. The interview study, as well as previous studies, conclude that the densification actions has been successful and something that the inhabitants appreciate.

The urban transformation shows its effects world wide, and changes spatial and social conditions of cities, but Turkey faces the worst outcomes of this planning system. In every city, urban transformation projects mainly improve the life conditions of upper classes , albeit we can notice some practices focusing on low classes, as well.However in Turkey, the urban transformation projects not only lacks any democratic, participative or social, goals; but also tries to gain the most possible profit for the private sector. As a result, , we see urban social movements protesting this uninclusive planning system in Turkey, especially in Istanbul.Since urban transformation projects in Turkey mainly focus on the areas that experience the property or neighborhood issues, the ghetto affected the moost by these projects. Taken into account that ghetto inhabitants are experienced with urban social protests life-long; the most powerful disapproval against the urban transformation projects are observed in these kinds of neighborhoods.Ghetto inhabitants describe urban transformation projects as “non participative”, “non focused on inhabitants” and they oppose against them in two different ways, informal or juridical. These movements become more and more visible in urban Istanbul.In this context, the aim of this study is to analyze the urban social movements in Istanbul raised against the urban transformation. Although the opposing groups are composed of many nongovernmental organizations, university students, academics, international organizations, I rather focus on residents who are influenced directly by these projects and concentrate on organized societal movements of the city inhabitants. Briefly, the ghetto inhabitants are the research object of this dissertation.During my study, I addressed some questions such as “Who are against the urban transformation?, Why are they against it?, What are the aims of opponents?, How can they oppose? , What do they do to institutionalize their opposition in neighborhoods?” and exposed the features of anti – urban transformation behaviors in slums in İstanbul. While answering these questions, I posed some hypotheses and try to prove them:-The slum residents opposing urban transformation have been trying to protect their lifestyle. - The residents cannot be called as conservatives, since they are open to new ideas and to work with other groups.-They tend to form neighborhood associations and become organized under one roof.So in slums, there have been seen a common attitude, which can be described as not constant, not having a particular leader, dominant ideology, or coordination . This study aims to analyze this new behavior, which is against urban decisions.But as Castells says: “While researching the movements against the urban planning systems, considering them only as some consumer reactions is not enough. We also have to analyze the relation between social contradictions and their movements’ aim.” So, we can say that in this dissertation, movements against urban planning system will be investigated by correlating their social conditions and aims. Urban social movement will be examined through Istanbul. Choosing Istanbul has some several important reasons. First of all, Istanbul is a strategic hub, which has been among major global cities, and bears the characteristics of global cities. Locally and internationally it should be described as a sign post for capital hosts, attracting the attention of fund groups.Istanbul is the city, where migrants try to survive or habitants who were pushed out of capitalist system because of their ethnic origin, religion or sect. They can only riddance by their social network or standing together.İstanbul stands out with these characteristiscs, which make the community more ‘free’ but on the other hand, ‘conflicted. The fact that Istanbul possesses both the government constraint and the counterview makes it one of the most convenient cities for the study. The general info, which was obtained from all of the ghettos in İstanbul, ends with concurrentdetailed research in Kazımkarabekir district in Sarıyer .The reasons to choose Kazımkarabekir can be listed as follows:-The district, which is composed of many ethnic groups, has their own associations-The relationships in the neighbourhood are very strong.-Socialist groups are replaced with ideological groups -District is located on the sea side of Sarıyer, which is one of the attractions of high-income group.-Although there have not seen any ongoing urban plans around the quarters of Kazımkarabekir , experiences gained from other ghettos made , the district community alert and already rised an opposition against urban transformation.This dissertation comprised of three mains chapters. Our first chapter includes an historical context about Turkish planning systems, second is about the urban social movement especially against the planning decisions and the final chapter produces our research results about Kazımkarabekir neighborhood making a synthesis with the previous two chapters. In the first chapter, primarily emphasize on Turkey urbanization, describing it informal and analyzing in 4 periods. First period of urbanization, is a result of the formation of nation-state; and this is an important part of modernization of Turkey. Second period begins after the Second World War, and indicates the beginning of the neo-liberalization of the state. Third is the fastest urbanization period of Turkey, in this period we appear a huge increase on urban rents. In that the final period of the urbanization beginning in the late 90’. This period changes all the urban areas and social structures. Regeneration and transformation projects cause the gentrification.The second chapter of study focuses on the sharp shift of informal urbanization process to a capital based urban regeneration. Our new urbanization practice, which is not unique or integral, is now embodied by the value of change. That new urbanization practice had a great reaction of the inhabitants, occasionally demonstrated by serious protests, trials and petitions as well. Even there are several arguments rising from disagreed groups, they present a distinctive overlapping on inequity, the lack of public participation and injustice debates. In respect to this, first of all, the second section theoretically argued the social and urban movement. This debate aimed to reveal how class struggles of a society are turned into urban public movements. Afterwards, similar protests against public interferences of different societies from all over the world are examined by aiming to find the common characteristics of the acts. Lastly, determinations about ghetto neighborhoods’ historical experiments of urban actions and current appearance of Istanbul are taken into consideration. The section includes a table of the group of actors against urban regeneration that followed by the comments about the ghetto neighborhoods’ actions. In addition to the various of arguments about urban regeneration, there are various of contrary acts. It should be admitted that the struggle of ghetto neighborhoods are intended on the right of conserving the housing and the way of life.In this regard, commitment to the neighborhood, having good affairs with the neighbors, countrymen networks and promises of the urban municipality are the important factors that affect the power of the resistance. The character of the campaign can be determined by the other effective factors, such as ethnical and religious balance, political view and the activities of the dominant political groups within the neighborhood. The third chapter that consists of three sections focuses on the field study of the Kazimkarabekir neighborhood. In the first section, the physical and social characteristics are detailed. Especially, investments in the neighborhood within the last 10 years targeting high income leveled residents and the factory shut downs are listed. On the other hand, planning process is checked and the neighborhood relevant plans are examined.In the second section, resistance movement and its historical basis are examined; social solidarity networks and demand based movements are presented. Thus, the way of the inhabitants ‘neighborhood’ perceptions, such as political view, ethnical identity or generation difference, are defined. In the last section, inner dynamics and public relations of the neighborhood union are examined. The opinion of the local habitants about the union and the institutionalization of the movement are stated.Nonetheless, according to different perceptions of neighborhoods, political views or ethnical relations and generation contrasts, manners of claiming neighborhood has marked. At the last chapter, internal and external relationships of neighborhood association is studied, as well as the thoughts of the neighborhood inhabitants about the association and the institutionalization of the formation has been emphasized. In conclusion, it would not be wrong to say the activity in slum areas is related with the previous slum movements or maybe continuation of them. However the new- slum movement is being shaped, in a way that inhabitants utter their demands freely, concerning about environmental, cultural issues or other neighborhoods. It is difficult to say a movement which contains plenty of different communities has a strong organization structure. Still, one of the features of the slum movement is, in an urgent case, whichever political view people support or whatever ethnical identity they belong, people take part in that movement.

Gentrifiering är ett begrepp för den förändringsprocess som uppstår i en stadsdel där människor med hög ekonomisk status flyttar in ett område, som tidigare dominerats av människor med lägre socioekonomisk status. Processen sker vanligtvis stegvis och påverkar bland annat det ekonomiska, sociala, fysiska och kulturella intrycket i stadsdelen. Begreppet i sig är inte allt för omtalat inom stadsplanering eller av politiker. De väljer istället att använda ord som integration i sitt arbete då det lämnar ett positivt intryck. Gentrifieringsprocessen kan på sikt ge positiva effekter till en stadsdel om den genererar tillväxt samt bidrar till ökad service i området. Den negativa sidan av gentrifieringsprocessen är dock mer omtalad. De negativa effekterna präglas av konsekvenser för de boende i ett område där hyrorna ökar och de inte längre har råd att bo kvar. Orsaken till prisökningen och att människor tvingas flytta kan vara en påföljd av den om- och nybyggnation som drivs av kommunen och exploatörer. Fenomenet uppstår världen över, men på grund av den omfattande exploateringsgraden inom Göteborgs Stad kommer studien baseras utifrån kommunen. Denna studie har som syfte att undersöka hur Göteborgs Stad förhåller sig till begreppet gentrifiering och till vilken utsträckning de jobbar med dess påföljder när de lägger nya detaljplaner för ett område. Studien är även ämnad till att utreda kommunens ställningstagande till begreppet samt om det är medvetna eller omedvetna beslut som tas under planarbeten, vilket i sin tur kan leda till gentrifiering av det detaljplanelagda området. För att avgränsa studien valdes fyra områden ut i Göteborg med liknande förutsättningar, där en ny detaljplan vunnit laga kraft och exploatering är antingen igång eller färdigställd. En kvalitativ metod har använts för både inläsning av material och de intervjuer som genomförts med kommunen, exploatör och doktorand i kulturstudier. Detta för att få en bred insikt i tankegångarna kring utformandet av detaljplanerna samt exploateringen. Efter genomförd studie har vi konstaterat att gentrifiering är ett känsligt laddat begrepp. I samband med utförda intervjuer för studien framkom det att de som arbetar med stadsutveckling till viss del har kännedom kring begreppet och dess innebörd, men har svårt att placera och ta ställning kring det. Samtidigt har de en stark tro om att just deras projekt kommer generera en positiv gentrifieringseffekt för området de projekterar. Vissa intervjuade redovisade även för viss typ av medveten gentrifiering, då de ansåg att ett ökat befolkningsantal och variation av befolkningsgrupper kunde bidra till någonting positivt trots den eventuella risken för gentrifiering i det exploaterade området / Gentrification is a concept for the process of change that occurs in a neighborhood where people with high economic status move into an area that has previously been dominated by people with low socio-economic status. The process takes place step by step and affects, among other things, the economic, social, physical and cultural impression in the district. The concept itself is not well mentioned in urban planning or by politicians. Instead, they choose to use words such as integration in their work as it leaves a positive impression. The gentrification process can eventually give positive effects to a neighborhood if it generates growth and contributes to increased service in the area. However, the negative side of the gentrification process is more talked about. The negative effects are characterized by consequences for the residents in an area where the rents increase and they can no longer afford to live. The reason for the price increase and the fact that people are forced to move can be a consequence of the rebuilding and new construction run by the municipality and developers. The phenomenon occurs worldwide, but due to the extensive degree of development within the City of Gothenburg, the study will be based on the municipality. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the City of Gothenburg relate to the concept of gentrification and to what extent they work with its sanctions when they add new detailed plans for an area. The study is also meant to investigate the municipality's position on the concept as well as whether it is conscious or unconscious decisions that make, which in turn can lead to the re-enactment of the detailed planning area. In order to delimit the study, four areas were chosen in Gothenburg with similar conditions where a new detailed plan has gained legal force and exploitation is either started or completed. A qualitative method was used for reading material and interviews were held with the municipality and an developer to gain insight into the thinking about the design of the detailed plans and the exploitation. After completing the study, we have found that gentrification is a loaded concept, which means that politicians and urban planners also do not want to know it. In connection with the interviews carried out for the study, there was a lack of knowledge about the concept's existence, but a strong belief that their particular project would generate a positive gentrification effect for the area they project. Some interviewees also reported for some type of conscious gentrification when they felt that an increased population and variety of population groups could contribute to something positive despite the possible risk of gentrification in the exploited area.

L'objectif de cette thèse est d'analyser la mise en oeuvre de la notion de développement durable dans l'espace urbain et la pertinence de son application en urbanisme. À partir d'une observation comparée qui prend pour cadre empirique deux terrains, Nîmes (France), et Sherbrooke (Québec, Canada), cette recherche étudie la problématique de l'appropriation de la notion de développement urbain durable dans les représentations des acteurs locaux, son intégration dans la planification territoriale, et son éventuelle traduction en projets urbains « durables ». En effet, si le cadre des réglementations nationales mises en place au cours des dernières années, tout comme les volontés et les orientations exprimées au niveau des organismes internationaux, font de la notion de développement durable un véritable outil d'aménagement du territoire, son appropriation et sa traduction concrète en projets opérationnels au niveau local peinent à être visibles.Cette recherche montre, que l'utilisation par les acteurs locaux de cette notion répond à l'injonction des protocoles internationaux, de la loi et de la réglementation en vigueur. Ce qui implique un ensemble de procédures, d'ingénierie, de moyens et de savoir-faire à s'approprier à l'échelle locale. Elle démontre que ces stratégies conçues au niveau des échelles supra locales, sont souvent incompatibles avec les réalités locales. Cela interroge la capacité de la notion de développement durable à atteindre les objectifs attendus, et met en cause sa pertinence comme notion majeure dans le développement territorial. / The objective of this thesis is to analyze the implementation of the notion of sustainable development in urban areas and the relevance of its application in urban planning. On the basis of a comparative observation of two case studies, Nimes (France) and Sherbrook (Quebec, Canada), the research analyses how the local actors appropriate the concept of sustainable development, its integration in the process of urban planning, and its translation in sustainable urban project. Even if the national and international guidelines and regulations developed in recent years, purse the integration of the notion of sustainable development into urban planning, its appropriation and translation into concrete operational projects at the local level is still limited.This research shows that the adoption of the concept of sustainable development by local actors is largely provoked by the injunction of the international protocols, national laws and regulations. This process implies the local adoption of a new set of procedures, engineering, resources and expertise. Yet the strategies that are developed at national level are often incompatible with the local realities. Therefore, the thesis questions the ability of the concept of sustainable development to achieve the expected goals and its relevance as a major concept in urban development.

Cette recherche s’intéresse aux transformations des pratiques de chauffage à Istanbul impulsées par l’arrivée d’une nouvelle ressource énergétique. À travers l’analyse d’une trajectoire heurtée et contestée de diffusion du gaz naturel en substitut de combustibles traditionnels (charbon/bois/fuel), ma thèse dévoile les spécificités et les contradictions d’un processus « ordinaire » de transition énergétique au regard des dynamiques inégales d’appropriation sociale des innovations technologiques, qui viennent conforter et parfois subvertir la nature même des projet techniques et politiques. Inspiré par des travaux sur la sociologie de l’énergie et d’écologie politique urbaine, je propose de suivre dans le temps et dans l’espace les modalités d’agencement d’un nouveau système sociotechnique (service de distribution en réseaux, équipements de chauffage prétendant à l’efficacité énergétique pour la dernière génération d’entre eux, panneaux solaires, etc.), de comprendre les logiques conflictuelles de territorialisation de ces dispositifs en lien avec d’autres dynamiques de transformations urbaines, et enfin de repérer les conditions matérielles, culturelles et socio-économiques, plus ou moins favorables, pour que ces infrastructures réussissent à s’encastrer dans le quotidien des habitants. Ce faisant, ma thèse répond à un double questionnement : comment expliquer la rapidité et la massivité du déploiement du gaz naturel étant donnée la nature des obstacles à surmonter dans le contexte d’une métropole émergente (étalement urbain, concentration de pauvreté, inadaptation d’un cadre bâti hérité à l’usage du chauffage centralisé) ? Comment interpréter les multiples formes de vulnérabilité produites par un processus de transition énergétique censé, paradoxalement, incarner la modernisation et accompagner l’internationalisation d’Istanbul ? / My research focuses on the transformations of heating practices in Istanbul driven by the arrival of a new energy resource. Through the analysis of a contested and non linear trajectory of natural gas diffusion, my dissertation reveals the specificities and the contradictions of an « ordinary » process of energy transition (natural gas being a substitute for traditional fuels such as coal/wood) in light of the unequal dynamics of social appropriation of technological innovations, which reinforce and sometimes subvert the very nature of technical and political projects. Inspired by works on the sociology of energy and urban political ecology, I propose to analyze the construction of a new socio-technical system (network distribution service, boiler devices which pretend to be efficient for the most recent ones, meters, solar panels, etc.), to understand the conflicting logics of territorialization of these artefacts in relation with other dynamics of urban transformations, and finally to identify the material, cultural and socio-economic conditions, though which these new energy amenities success or failed to connect differents categories of people and neighbourhoods. In doing so, my thesis answers a double questioning : given the nature of various obstacles to overcome in the context of Istanbul (urban sprawl, high rates of poverty, heritage of a built environment which is inapropriate with the installation of central heating system), how can we explain the quickness and the large scale development of natural gas demand in Istanbul ? How can we interpret the multiple forms of vulnerability produced by an energy transition process, which is paradoxically, supposed to embody the modernization of Istanbul and to foster its internationalization ?

This thesis, firstly, examines the main characteristics of comprehensive and strategic spatial planning and by comparing both planning understandings indicates that strategic spatial planning is thought as more suitable to the demands of both developing and developed countries in the contemporary era. Then, the main argument of the thesis is presented as Ulus Historical Center Conservation and Improvement Plan is an example of a strategic plan prepared for the purposes of conservation (development). In conformity with the general conviction that strategic plan is more flexible, adaptable to changing circumstances, action oriented, open to negotiation by various actors involved in the planning process and allowing participation by beneficiaries of the planning process, this study aims to find out the strategic plan characteristics of Ulus Historical Center Conservation and Improvement Plan by looking at its development stage, main characteristics and the implementation process. As a conclusion, displaying an alternative view and as a planning process Ulus Planning Project is different than the traditional comprehensive conservation (development) plans more displaying the characteristics of strategic spatial planning.