A Grounded Theory Approach to the Transformation of Railway Sites in Türkiye

This paper examines the obsolescence and transformation of historic railways in Türkiye, moving beyond conventional discussions of adaptive reuse. While existing research has primarily focused on the modes and strategies of repurposing disused railway buildings, this research investigates the broad...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ümmü Nur Öztürk Arslan, Bahar Aktuna
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Alanya Üniversitesi 2025-07-01
Series:Proceedings of the International Conference of Contemporary Affairs in Architecture and Urbanism-ICCAUA
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journal.iccaua.com/jiccaua/article/view/683
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850118360632655872
author Ümmü Nur Öztürk Arslan
Bahar Aktuna
author_facet Ümmü Nur Öztürk Arslan
Bahar Aktuna
author_sort Ümmü Nur Öztürk Arslan
collection DOAJ
description This paper examines the obsolescence and transformation of historic railways in Türkiye, moving beyond conventional discussions of adaptive reuse. While existing research has primarily focused on the modes and strategies of repurposing disused railway buildings, this research investigates the broader processes of obsolescence, mapping the afterlives of railway heritage. It engages a grounded theory approach and systematically analyzes documents—maps, published articles, and local news—as primary data to trace how railway sites transition beyond their original function. It identifies key processes including expansion, abandonment, invisibility, and contested redevelopment and explores how ownership structures, policy shifts, and socio-political forces shape these transformation trajectories. This study situates these transformations across different historical periods, from the mid-19th century to the present, to develop a theoretical framework for understanding railway obsolescence in evolving urban, rural, and infrastructural contexts in Türkiye. The findings suggest a theory of “Relational Trajectories of Railway Heritage Transformation” and offer insights for heritage policymakers, planners, conservationists, and scholars engaged in transportation history, planning, adaptive reuse, and infrastructure conservation.
format Article
id doaj-art-e3f5d8581f4e4f9bb6a4c0f56e6e1630
institution OA Journals
issn 3023-7009
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Alanya Üniversitesi
record_format Article
series Proceedings of the International Conference of Contemporary Affairs in Architecture and Urbanism-ICCAUA
spelling doaj-art-e3f5d8581f4e4f9bb6a4c0f56e6e16302025-08-20T02:35:53ZengAlanya ÜniversitesiProceedings of the International Conference of Contemporary Affairs in Architecture and Urbanism-ICCAUA3023-70092025-07-018110.38027/ICCAUA2025EN0229A Grounded Theory Approach to the Transformation of Railway Sites in TürkiyeÜmmü Nur Öztürk Arslan0Bahar Aktuna1Department of Architecture, Faculty Of Architecture, Yeditepe University, TürkiyeDepartment of Architecture, Faculty Of Architecture, Yeditepe University, Türkiye This paper examines the obsolescence and transformation of historic railways in Türkiye, moving beyond conventional discussions of adaptive reuse. While existing research has primarily focused on the modes and strategies of repurposing disused railway buildings, this research investigates the broader processes of obsolescence, mapping the afterlives of railway heritage. It engages a grounded theory approach and systematically analyzes documents—maps, published articles, and local news—as primary data to trace how railway sites transition beyond their original function. It identifies key processes including expansion, abandonment, invisibility, and contested redevelopment and explores how ownership structures, policy shifts, and socio-political forces shape these transformation trajectories. This study situates these transformations across different historical periods, from the mid-19th century to the present, to develop a theoretical framework for understanding railway obsolescence in evolving urban, rural, and infrastructural contexts in Türkiye. The findings suggest a theory of “Relational Trajectories of Railway Heritage Transformation” and offer insights for heritage policymakers, planners, conservationists, and scholars engaged in transportation history, planning, adaptive reuse, and infrastructure conservation. https://journal.iccaua.com/jiccaua/article/view/683Railway Obsolescence; Infrastructure Transformation; Cultural Heritage; Adaptive Reuse; Grounded Theory
spellingShingle Ümmü Nur Öztürk Arslan
Bahar Aktuna
A Grounded Theory Approach to the Transformation of Railway Sites in Türkiye
Proceedings of the International Conference of Contemporary Affairs in Architecture and Urbanism-ICCAUA
Railway Obsolescence; Infrastructure Transformation; Cultural Heritage; Adaptive Reuse; Grounded Theory
title A Grounded Theory Approach to the Transformation of Railway Sites in Türkiye
title_full A Grounded Theory Approach to the Transformation of Railway Sites in Türkiye
title_fullStr A Grounded Theory Approach to the Transformation of Railway Sites in Türkiye
title_full_unstemmed A Grounded Theory Approach to the Transformation of Railway Sites in Türkiye
title_short A Grounded Theory Approach to the Transformation of Railway Sites in Türkiye
title_sort grounded theory approach to the transformation of railway sites in turkiye
topic Railway Obsolescence; Infrastructure Transformation; Cultural Heritage; Adaptive Reuse; Grounded Theory
url https://journal.iccaua.com/jiccaua/article/view/683
work_keys_str_mv AT ummunurozturkarslan agroundedtheoryapproachtothetransformationofrailwaysitesinturkiye
AT baharaktuna agroundedtheoryapproachtothetransformationofrailwaysitesinturkiye
AT ummunurozturkarslan groundedtheoryapproachtothetransformationofrailwaysitesinturkiye
AT baharaktuna groundedtheoryapproachtothetransformationofrailwaysitesinturkiye