Özet:

Abstract Rights of use and ownership of urban (public) space perpetuates ongoing conflicts between government, capital and civil society. Thereby public spaces are not only recreative spaces accessible to all, but also places fostering citizenship and public sphere. The aim of this study is to show through the case of Ataköy that the urban space is a struggle area of economic, political and social forces, that have reflections on public sphere. To achieve this aim, the physical changes, transfer of ownership and changes in public use are examined parallel to economic, political and social factors regarding changing publicness of the area. Accordingly, the changing publicness of Ataköy Coast has been examined from 1960s to today, and three different periods are identified. These periods could be defined as public use of the coast, privatization of the land and public opposition against privatization, and finally construction a peoples garden. To understand the dynamics determinant to each period, following methods are used: spatial analyses showing the physical change, interviews with people who used the places since 1970s and was/is a part of public opposition, a survey on advertisements of gated communities and representations of the area in the media. Consequently, the coast is less public and more private today. The case of Ataköy shows two important aspects of public spaces; first, public spaces are essential part of urban life that promote public attention and second, a public space itself can be a subject of public opinion through gathering citizens around a common ground.

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