City`s Beating Heart

I live in Izmir, a bustling coastal city with 3 million residents, and in the very heart of this giant city is Alsancak, pronounced as Alsanjak, my neighborhood since the day I was born. I was born at a hospital in this neighborhood, moved two times and still live in the same neighborhood. Alsancak is a small neighborhood, about 4 square miles as I have measured from Google Earth.

It borders the sea and has the best seaside park in the country called Kordon where all of cities best restaurants, pubs, bars and my house are located. Although the sea is heavily polluted, it provides a very nice view and is a major income source for the businesses due to the nearby port.

Alsancak is the de-facto center of the city, because it is also the intersection point of roads, not highways, that go on all directions of the city, though the official city centre is 2 miles away. As a traditional neighborhood, Alsancak has generally 8 flat buildings, most of which were built in late 1960s and 1970s and look alike.


Although records show settlement in the area since 17th century when it was populated mostly by Greeks and Europeans, most historic houses were destroyed after the Second World War due to excellent (!) urban planning. Remaining houses mostly serve as bars and pubs or used as illegal brothels. New high-rise office and condo buildings are starting to be built, contrasting with the historical texture of the place.



Though Alsancak is the major intersection of roads, it is a pedestrian area with very narrow and busy streets. Similar to New York City, all shops and restaurants are on street level, so people walk all the time and it is very common to run into someone. It has always been very hard for me to get to somewhere because each time I go out the right time and see a close friend or relative and start chatting, and not go on time naturally! Alsancak has been a very close-knit community since the time my grandparents moved there, basically because it is home to the small prosperous community of town who has been family friends for many generations. In terms of close knit, I mean how I feel when I take a walk and feel that everyone is smiling, and everyone is very open against each other because we basically are from same big families and same schools. To illustrate, my house is on a building by the sea and my best friend lives one block away, my maternal grandparents live 2 blocks away, aunt lives 3 blocks away. Due to this physical proximity of the place, I never ride a car, never take public transportation or even ride a bike unless I go to school. We have a pretty easy life compared to the suburban mega neighborhoods because we have grocery stores offering fresh food on every corner and a butcher on every block where we walk.


When analyzed, it is evident that my neighborhood is diverse in age, since my generation, my parents` generation, my grandparents and even my great grandma used to live there when she was alive. However, it is hard to see that diversity in prosperity because it has been one of the most upscale neighborhoods in town ever since, due to the nearby port and the presence of entertainment industry.
As a result of the high-income population, Alsancak is the most cosmopolitan neighborhood of Izmir, home to the historical Jewish, European and Greek population of the city, and most of the expats. As a real life example, I am Jewish and our main synagogue is in this neighborhood, along with the whole Jewish population. There are 8 churches and only one mosque, in a country with 99% Muslim population. My sister`s piano instructor is a Greek lady who has been my mother`s friend for 35 years and we have Spanish neighbors. In Turkish standards, this is a very diverse profile, unique to Izmir, perhaps to Alsancak only.

Having born and lived my entire life in this neighborhood, I cannot compare a sprawl neighborhood to a traditional neighborhood because I never experienced life in a sprawling neighborhood. However, I can say that living in a traditional neighborhood is a really nice experience because you have the best of both worlds, all the amenities of a big city and the coziness of a small place. You can take a walk on the seaside and forget that you are in a big city or jump right into the bustling streets and have an excellent time with your friends.