Retrospectives on Istanbul: Urban Expansion Reviews and the Early Days of Online Travel

 

Retrospectives on Istanbul: Urban Expansion Reviews and the Early Days of Online Travel

Recent publications highlight different facets of Istanbul's rapid technological and urban evolution. In a recent book review featured in The Arts Fuse regarding the text "Power, Progress, and Loss in Erdoğan's Istanbul," critics examine the profound infrastructural changes in the city. The piece highlights a stark contrast in the city's public transit evolution, noting the rapid expansion of subway lines and stations from the time Erdoğan was the city's mayor to the present day.

In tandem with its infrastructural growth, Istanbul also played a role in the early history of the digital travel industry. The Miami Hurricane reports on a University of Miami alumnus, Koksal Abdurrahmanoglu, who began developing the platform "Istanbul.com" in the 1990s. The site was built long before online travel booking became mainstream, eventually growing into a pioneering digital hub for the city's tourism sector.

Sources:

• The Arts Fuse: Book Review: Power, Progress, and Loss in Erdoğan's Istanbul

• The Miami Hurricane: Before online travel was mainstream, a UM alumnus was already building it

'From Life Itself': The Tumult of Erdogan's Rule Examined Through an Istanbul District

 

'From Life Itself': The Tumult of Erdogan's Rule Examined Through an Istanbul District

A newly reviewed book, From Life Itself by Suzy Hansen (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), explores the political and social dynamics of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's administration by focusing on a single district within Istanbul. Profiled recently by The Economist, the 368-page book utilizes localized, ground-level observations to provide insights into the broader national and cultural shifts that have occurred in Turkey over recent years.

Sources & Links:

• The Economist: The tumult of Erdogan's rule, seen from one district in Istanbul