Evolving ‘Place Identity’ of Ankara’s Historical and Symbolic Public Space, Gençlik Park

Since the 1980s, while cities have been economically, socially and spatially restructured under the influence of globalization and neoliberal policies, place identities have changed significantly. Contemporary cities have gained global identities through large-scale urban transformation projects. At the same time, characteristics of local and unique place identities are being distorted, devalued, and, in some cases, destroyed through spatial decisions. Cultural heritage sites have become the spaces reflecting the conflicts between the local and global identities of cities, and the stages of political and economic interest struggles. Today, while conserving local identity fosters the entrepreneurial and competitive power of many cities in a global context, it causes the commodification, commercialization and privatization of the characteristics and components that constitute the place identity, especially in cultural heritage areas. This article explores the transformation of Gen & ccedil;lik Park, a historic and symbolic public space in Ankara, over the 100-year history of the Republic. Initially designed in the 1920s to embody the ideals of a modern, secular, and Western society, the park has gradually shifted away from its original design and identity. Using a theoretical framework of "place identity", this qualitative study examines changes in the park's physical characteristics, activities, and meaning under four subsequent historical periods within contextual and evolutionary perspectives. Through historical analysis and a single-case study approach, it highlights the park's evolving identity in relation to the city's changing identity, the factors driving these changes, and their connection to the broader urban, economic-political, and historical shifts in Ankara. This study also demonstrates how the broader identity transformation of Ankara has influenced the evolving identity of Gen & ccedil;lik Park.