Kadıköy Between the Sounds of Drills

The sound of seagulls. The sound of people. The sound of trees.

These are no longer the sounds of Kadıköy.

The sound of drills.

Concrete beginning to crack in the early hours of the morning. Construction vehicles spreading through narrow streets. Streets covered with construction netting.

In Kadıköy, urban transformation has now become daily life itself.

On streets once lined with old apartment buildings, small cafés, bookstores, and neighborhood grocery stores, change is rising floor by floor. A five-story building is demolished within a few weeks. Months later, a taller, more secure building with glass balconies rises in its place.

For some, this transformation is necessary.

After the 2023 earthquakes, millions of buildings in Istanbul began to be questioned once again. Experts have been warning about a Marmara earthquake for years. People no longer only want to live in beautiful neighborhoods. They want to feel safe.

According to experts, a significant portion of Istanbul’s building stock faces a high earthquake risk. Especially buildings constructed before 1999. In densely populated districts like Kadıköy, urban transformation is therefore not an aesthetic concern. It is a matter of survival. Yet at the same time, another debate is growing: while the city becomes safer, can the social fabric that makes it livable be preserved?

A real estate consultant working in Fenerbahçe describes it this way: “People used to ask about the view first. Now the first question is how old the building is.”

Urban transformation is the process of renewing buildings that are considered risky or that have reached the end of their economic lifespan. But it is not only about demolishing old buildings and replacing them with new ones. This process also changes the physical structure of a neighborhood, its population, rental balance, daily life, and social relationships. That is why urban transformation in Kadıköy creates a debate that is simultaneously about the need for safety and the future of neighborhood identity.

Walking through the streets of Moda, Rasimpaşa, or Yeldeğirmeni, another feeling also emerges: together with the buildings, the culture is changing. According to some residents, Kadıköy is not only transforming physically. The neighborhood culture is also slowly changing. Along with the old apartment buildings, old neighborly relationships are disappearing as well. Rising rents are pushing young people and students away from the area. Small local businesses are trying to survive in the shadow of large-scale projects.

A café owner in Yeldeğirmeni summarizes it in a single sentence: “The neighborhood is being renewed, but sometimes the people who live here are left outside that renewal.”

The traces of this transformation can be seen simultaneously on the streets. On one side, banners about structural reinforcement. On the other, “apartment for rent” signs.

Today, Kadıköy is trapped between two different emotions: fear and security.

On one side, the reality of earthquakes. On the other, the ordinary way of life people have grown accustomed to over many years. Urban transformation may change the buildings. But for many people, the real question remains the same: as Kadıköy changes, what will be left behind?