Developing cities with design

Abstract

Over the last decade, design has come to be regarded as a powerful and conspicuous tool for transforming cities to global city status. This has largely focused on the commissioning of a handful of iconic buildings by foreign signature architects. Tevfik Balclo?lu and Gülsüm Baydar question the value of the 'design city' model for Istanbul as one that potentially privileges image over function, and spatial organisation and the novel over practical urban requirements, while overlooking social and environmental responsibility. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.