Beyond a Business Center: Osmanbey Market as an Inner-City Industrial Agglomeration in Istanbul

Öz

This study examines the formation and current characteristics of an inner-city agglomeration in Istanbul. Osmanbey, in Şişli district, is conventionally characterized as merely a commercial center, yet this study challenges this argument by showing that Osmanbey is an inner-city industrial agglomeration specializing in ready-to-wear production. Combining intra-metropolitan location theory with industrial cluster literature, the research reveals the play between global forces and local urban processes. Through mixed-method analysis—including newspapers, phone directories and structured interviews with 65 firms, and in-depth interviews with 16 sectoral actors—the paper traces Osmanbey’s transformation from a residential area in the 1950s to a hub for garment production by the 1980s, driven by Türkiye’s integration into global markets and the relocation of manufacturers from traditional centers like Sultanhamam. Findings highlight Osmanbey’s resilience as a cluster where firms, workshops, and suppliers form interdependent networks, leveraging proximity to reduce costs and facilitate rapid adaptation to market volatility. The district’s spatial division into "brain" (design/model-making), "factory" (workshops), and "showcase" (showrooms) reflects its stratified role in global value chains, with skilled labor and artisanal production coexisting alongside precarious, invisible labor. Despite municipal policies favoring deindustrialization, Osmanbey persists due to its embedded socio-economic ecosystem, though economic crises perpetuate cycles of firm turnover and spatial relocation. The study contributes to urban and economic geography by demonstrating how "ordinary" agglomerations in the Global South sustain industrial activity amid post-industrial narratives.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• inner-city agglomeration
• Istanbul
• Osmanbey
• industrial organization
• ready to wear industry

İş Merkezinin Ötesinde: Bir Kent-İçi Sanayi Kümelenmesi Olarak Osmanbey Piyasası

Öz

Bu çalışma, İstanbul kent içinde bulunan bir sanayi kümelenmesinin oluşumunu ve güncel özelliklerini konu edinmektedir. Şişli ilçesinde bulunan Osmanbey, geleneksel olarak yalnızca bir ticaret merkezi olarak tanımlansa da bu çalışma semtin ekonomik peyzajının, görünenden çok daha girift ve Osmanbey’in hazır giyim üretiminde uzmanlaşmış bir şehir içi sanayi yığılması olduğunu ortaya koyar. Araştırma, kent merkezleri ve sanayi faaliyetlerini ele alan literatürden faydalanarak, küresel dinamikler ile yerel kentsel süreçler arasındaki etkileşimi gözler önüne sermektedir. Telefon rehberleri ve 65 firmayla yapılan yapılandırılmış görüşmelerle niceliksel, gazete arşiv taraması ve 16 sektör çalışanıyla derinlemesine mülakatlar aracılığıyla niteliksel veriler toplanarak karma bir metodoloji uygulanmıştır. Bu çerçevede Osmanbey’in 1950’lerde bir yerleşim alanıyken, Türkiye’nin küresel pazarlara entegrasyonu ve Sultanhamam gibi geleneksel merkezlerden üreticilerin taşınmasıyla 1980’lere gelindiğinde, bir hazır giyim üretim merkezine dönüşüm süreci izlenmiştir. Bulgular; Osmanbey’in atölyeler, tedarikçiler ve firmalardan oluşan karşılıklı bağımlılık ilişkileriyle kurulu bir küme olarak dayanıklılığını sürdürdüğünü göstermektedir. Mekânsal yakınlık, firmaların maliyetleri düşürmesine ve piyasa dalgalanmalarına hızla uyum sağlamasına olanak tanımaktadır. Bölgenin mekânsal olarak “beyin”, “fabrika” ve “vitrin” biçiminde tarihsel olarak öne çıkan rolleri, ülkenin küresel değer zincirleri içindeki katmanlı rolünü de yansıtmaktadır. Merkezi ve yerel yönetimlerin sanayisizleştirme yönündeki politikalarına ve ekonomik krizlere rağmen Osmanbey; firma devinimi, mekânsal yer değiştirme, ürün pazarını değiştirme gibi döngülerle kent içindeki rolüne devam etmektedir. Bu çalışma, Küresel Güney’deki “sıradan” yığılmaların, post-endüstriyel anlatılara rağmen, nasıl sanayi faaliyetlerini sürdürebildiğini göstererek, kentsel ve ekonomik coğrafya literatürüne katkı sunmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• kent içi sanayi kümelenmesi
• Istanbul
• Osmanbey
• sanayi örgütlenmesi
• hazır giyim sanayi

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