At the beginning of the 20th century, İzmir contained 5 groups of people who were separated from each other at certain rates and whose income level was determined according to their ethnic groups and spread throughout the city. If we count these areas and different cultures, we come across Turks, Greeks, Jews, Armenians, and Franks.
Although this fire took place in the Republican period, since it was still an early period, the groups and the characteristics of these groups reflected the characteristics of the Ottoman period. In this context, when we look at people from different cultures, Turks had a middle-class income level. They had wooden and clean houses. The Greeks, that is, Greeks were in a weak position in terms of status and were not considered hygienic. The Jews, on the other hand, were the poorest group in Izmir, although they showed themselves as the wealthy and engaged in commerce in the world. Armenians lived in the outer parts of the city and represented the merchant segment. The Franks were the most wealthy in the city. They lived in stone houses. The reason why these houses are mentioned is that there were advantages and disadvantages of two different types of houses. Although stone houses were resistant to fire, they were at risk of collapse in an earthquake. Wooden houses, on the other hand, were earthquake resistant but vulnerable to fire. In addition, it was more attractive for middle and lower-income levels with its cheap construction cost.
Fires, on the other hand, were not unprecedented events in the history of Izmir. It even started fires frequently, and the city’s firefighters found a solution to this situation. When there was a fire, pumps that took water from the sea were used so that the fires could be extinguished quickly. However, things did not go well in the fire of 1922, and three-quarters of the city was destroyed in the fire.
An organized group was formed for restructuring and positive transformation in the post-fire process. Nobody owned it as all property was destroyed by fire, and it was like starting a brand new book. Areas destroyed by fire were rearranged according to the current population. While doing this, the cultural park was taken as a reference. Rather than the existing texture, they wanted a new and modern city and wanted to change the texture.
Talip Uçar 