Design
Take a Video Tour of Istanbul's Conceptual New Taksim Square
Zoom through underground roadways and over a reconstructed Ottoman barrack in this video of the yet-to-be-built Taksim Project, a major rejiggering of Istanbul's central park.
The pulsing heart of Istanbul, Taksim Square, is about to undergo an operation that will make it all but unrecognizable to many Turks.
Gone will be the honking mix of cars weaving through an estimated 2 million pedestrians who visit the square each day; in the redesigned plaza, automobiles will travel through a complicated series of subterranean tunnels. A vast chunk of green area will disappear, paved over with concrete and tiles. And an Ottoman military barrack that hasn't existed on the spot since the 1940s will rise again, although this time around it will house not soldiers but likely cultural exhibits and tony cafes.