Archeology of a Vanishing Typology: Motels in the Geography of Turkey

Abstract

Encountered as a vanishing typology in Turkey's geography motels are the focus of this study. In this context Establishing a framework from the precedents that arouse in the American context at the beginning of the twentieth century and European context in midcentury the motel typology in tourism architecture in Turkey was analyzed in spatial economic and socio-cultural aspects with their history over half a century. This study attempted to sought the traces of the transformation that this typology went through in a global context considering transformation processes and semantic shifts within the historical context that generates them. In this study conducted to reveal the concepts and qualities related to the realms of architecture and tourism through motels having a significant place among tourism accommodation the architectural features of motels such as location scale and form and the transformations of motel enterprises that have lost their popularity within consumption culture were examined through literature review supported with visuals. It is possible to state that motel typology as a unique typology in terms of its location in the city and its small scale as well as its formal and functional simplicity and its spatial comfort offers its users a new way of life through its original meaning. However the historical examples in Turkey (except for Emniyet Motel Florya and Kilyos Establishment A and B Motels TUSAN Motel chain and Cizmecioglu Motel) do not fit this definition. To put it more precisely it is difficult to see the implementation of motel typology in its original sense in the context of Turkey. The meaning of Motel typology has changed in parallel with a shift in tourism understanding focusing on coastal settling and has found its local interpretation in Turkey.