Spectral analysis of rhythms in urban marketplaces: A day in Esat Marketplace of Ankara (Turkey)

Marketplaces Movements, Representations and Practices, Ceren Sezer,Rianne van Melik, Editör, Routledge, London/New York , New York, ss.38-49, 2022

Rhythmanalysis provides a substantial perspective to study public space; however, there has

been an ongoing quest for methodological frameworks to conduct rhythmanalysis. This

chapter proposes ‘spectral analysis’ as a coherent method to represent and communicate the

rhythms of public spaces through its tools for critical observation based on visual

documentation and interpretation of a ‘spectrum of rhythms’. The method is applied to Esat

Marketplace in Ankara, Turkey, focusing especially on its recent spatial transformation in

2018. The analysis revealed that the interplay between diverse rhythmic agents in the

marketplace produce a complex polyrhythmic ensemble of regular and emergent rhythms. The

human and non-human rhythmic agents, their types of presence, intensity and tempo of their

rhythms necessitate different spatial and temporal ‘negotiations’ and ‘conflicts’. In return,

these ‘negotiations’ and ‘conflicts’ expose critical insights for the future spatial design

processes for marketplaces.