Research Information System
IWACT'19, Van, Turkey, 26 - 29 September 2019, pp.226
BRANDING PROCESS OF CITIES AND EFFECTS OF POSTMODERN SPACE PRODUCTION ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP STRUCTURE AND TOURISM: A CASE OF VAN’S CULTURE STREET Dr. Mehmet ŞEREMET Van Yuzuncu Yil University mseremet@hotmail.co.uk Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kübra CİHANGİR ÇAMUR Gazi University ccamurster@gmail.com Dr. Emine CİHANGİR Van Yuzuncu Yil University eccihangir@gmail.com Emre KARADUMAN Nevşehir Hacı Bektaşi Veli University ekaradumann@outlook.com Abstract City branding is an important concept in the tourism advancement of a city such as Van. In this sense, it is necessary to reflect a critical perspective into reproduced spaces in the city. While producing spaces in the town, the idea behind of reproduction is still missing in the term of paradigm shifts, particularly in the planning process. This study therefore provides a critical insight into the issue of how the culture street in the town has been designed by the integration of postmodernist perspective. Followings are simply be questioned in this study: 1-What is the entrepreneurship structure of culture street? 2-Does the postmodernism dominate the reproduction of the space? 3-Does the reproduction reflect the thematic name of the street? 4-What are the problems and opportunities facing the street having restructured? In order these questions to be achieved, a qualitative-based case-study design was employed, including face-to-face interviews, participant observation and ethnographic fieldwork in the street. The preliminary findings were presented in this proceeding paper. The structure of entrepreneurship showed that the male-dominated and local-owners running the cafes and bistros along the street. Although postmodernism simply reflects an “automatic” culture, the street is slightly lag behind of postmodernist perspective that the design of the street might be placed at somewhere in the middle of modernism and postmodernism. A mix structure of spaces was also observed in the place where the entertainment and residential areas were blended. Although there is still core of aims of the street were available in the cafes. This name is slightly changed from being a space to cultural activities to socialisation activities which are still important and valid. There some problems and challenges emerged by the café owners are simply commodification and the changing perspective of business in the street. Keywords: Reproduction of Space, Postmodernism, Entrepreneurship and City Branding, VanCulture Street-Turkey.