Merkez Neighborhood, Kağıthane

The Merkez neighborhood is located in Kağıthane district, made up of 1,896 buildings.

Where Is Merkez?

The Merkez neighborhood is adjacent to neighborhoods such as Abbasağa, Cihannüma, Dikilitaş. Within the neighborhood, the price per square meter shows a 4.2x difference between the most and least expensive areas; the median for Istanbul neighborhoods is 2.05x.

ÖrnektepeMerkez
Within-neighborhood price gap×4.16

Among apartments of the same size, age, floor and room count, a 4.16x price difference was measured within this neighborhood. The Istanbul median is ×2.05 (the black line marks it). A wide gap means where you live within the neighborhood matters a lot; a narrow one means the neighborhood is homogeneous.

We cannot say where in the neighborhood the difference occurs. Source and methodology

This neighborhood is heterogeneous in terms of price; a single price per square meter would be misleading, as there is significant variation by location.

Who Lives in the Merkez Neighborhood?

34K people live in Merkez, at a density of 16K people per km². That is close to the Istanbul average density. The median age is 34; the Istanbul neighborhood average is 36, which makes this a neighborhood 2 years younger. The average household here has 3 people. The average length of schooling is 10 years, 1 years above the city average. 27% are university graduates, compared with 22% citywide.

Population
33,977
11,251 households
Median age
33.7
Istanbul 35.5
Average household
3.02people
Istanbul 3.17
People / km²
16,335
Istanbul 18,211

Education level of neighborhood residents

Average education9.9 years+6%
Women's education9.9 years+10%
University graduates27%+5 points

The vertical line marks the average (median) of Istanbul's 745 neighborhoods; the value beside it is the neighborhood's difference from that average (percentage points for ratios, relative difference for durations).

Infrastructure and environment

Average internet speed359 Mbps+15%
Fiber coverage31%+6 points
Green space per person12.05 m²+1465%

Socioeconomic status

Households receiving social assistance3.1%−2 points

Indicators are compiled from TÜİK, BTK and İBB Open Data records. Source and methodology

Profile of Merkez Neighborhood Residents

Resident satisfaction

Elektrik78.7%
Temizlik77.5%
Kanalizasyon75.3%
Sokak aydınlatması74.2%
Toplu taşıma70.8%
Gürültü68.5%
Hava kalitesi64%
Kaldırımlar62.9%
Su55.1%
İnternet55.1%
Yeşil alan53.9%

Share who said "satisfied" or "very satisfied." The vertical line marks the Kağıthane district overall.

Hometowns

TokatOrduSamsunBatmanErzurumKahramanmaraş

Asked directly of residents in the İBB household survey: the hometown of those born outside Istanbul who settled here.

Source: İBB Veriye Dayalı Yönetim Modeli hane halkı araştırması (50.391 hane). 89 households from this neighborhood responded.

What Is the Merkez Neighborhood Like?

Merkez is a neighborhood with an education level close to the Istanbul average; 27% of adults are university graduates. By household, the share of households receiving social assistance is close to the city average (3.1%). At the ballot box, the ruling bloc is ahead by a narrow margin (50%). The density of consumption venues is close to the city average.

Consumption character

Looking at the types of consumption venues in Merkez, the neighborhood is markedly below the Istanbul average on the secular/conservative public space scale.

Near the city average
conservative public spacesecular public space

Ballot box · political leaning

In the second round of the 2023 presidential election, iktidar bloğunun cumhurbaşkanı adayı received 50.3% of the vote at Merkez's ballot boxes. In the 2024 local elections, AK PARTİ finished ahead in the district mayoral race with 49.2%. With this vote distribution, the neighborhood falls in the 47% band of Istanbul's spectrum from ruling bloc vote to opposition bloc vote.

Near the Istanbul average
ruling blocopposition bloc

The scale shows political bloc preference; cultural identity is not inferred from the vote. Source and methodology

Civic fabric · associations

77 associations are registered with an address in the neighborhood. Most are in the meslek ve dayanışma category (47 associations). The category composition is close to the citywide pattern.

Civic vitality (associations per 1,000 people)2.27Istanbul median 0.86
canlı (higher than 89% of Istanbul neighborhoods)
Meslek ve dayanışma47 · 61%+4 points
İnsani yardım7 · 9%
Dini hizmet4 · 5%−2 points
Sağlık3 · 4%+1 points

The vertical line is that category's citywide share.

Hometown associations

Sivas · 3Ordu · 3ErzincanKastamonuHatay

It shows which communities have organized here, not who lives here. Source and methodology

This is not a measure of belief or lifestyle. Source and methodology

Transportation in the Merkez Neighborhood

Within Merkez's boundaries, 35 different İETT bus lines pass through 41 bus stops. The neighborhood is served by the M7 metro line; the nearest station is "Kağıthane," 15 m from the boundary. 100% of the neighborhood's population can reach a rail transit stop within walking distance.

Rail lines
1
M7
Ferry lines
0
no ferry pier
Bus lines
35
41 stops
🚇 Kağıthane · M7 · 15 m🚇 Nurtepe · M7 · 276 m🚇 Çağlayan · M7 · 373 m

Stops were counted within the neighborhood boundary; rail stations and ferry piers have a 400 meter buffer. Source and methodology

Building Stock

The neighborhood's building construction period and floor distribution. Construction period is the strongest factor determining earthquake risk.

30%
45%
25%
before 19801980–2000after 2000
Total buildings
1,896
9.2 buildings/ha
Average floors
5.1
10+ floors
4.3%
Neighborhood area
206.5ha

Source: İBB Open Data (2017 Neighborhood-Level Building Counts). Construction after 2017 is not reflected in this count.

Earthquake Risk (İBB Possible Earthquake Scenario)

Projected values for this neighborhood in the expected major Marmara earthquake.

Very heavy damage
11buildings
Heavy damage
31buildings
Moderate damage
162buildings
Heavy+ rate
6.3%
share of damaged buildings
Projected fatalities
9
Severely injured
6
Temporary shelter
722people

İBB olası deprem senaryosu (mahalle bazında)

Soil class

estimated
22%
42%
28%
Z1 · rock / very denseZ2 · denseZ3 · medium dense to looseZ4 · soft / loose

70% of Merkez's soil is in the loose or soft class (Z3-Z4). Ground motion here is felt on average 41% stronger than on rock.

This neighborhood falls outside the İBB microzonation maps. The shares are not a measurement; they are the estimate of a model built from terrain and nearby measurements. The nearest measurement is 4.4 km away.

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