Istanbul is a prominent destination with remarkable history, geography, and cultural heritage. Since the Ottoman era, the Karaköy and Salıpazarı of Istanbul have served as ports due to their strategic locations. An urban transformation project has revitalized the area, transforming it into a shopping center called “Galataport”. This development mirrors global trends of redeveloping coastal areas with tourism, economic, and retail potential for maximum profit. Thus, this research aims to reveal how this consumption-oriented spatial change is perceived by users. The study analyzes the capital-focused transformation of the port area in a spatial context and investigates the new consumption space. The main hypothesis of the study is that this coastal region has undergone a consumption-oriented socio-spatial transformation. In line with this hypothesis, the methods pursued for urban, managerial, socio-spatial, and socio-economic scrutiny include a literature review, analysis of the area’s transformation, and in-depth interviews with visitors to Galataport. The obtained data confirm the hypothesis. As a result of the transformation realized in a significant urban location, from a historical and geographical context, it is concluded that the space, with the support of legal and managerial actors, is used as a marketing tool focused on profit, and the artificial environment that could not otherwise be integrated into the city has become a consumption space.

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