Ataşehir

Ataşehir is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 25 km2, and its population is 423,127 (2022). It is located at the junction of the O-2 and O-4 motorways on the Anatolian (Asian) side of Istanbul. Its neighbours are the districts of Ümraniye to the north, Sancaktepe to the northeast, Maltepe to the east, Kadıköy to the south and Üsküdar to the west.

Since 2023, Ataşehir is home to the Istanbul Financial Center (IFC), where the new headquarters of the state-owned Turkish banks, such as the Turkish Central Bank, Ziraat Bank, VakıfBank and Halkbank, are located. Until 2023, the headquarters of these banks were in Ankara. As of 2024, the tallest buildings in Ataşehir are the 352 m Turkish Central Bank Tower,  which is followed by Metropol Istanbul Tower A (70 floors / 301 metres including its twin spires).

Unlike in Başakşehir, another satellite city (on the western part of the European side of Istanbul), no single-family house types were designed for Ataşehir's residential projects. Most buildings in Ataşehir are high-rise towers, while some of them (especially around the main public squares in the district) are among Istanbul's and Turkey's tallest skyscrapers.

The M4 line (Kozyatağı and Yenisahra stations) of the Istanbul Metro serves the district.

History


In 2008 the district Ataşehir was created from parts of the districts Kadıköy, Üsküdar, Ümraniye and Kartal.

The original housing development of Ataşehir was designed to include 18,000 high-rise condominiums offering luxury residences for 80,000 people with higher incomes. Ataşehir was awarded the Habitat prize in 2005.

As of 2006, 8596 housing units were present within the site, housing approximately 35,000 people. New investments still continue on the last empty sites of the district.

Politics and administration
Ataşehir Municipality has been founded in 2009. The municipal building and the district's security directorate are located in the neighborhood of Barbaros. Ataşehir Municipality has 24 subordinate directorates.



Composition


There are 17 neighbourhoods in Ataşehir District:


 * Aşık Veysel
 * Atatürk
 * Barbaros
 * Esatpaşa
 * Ferhatpaşa
 * Fetih
 * İçerenköy
 * İnönü
 * Kayışdağı
 * Küçükbakkalköy
 * Mevlana
 * Mimar Sinan
 * Mustafa Kemal
 * Örnek
 * Yeni Çamlıca
 * Yenisahra
 * Yenişehir

Economy
Ataşehir is a business and trading centre and hosts the headquarters and offices of numerous companies. Opened in 2023, the Istanbul Financial Center (IFC) in the Ataşehir district brings together the new headquarters of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey and other state-owned banks, such as Ziraat Bank, VakıfBank and Halkbank.

Transportation
Ataşehir can be reached with the M4 line (Kozyatağı and Yenisahra stations) of the Istanbul Metro.

For private car owners the subdivision is: 20-30 minutes from the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge; 3 minutes from Highway D-100 and the İzmit-Ankara Trans-European Motorway (TEM); 20 minutes from Bağdat Avenue, the upper-class high street of Kadıköy district; and 30-40 minutes from Sabiha Gökçen Airport, the second international airport of Istanbul.

Sports
Ülker Sports and Event Hall, home of Fenerbahçe's basketball team, is in Ataşehir.

The women's football club Ataşehir Belediyespor plays in the Turkish Women's First Football League. The team was the champion in the 2010–11 and 2011–12 seasons.

Ataşehir Golf Club [tr]  has a 6-hole course that was opened in 2017. The club also regularly hosts footgolf events.

Education
Yeditepe University, one of the largest private universities in Turkey, is located in Ataşehir. Fenerbahçe University is also located in Ataşehir.

Libraries
Ahmet Telli Çocuk ve Halk Kütüphanesi is a public library in the district.

Climate
The district of Ataşehir has a Mediterranean climate (Csa/Cs) according to both Köppen and Trewartha climate classifications, with cool winters and warm to hot summers.

It is in USDA hardiness zone 9a and AHS heat zone 3.