VIRTUAL ISTANBUL HERITAGE(S)

Abstract

Definitions of heritage and urban futures are increasingly recognizing the importance of “intangible” elements—the sense of place, identity, and atmosphere. Yet, traditional urban analysis methods (cognitive mapping, visual surveys) often fail to capture these fleeting, embodied dimensions. This paper responds to the conference’s call for interdisciplinary approaches by bridging urban design theory with film philosophy to propose a new analytical lens: “Affective Continuity.” Grounded in Spinoza’s ontology of the body and Nigel Thrift’s concept of “movement-space,” the study critiques the representational paradigm in urban studies. It argues that the “future of a city” depends on how designers manage and engineer affects. To this end, the paper introduces “Non-Scalar Affective Montage,” a methodological proposal that uses cinematic images not as visual references but as intensity scales to measure and map urban experiences. By juxtaposing urban pauses with cinematic “Time-Images,” this method reveals the invisible “affective engineering” of the city. The paper concludes that for architects and planners, engaging with cultural pasts and futures requires shifting focus from the “form” of the city to the “capacity” of the body, using cinema as a primary instrument to tune into the city’s affective frequency.