The contemporary stage of growth led the city to the size of a metropolis of about one and a half million inhabitants, facing serious environmental problems. Trade remains the main function of Izmir, together with manufacturing industries located either around the port or in external industrial estates. Administration, education and health services, and tourist trade are other significant urban functions. Two kinds of spatial differentiation can be observed in the residential areas, between traditional houses and modern buildings, and between well-to-do districts along the seaside and gecekondu all around the city. -from English summary