As a result of today's planning approach and global policies, the relationship between the city and people is weakening. With the weakening of this relationship, unhealthy growing cities are exposed to socio-physical problems. The lack of a human and community-oriented planning approach leads to similar productions for a certain group and problems of identity, belonging and, attachment emerge in these places. To avoid the emergence of these problems, it is necessary to seek solutions by focusing on the most fundamental for cities, that is, people, human perception, place, and place identity. The Backside of Alsancak Port is a district where examples of deindustrialization, urban entrepreneurship, and gentrification have been observed. The aim of this study is to investigate the place identity and placelessness with user perception in Backside of Port. Thus, the strengths and opportunities of the district will be explored, and its weaknesses and threats will be examined. The research aims to associate the elements of placelessness in user perception with neoliberal developments, gentrification processes and internal decay in the district, and thus to criticize current planning and global policies. As a result, it is concluded that the place aimed to be produced conflicts with the place in the user's perception. Today, the change and transformation of cities is inevitable, but it is significant that this process is realized by preserving and developing the existing "values and identities" of people, places, and cities