I don't have any trouble believing there are many malls in Istanbul. I do have some trouble believing you can reasonably answer whether they are too many by just checking on the internet. In fact, as you point out, it's possible to visit NYC and not notice how many there are.

I also have some difficulty with the idea that people are heading out to the streets, risking life and limb, in multiple cities across Turkey just because of a mall in Istanbul.

The notion that we can figure this out just by hitting google maps seems obviously wrong.

You talk as if you care about uncovering the truth, then in the face of:

* The original claim on the blog

* Some research a poster here helpfully did using Google maps and web searches to verify

* Stories from multiple people who have visited Istanbul in person and can compare to other european cities

... you are still banging the drum of "You can't answer a question just by checking the internet!"

I wonder: what kind of evidence would get you to the point where you might believe such a claim?

Well, this exact crisis has been on Reddit for a couple of days and I even saw it on BBC News's online front page last night. I can't tell you exactly why people are doing it but it certainly sounds like a demonstration against a shopping mall was the spark.

Oh that part seems plausible. The bit that seems like over-reaching is that we can easily and quickly gain some insight into the situation by hitting google maps. Mohamed Bouazizi's suicide sparked popular protests in Tunisia and subsequently, across the middle east. Is there a lot we can learn about the Arab Spring by googling 'street vendors, Ben Arous'? Probably not.