In this study, morphological structures of the traditional fabrics of cities in Turkey, which have been shaped under the influence of various different cultures and geographical and climatic conditions in the historical process are presented via a mathematical interpretation. In this scope, spatial configuration and morphological structures of the historical cores of a total of fourteen cities selected from the seven geographical regions of Turkey, two cities from each (from the Marmara Region, Edirne and Bursa; from the Black Sea Region, Kastamonu and Trabzon; from the Central Anatolia Region, Sivas and Kayseri; from the Eastern Anatolia Region, Kars and Erzurum; from the Aegean Region, Muğla and Kütahya; from the South Eastern Anatolia Region, Urfa, Mardin and lastly from the Mediterranean Region, Tarsus and Antakya) region were analyzed comparatively using the Space Syntax method. In this method, the cities were analyzed in three main categories using eleven different parameters. These categories are convex space, axial space and syntactic space. Convex space analyzes were made using the paramters of convex articulation, convex deformation of the grid, grid convexity and convex ringness; axial space analyses were made using the paramters of axial articulation, axial integration of convex space, grid axiality and axial ringness; finally, syntactic space analyses were made using the parameters of integration, intelligibility and synergy. In
Historical environment is a unique and irreplaceable resource which reflects the social, cultural and economic characteristics of the past societies (Donely, 2011). It is an integral part of local, regional and national cultural idendity. The environment especially consists of historical environment and buildings are significant because of their uses as place where people's daily life activities. Moreover, meeting of social and cultural assets which societies have been figuring from the past with daily life turns into a resource for a sustainable future. However, it is generally impossible that those buildings which have been constructed in their own terms can satisfy the needs of today. In Turkey where the balance of protecting-using is on behalf of the first one, the protection policies and protection regulations exceedingly limit the intervention to the natural environments. Wishing that historical buildings are actualized into daily life on one hand and clamping down on accessing, visiting and using those buildings on the other hand leads to a serious discrepancy. However, the prominent examples which oversee the balance of protecting-using show that historical environments can be intervened through designing which will create or add values without compromising on protection. All sorts of interventions to be conducted consider the potential needs of the users without giving any harms to the originality of the building. Thus, it is expected that everyone can access the buildup area including the historical buildings, products and services and information equally and under equitable conditions. For that reason, making the built-up
Cities are organisms that live in a balance of continuity with the structures they possess and the urban open spaces that connect them. For this organism, staying alive and healthy is possible if urban dwellers, who are the users, utilize the spaces in a manner that preserves their integrity and locate each space in mental perception. Research problem/aim; Squares, which are one of the urban open spaces, are the breathing centers of the city that play important roles in maintaining this integrity. This study aims to test the relation of squares and pedestrian movement for each square and for the whole historical city. Method; In the present study examining the squares and their relationships in the historical city center of Konya province, 7 squares that have a semantic relationship resulting from being located on a specific axis with one another were analyzed with respect to pedestrian use and the respective physical characteristics of the squares. The main criteria defined in the study constitute the 3 steps of the method. These were identified as function-diversity, accessibility-form and livability–identity. Analyses were conducted based on the 3 established criteria and the 7 sub-criteria that measure the relationships among these at certain levels. Each analysis constitutes a step of the method and enables to achieve a result by using different measurement techniques. In the context of the analyses and findings, qualitative and quantitative studies such as a questionnaire study, land use, dominant land use, function diversity, global and local accessibility, form and geometry, urban open space and symbolic elements analyses were conducted for each square. Findings, Conclusions; As a result of this study carried out with the aim of reinforcing urban continuity and enhancing the relationship among squares, the primary data for each square were obtained and suggestions were presented for eliminating the deficiencies. With the implementation of these suggestions, the holistic perception of the squares, which are focal points located within the historical city center, will be stronger and these squares will have more enhanced functional and semantic connections with one another. In this way, significant contributions will be made regarding the users’ getting to know the city center, the use of squares for different needs and the protection of the integrity of the historical city center with regard to cultural identity.
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