Türkiye Cumhuriyeti’nin Yüz Yıllık Geçmişinde Bursa’daki Osmanlı Kimliğini Sürdürmeye Yönelik Çabalar

Abstract

ABSTRACT
 Bursa, on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Türkiye, has witnessed activities concerning the conservation of cultural heritage since the end of the 19th century. The city's historical identity, which is mostly comprised of cultural properties from the Early Ottoman period, has been subject to pressures such as immigration and squatting while attempting to keep up with urban development activities, since the early 1960s. Following the changes in conservation legislations from the 1970s to the 1980s, the local authorities in Bursa have become the primary actors in the organization through the participation of various types of stakeholders concerned with public awareness in the conservation of cultural heritage, including archaeological, natural, and architectural assets located in rural and urban regions. However, urban transformation and regeneration projects that result from the new legal regulations adopted since the 2000s have posed a threat to the traditional texture of old neighborhoods in Bursa. This study seeks to determine the leading role of Bursa in preserving and sustaining its Ottoman identity within the context of contemporary conservation approaches in the Turkish Republic. To this end, the conservation implementations associated with the national conservation acts are presented in chronological order, along with the information gathered from conservation decisions made to ensure the effort in sustainability of its multi-layered urban structure. After a general evaluation of the parallelism between the legal aspects and practices concerning this conservation issue, the reasons and outcomes of the most recent regulations on urban conservation activities are discussed to attain the problems and solutions necessary to preserve the historic urban character of this Ottoman city. Consequently, it highlights the extent to which the Ottoman identity of Bursa can withstand the legal variability in the conservation approach in Turkey.
 Keywords: Sustainability, Urban Conservation, Legal Variability, Ottoman Identity, Bursa