Ecological urban design for traditional Turkish settlement in Safranbolu, Turkey

Abstract

Safranbolu, in the Black Sea region of Turkey, is a rare example of traditional Turkish settlement characteristics. It is important to protect the settlement completely instead of providing limited protection to the traditional buildings Safranbolu is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a city under first degree protection because of its urban history, culture, and natural characteristics. This study examined the characteristics of the traditional settlement of Safranbolu regarding its ecological urban design. A field study and a survey of 100 residents provided data for the analysis of the potential of the area as a sustainable settlement in accord with the European Union Sustainability Indicators. The results found statistically significant correlations between the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants and their perceptions of nature and the environment (p < 0.05). Percentage (frequency) analyses were performed to assess the distributions of the participants' attitudes, desires, and concerns for Safranbolu and problems and possibilities were determined. An Ecological Urban Design Project (1/5000 scale) was developed to contribute to the sustainable development of the traditional settlement texture of Safranbolu. © 2017 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.