Evaluation of squatter settlement transformations in istanbul in the context of sustainability: A case study in fikirtepe

Abstract

The urban transformation of consolidated squatter settlements in Turkey is being undertaken with disregard to their established socio-cultural and spatial identities. An example of this kind of transformation can be found in Fikirtepe, one of the oldest squatter settlements located in the Kadıköy neighbourhood, on the Asian side of Istanbul. We have carried out a study of this area, to analyse the on-going urban transformation processes and to suggest an alternative model which conforms to the requirements of sustainable development, in the social, economic and environmental sense. The study is based on published sources, legislation reviews, individual observations, and survey analysis performed by ITU architectural students within the elective graduate course, “Sustainable Transformation and Architecture” which took place in the autumn of 2015 at the Istanbul Technical University.