Historical city evaluation in the context of morphological theories (istanbul, last ottoman period)

Abstract

Introduction: The historical city core of Istanbul developed under the influence of the religions and cultures that were brought in during the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman periods. This study investigates the effect that the 19th-century modernization, urban arrangements, road system changes, and sociocultural textures had on urban morphology on the Historical Peninsula of Istanbul, which had symbolic value. We review the morphology of Istanbul during the 19th century, a historical period when the city was undergoing new development and restructurization. We also develop an analysis methodology in order to examine this process in more detail, by following the methods of the researchers who carried out morphological studies. Purpose of the study and methods: In our research, we apply three different urban morphology methods, examining the development of the city, its effects on the urban tissue, and the newly developed and demolished areas. Firstly, we investigate historical plans in line with the Conzenian method and discover the urban tissue typologies of the historical city by using the Caniggia approach. Furthermore, we use the space syntax method developed by Bill Hillier in order to interpret the changes, differences, and similarities in the urban form, and draw axial lines to illustrate the integration of settlements and street systems shaped in the context of the relationship between people and space. Results: We discover the effects of development practices on the morphological structure of spaces and show how urban forms and cultures intertwine over time.