Neighborhood Connection Density-Neighborhood Morphology Connection: The Case of Antalya Kaleiçi

Özdoğan H.

Iconarp International J. of Architecture and Planning, cilt.12, sa.2, ss.848-871, 2024 (ESCI)

Özet

Can neighborhood boundaries be defined in terms of morphological and functional

characteristics in cities that have developed different formations due to various

influences in the historical process? While neighborhood units in planned

settlements are pre-planned with an integrative approach, in unplanned traditional

settlements, residences come together as pieces and ultimately form the settlement.

In this study, which was carried out in Antalya-Kaleiçi, qualitative and quantitative

research methods were used. In the study, the neighborhood formation system was

discussed based on the hierarchical structure. A set of buildings including

residences that are next to and opposite a residence and directly open into a shared

urban space is defined as the neighborhood cell of that residence. The functional

relationships among residential elements were defined as neighborhood

connections, and a method to determine neighborhood connection density was

developed. In morphological development, an arrangement involving religious

buildings accepted as focal points, neighborhood cells of different degrees forming

around them, neighborhood blocks of different degrees belonging to neighborhood

cells of different degrees, and neighborhood units formed out of neighborhood

blocks was observed. It is understood that the density of neighborhood connections

is influenced by the number of residences defining neighborhood cells, the number

of connection points between residences such as building doors and gates, and the

spatial sizes of neighborhood spaces in which neighborhood connections take place.

In other words, the tendency for dense neighborhood connections emerges in areas

with more residences and connections but low square footage area. This situation

was considered a reflection of the relationship between the morphological and

functional structures. It was concluded that unplanned traditional neighborhood

units were formed in a way that did not show the self-sustaining and enclosed

character of planned residential units, and this structure was a characteristic that

should be taken as an example and maintained in terms of settlement culture.