Evaluation of Urban Renewal Practices in Traditional Settlement Structures in the Context of Sustainability: The Case of Alipaşa-Lalebey Neighborhood

Abstract

Climate change, drought, floods, and other natural disasters are frequently encountered problems for cities in the 21st century. Today, urban sustainability is an essential resource for achieving sustainable development goals. In this context, many countries worldwide have started taking measures through of urban sustainability indicators to withstand environmental disasters and hazards. From a broad perspective, the vulnerability of cities to disasters has been identified in social, environmental, and economic dimensions, and solutions have been aimed at addressing these issues. In this context, within the scope of the study, urban renewal projects implemented in the Alipaşa-Lalebey Neighborhood, located in the historic Walled City of Diyarbakır, were compared with the old city fabric and evaluated by means of environmental, economic, and social sustainability indicators. Literature review, GIS (Geographic Information System), field study, and in-depth interviews were used as methods in the study. The Conservation Development Plan and Urban Renewal Projects of the old-new settlement pattern were mapped using the ArcMap program and then evaluated within the framework of social, environmental, and economic sustainability indicators. As a result of the study, it was concluded that the new housing texture in the urban renewal project implemented in the Alipaşa-Lalebey Neighborhood does not make comprehensive reference to the traditional texture. Changing the street texture, spatial changes in building blocks, parcel-building typologies, and non-use of traditional construction techniques and materials are environmental and social consequences that prevent the preservation of cultural heritage and social memory. The ineffective use of local resources and the decreased need for traditional professions have led to the failure to implement economic sustainability indicators. The absence of resources in the literature that discuss urban renewal project applications in a traditional historical context in the context of social, economic, and environmental sustainability indicators reveals the unique value of the study. This research aims to guide future urban renewal projects in historical contexts in hot-arid climate regions by comprehensively considering social, environmental, and economic urban sustainability principles to contribute to the creation of more effective and sustainable cities.