Regeneration, Heritage and Sustainable Communities in Turkey

Book excerpt: Over the last three decades, historic housing areas have become one of the major concerns in urban regeneration, housing renovation and conservation projects. Since the late 1990s, the notion of community, sustainability and sustainable community have become rising issues in the urban regeneration debate. Regeneration, Heritage and Sustainable Communities in Turkey contributes to this debate by integrating the interplay between regeneration, community needs and sustainability in the context of Istanbul. Together with the relational, multi-scalar and contingency planning approaches, these vital agents of regeneration provide new possibilities and creative opportunities to successfully deal with the uncertainties and complexities in evolving regeneration spaces. The interdisciplinary text reasons that finding the balance between the needs, aspirations and concerns of local communities and the conservation of the built environments will lead to more equitable and sustainable solutions to the problems faced in Istanbul’s historic quarters.