Ekolojik Yerleşmeler ve Ekolojik Yıpranma: Şanlıurfa Geleneksel Kent Dokusu ve Karaköprü İlçesi

Comprehensive changes in the world have revealed an urban view which suffers big changes in the ecological balance and the traditional settlements and requires confusion and renovation. In this context, it has been needed the effective use of resources and the sustainability and improvement of applied design principles in traditional settlements. In this article, according to the results of data obtained from examinations made in research area and field study analyses, traditional residential areas of Sanliurfa were evaluated under the criteria of ecological design, ecological degradation in Karaköprü Town were determined in the context of with the current developments and reconstructions and finally, some protective measures were proposed. When the traditional settlement patterns of Sanliurfa city were examined, it was observed that local resources were used in the most efficient way. However, structurings that are not appropriate for ecological settlement criteria have been observed in newly developing Karaköprü Town. It has been evaluated that principles of ecological settlements of traditional Sanliurfa settlements in which local resources are used effectively were not applied in the new settlement areas. The destruction of Punica granatum and Pistacia vera gardens and occurrence of the environments that does not fit to regional ecology in Karaköprü Town have been observing. In the residential areas of Karaköprü Town, the concept of street has been lost, unidentified areas and places consisted of parcel system determined by construction plan have been emerged, and green fields nearby the residential areas, which do not serve to the need of users, have been developed. As a consequence, when traditional Sanliurfa city settlements examined, it was observed that local resources were used effectively, however, the unconstructed parts of Karaköprü Town, which is a new settlement area, are under risk of ecological devastation because their natural resources that they harbour are under pressure of urbanization. Therefore, it was suggested that construction plans based on ecological planning and design policies should be applied in order to prevent this devastation. The pattern, which is formed by sheltered streets and buildings with yards in a flat topography and partly observed traditional settlement patterns having ecological design characteristics in the city centre, is integrated with the environment both physically and functionally.