ITU A|Z • Vol 13 No 1 • March 2016 • 195-208 Assessing the role of users in sustainable revitalization of historic urban quarters: The case of -Khans District

Gül Sibel GEDİK1, Dilek YILDIZ2 1 [email protected] • Department of Architecture, Graduate School of Science, Engineering and Technology, Technical University, Istanbul, 2 [email protected] • Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey

Received: January 2016 • Final Acceptance: February 2016

Abstract Historic urban quarters which are vital for the physical, economic and so- cio-cultural sustainable development of cities, are subject to fast paced changes due to the effects of globalization and rapid urbanization. Preventing the nega- tive effects of urbanization and globalization and maintaining the unique iden- tity of historic urban quarters for the future can only be possible by means of sustainable revitalization strategies which involve all relevant stakeholders in a holistic approach. Even though there is extensive research that focuses on the en- vironmental, socio-cultural and economic dimensions of sustainable revitaliza- tion strategies, relatively fewer studies specifically deal with the user perceptions, images and opinions. By considering local people as a valuable resource, the aim of this paper is to assess users’ role in sustainable revitalization. Khans District which is not only a historic but also a commercial and cultural center of the city of Bursa has been chosen as a case due to the ongoing transformation of this dis- trict. Methodologically, cognitive mapping and survey questionnaires have been used to obtain data. The findings showed that user sourced data can contribute to the physical, social, economic and governance dimensions of sustainable re- vitalization strategies. This data can also influence (1) the determination of aims and targets, (2) planning and design and (3) the management stage of sustainable revitalization process. Consequently, as a valuable resource, it has been found out that users’ perceptions, images and opinions can provide important data for sus- tainable revitalization.

Keywords Sustainability, Revitalization, Historic urban quarters, User perception and doi: 10.5505/itujfa.2016.21931 doi: opinion, Bursa Khans District. 196

1. Introduction out the history of sustainable revital- Inherited from past generations and ization, the role of local users in the shaped by overlapping layers, historic area has been considered either a part urban quarters are both socio-cultural of social sustainability or a stakeholder and economic assets of a city. As a man- of governance process. In current liter- ifestation of cultural heritage, these ar- ature, users have been handled at mi- eas not only reflect a unique sense of nor levels, sometimes their role defined place and the identity of cities, but also in an ambiguous way or even ignored. trigger the economic dynamics of cities Few studies have taken users as a focus as an important source for city market- of the subject and separated them from ing and tourism (Al-hagla, 2010; Kar- the other dimensions of sustainability mowska, 2003; Tiesdell et al., 1996). In where users could be conceptualized this sense, historic urban quarters are under the topic of human sustainabil- vital for the physical, economic and so- ity (Börjesson and Walldin, 2009). cio-cultural sustainable development It is widely known that sustainable of cities (Tweet and Sutherland, 2007). revitalization strategies become suc- Today, due to the pressures caused cesful only in the case where users are mainly by globalisation and urbaniza- involved in the process. When the user tion such as rapid population growth, group becomes a participatory actor in mobility, increased density, the rise of these strategies, their awareness about new attraction centers, changing con- the value of the environment increas- sumption habits, uncontrolled urban es and consequently they possess and growth and economic and techno- protect it. In order to carry out plan- logical improvements, historic urban ning processes of revitalization proj- quarters can barely respond to the re- ects in a democratic way, user group as quirements of a community’s changing one of the important bottom-up actors needs and lifestyles. As a result of these and the real owners of historic urban pressures, historic urban quarters face quarters are supposed to have power in a series of economic, social and phys- the decision making process. For this ical changes. These mutual interac- reason, differentiated from the former tions can be categorized by two major studies, by considering local people as forces; the first one is the dynamics of a valuable resource for sustainable re- the place which transform population vitalization, this study focuses on the movements and real estate markets role of users, and investigates how their and the second is both perceptual and perceptions, images, and opinions can practical links between people and be articulated in sustainable revitaliza- their physical environment (Seragel- tion strategies and processes. din, 2000). Over time, these changes With this aim in mind, this study start to threaten the unique identity of methodologically uses Lynch’s (1960) these areas and cause a process of de- concept of “a cognitive image of a city” cay and deterioration. for the aim of defining how users per- Preventing the many negative ef- ceive and construct the image of a fects of urbanization and globaliza- particular district in their minds; and tion, maintaining the unique identity subsequently employs a survey ques- of historic urban quarters for the fu- tionnaire in order to learn about user ture and revitalizing them by making opinions on the problems and sug- adaptations to cope with the changing gested solutions along with the future conditions of cities can only become potentials of the district. From this possible by means of sustainable revi- point of view, this study aims to assess talization strategies which involve all user perceptions and opinions to ob- relevant stakeholders in a holistic ap- tain data for sustainable revitalization proach. Even though there is extensive strategies of historic urban quarters. research that focuses on the enviro- The main research questions which are mental, socio-cultural and economic posed as follows: components of sustainable revitaliza- • What kind of data can be obtained tion strategies, relatively fewer studies by the participation of users for sus- deal specifically with the user percep- tainable revitalization strategies of tions, attitudes and opinions. Through- historic urban quarters? ITU A|Z • Vol 13 No 1 • March 2016 • G. S. Gedik, D. Yıldız 197

• How and at what stages do user per- ty (Vehbi and Hoşkara, 2009) implies ceptions and opinions contribute to that sustainable revitalization should sustainable revitalization strategies involve not only physical, but also so- of historic urban quarters? cial and economic dimensions. Even Chosen as a case to investigate these though sustainable revitalization in research questions, Bursa Khans Dis- historic urban quarters has been ap- trict which is not only a historic but proached from many different per- also a commercial and cultural center spectives in current literature, these of the city of Bursa, is now experienc- three major dimensions are commonly ing an ongoing transformation process accepted by many researchers. Since due to both rapid population and ur- physical revitalization provides a short ban growth and also the lack of a holis- term strategy, a long term strategy can tic approach taken by local governance. only be achieved by including social An effective integration of Khans Dis- and economic dimensions when deal- trict within city life with sustainable ing with the phyical aspect (Vehbi and revitalization strategies will bring both Hoşkara, 2009; Tiesdell, et al., 1996). economic and social benefits to the en- Vehbi and Hoşkara (2009) discuss tire city of Bursa. In the next section, the relationship between the concepts main concepts, models and theoreti- of obsolescence and the level of sus- cal approaches in sustainable revital- tainability and they suggest a model ization of historic urban quarters and for measuring the sustainability level their related existing research results in historic urban cores. Based on phys- will be reviewed followed by an inter- ical, economic and social dimensions, pretation of the role of the user groups this model also includes various indi- in these approaches. cators for revitalization. Since these indicators will change from place to 2. Literature review place, this selection should be done by Extensively researched in current extensive public participation. Similar- literature is the notion that sustainabil- ly, Doratlı (2005 and 2007) defines the ity has ecological/environmental, so- theoretical foundation of revitalization cio-cultural and economic dimensions, strategies based on two mutually inter- which should be considered in a com- active concepts, which are the level of plimentary way (Chiu, 2004; Eastaway obsolescence and the dynamics of the and Støa, 2004; Vehbi, et al., 2010). place. Whereas the level of obsoles- When the notion of sustainability first cence can exist in physical, functional, came to the fore in academic circles, locational and image categories, the its physical or ecological dimensions development dynamics of the place initially drew the most discussion, but can be described as high, static or de- in time it was understood that human clining. and societal dimensions in particular Doratlı et al. (2004) proposed a re- could not be excluded from sustain- vitalization strategy for historic urban ability processes (Bramley and Power, quarters based on swot analysis. Ana- 2009). Thereby, socio-cultural sustain- lyzing the natural, built and socio-eco- ability comes to take precedence which nomic environment through various includes a sense of place, identity, lo- research techniques with regard to cal culture and traditions (Axelsson, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities et al., 2013). Besides, the economic di- and threats provides input for sus- mension plays a catalyzing role within tainable revitalization strategies. Only the inter-relationship of physical and the demographic characteristics of the socio-cultural sustainability. In this user group as a sub-component of the context, sustainable development has socio-economic environment are con- been described as a multidimensional sidered in this model. Apart from the and harmonious association between swot based model, there are other ap- environmental, economic, social and proaches that put special emphasis on cultural dimensions (Golubchikov and participatory models. Taş, et al. (2009) Badyina, 2012). emphasize that among social, cultural, The strong relationship between ecological, economic and political di- urban revitalization and sustainabili- mensions, a participatory governance Assessing the role of users in sustainable revitalization of historic urban quarters: The case of Bursa- Khans District 198 is inevitable for the success of sus- cognitive mapping and a survey ques- tainable development. A governance tionnaire. One hundred respondents system which brings the appreciation participated in the study, volunteer of the role of individuals, households, participants were chosen from a ran- community and voluntary organiza- dom sample, who are the users of the tions directs an effective decision-mak- Bursa Khans District. Based on Lynch’s ing process. A high level of community (1960) cognitive image elements which involvement should be aimed in order are landmarks, nodes, paths, districts to be able to organize the best and most and edges; the respondents were asked suitable sustainability strategy. Like- to draw Khans District on a blank wise, “Lonca” (a guild system) as a civil paper as if they are explaining it to a organisation might be a good example stranger. The aim of cognitive map- of a participatory governance model ping is to reveal how users perceive the for providing sustainable future sce- district and what image elements they narios (Vural-Arslan and Çahantimur, hold in order to form the image of the 2011). district in their minds. According to Dupagne et al. (2004) The survey questionnaries is com- any sustainable revitalization strategy prised of four sections. The first section must be based on active and effective includes questions which can be an- citizen participation. Beginning in the swered by drawing and putting sticker early stages, public involvement makes icons on the map. The questions were a significant contribution to the success designed in order to obtain data about of the entire sustainable revitalization borders, the most used routes, sub-dis- process. While a lack of participation tricts, nodes, the symbols of the dis- and information may result in a passive trict, the most liked and disliked build- disinterest of citizens, effective partici- ings and open spaces of the district. pation of the local community ensures These questions, which are cognitive that inhabitants accept and support the image elements asked in another way, defined strategy. aim to cross-check data gathered in the Based on an integrated approach first stage. The second section of the which includes the revitalization of the questionnaire focused on usage density economic social and physical compo- of the district and questions were de- nents of the district, Vural-Arslan, et signed to learn why respondents come al. (2011) proposed a strategic devel- to the district and where the most opment project for sustainable revital- commonly used places of the district ization. Starting with a natural, phys- are. The third section covers open-end- ical, social and economic analysis of ed questions to learn user opinions and the current situation, the development attitudes about the district. The sur- project next included a swot analysis. vey concludes by gathering the demo- Derived from these comprehensive graphic characteristics of users such as analyses, the design team followed age, gender and education. some significant revitalizing principles. In the following case study section, These principles include renewal of firstly Bursa Khans District will be the district’s current uses, adaptive re- introduced with its location and im- use of abandoned buildings, encourag- portance, afterwards the city’s brief ing mixed land uses, visual and physi- history and the urban development cal integration of the district with the processes it has gone through will be surrounding urban fabric, functional summarized. Finally, the results of the diversification for attracting different congitive mapping and survey will be age groups, proposing new public open presented. spaces including cafes and restaurants, making accessibility easier and making 4. Case study: Khans District of Bursa users feel secure. 4.1. Historic background of Bursa and Khans District 3. Methodology Bursa, as the first capital of the Ot- The methodology which was em- toman Empire, was always a city with a ployed in the case study is comprised unique character. Located in the north- of two research techniques, which are western part of Anatolia, the city is one ITU A|Z • Vol 13 No 1 • March 2016 • G. S. Gedik, D. Yıldız 199 of its oldest settlements with a set of (Bursa and Cumalıkızık: The Birth of very rich historic, cultural, geograph- the , 2015) (Figures 1 ic and natural values. Having hosted and 2). many civilizations, Bursa was estab- At the end of this development pro- lished with the name Prusa during the cess, it was seen that the problems of reign of the Bithynian King Prusias in Khans District still continue at present, 185 BC. The history of Bursa then con- thereby needing further attention and tinued with the Roman, the Byzantian, would benefit from holistic sustainable the Ottoman and the Turkish Repub- strategies actively involving users. lican eras (Turgut and Yıldız, 2002; Kaplanoğlu and Cengiz, 2005). During 4.2. Evaluation of cognitive mapping the Ottoman Empire, the city became Most of the users drew their cogni- one of the most important production tive maps starting from Atatürk Bou- and commercial centers in the world levard. Beginning to draw cognitive due to its location on the silk and spice maps with a main street supports the routes (Dostoğlu, 2001). idea that users perceive and learn ur- After the foundation of the Turk- ban spaces from the transportation ish Republic in 1923, the city received networks (Erkan, 2012). The rest of many immigrants from the Balkans the users started their cognitive maps and Bulgaria. The establishment of the with the landmark, the Grand Mosque, first Organized Industrial District of which tells us that it is a highly perceiv- Turkey in Bursa in 1962 triggered the able and important landmark for the city to become an attraction point both district. Thus we can infer that Atatürk for inner and outer migrations. Begin- Boulevard and the Grand Mosque are ning from the mid-20th century, these the most important cognitive elements developments and changes caused the which construct the image of the dis- city to be subjected to significant trans- trict in the users’ minds. formations not only at the periphery When we analyzed the direction of but also at the historic center of the the maps, they were drawn by 44% of city (Dostoğlu, 2001), thus the historic the users in a northern direction and commercial city center began to lose its by 52% of the users in a southern direc- importance (Shakur, et al. 2012). tion. The users who drew their maps in Throughout the history of Bursa, a northern direction perceived the dis- many urban planning processes have trict from Atatürk Boulevard, the rest been carried out such as the plans of directed themselves to Uludağ. It has Lörcher (1924), Prost (1940), Piccinato been thought that the reason for this (1960) and 1976/1984 plans of the Met- difference might be the location of the ropolitan Municipality of Bursa. How- users’ dwellings, but after the analysis ever, there was no continuity in these of all the maps, this assumption could planning efforts (Dostoğlu and Vural, not be proved. 16% of the users in- 2002). Either being partly implement- cluded some important monumental ed or not considered as a holistic ap- landmarks such as Yeşil Külliye (Islam- proach, these plans could not respond ic-Ottoman social complexes), Emir to the physical, social and economic Sultan Mosque, Yıldırım Kulliye and changes of the city. At present, Bursa is Muradiye Kulliye in their maps even still undergoing a rapid industrializa- though their location is out of the case tion and urbanization process, which study district. These users perceived has resulted in the area having one of the city center larger than Khans Dis- the highest population increase rates trict.The cognitive maps did not reveal in Turkey. Thus, as an important com- any important differences in terms of mercial center, the city has become the users’ duration of residing in the city. fourth largest city in Turkey. With the Even though they were born in Bur- efforts of the Metropolitan Municipali- sa, the age groups of 18-24 and 25-34 ty of Bursa, Khans District which con- could not provide much data related to sists of 36 registered historic buildings the inner part of the district. built in the early foundation period of The cognitive maps of users have the Ottoman Empire was inscribed as a provided 78 cognitive image elements UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014 for the district, 65% of which are land- Assessing the role of users in sustainable revitalization of historic urban quarters: The case of Bursa- Khans District 200

Figure 1. Case study area shown in satellite image and the locations of important buildings (Source: Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, 2013. Other images were taken by the authors). marks, 27% of which are paths, 4% of and Ahmet Vefik Pascha Theatre which are nodes, 3% of which are dis- (10%). tricts and 1% of which is the edge. Fig- The analysis of 21 paths which were ure 3 shows the overlapping data which obtained from the cognitive maps has been indicated in a rate of more showed the most frequently indicat- than 10% by the entire respondents. ed ones as being Atatürk Boulevard Based on the 51 landmarks which were obtained from the cognitive maps, the most frequently indicated ones are the Grand Mosque (76%), Koza Khan (76%), Gazi Mosque (60%), the Municipality Building (36%), Rice Khan (36%), Zafer Plaza (35%), the Post Office Building (34%), Emir Khan (29%), Bedesten (19%), Silk Khan (18%), Tayyare Cultural Center (18%), the Ziraat Bank Building (18%), the Government Office (17%), restaurants Figure 2. An aerial photo of the Bursa Khans District looking in and cafes (17%), Fidan Khan (16%), a northerly direction (Source: Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Ulu Bazaar (14%), Balibey Khan (13%) Archive). ITU A|Z • Vol 13 No 1 • March 2016 • G. S. Gedik, D. Yıldız 201

(78%), the Covered Bazaar (53%), the Ataturk Boulevard and the Covered Long Bazaar (43%), Ulu Cami Street Bazaar came into prominence regard- (37%), Cumhuriyet Boulevard (33%), ing the paths. Orhangazi Square and Coppersmiths’ Bazaar (31%), Cemal Heykel are of great importance when Nadir Boulevard (18%), Maksem Street it comes to the nodes in the district. (18%), 2. Osman Gazi Street (17%), In- Analyzing these image elements all to- önü Boulevard (12%) and Reyhan Ba- gether, it has been seen that the most zaar (10%). Among all these paths, the southern area of Khans District is per- Long Bazaar, the Covered Bazaar and ceived better by the users. Coppersmiths’ Bazaar are the most im- As for the main cognitive image portant historic commercial routes of element of the district, many of the the district which are pedestrianized landmarks are significant historic and covered by a roof. monuments. Thus, it is clear that these Three major nodes which were historic buildings are of great impor- highlighted in the cognitive maps are tance in terms of perceiving and con- Orhangazi Square (43%) Heykel (24%) structing the image of the area. and Çakırhamam (14%). Located on Among users, the age groups of 18- the southern edge of the district, Or- 24 and 25-34 could not provide many hangazi Square functions like an entry image elements about the inner part point to the district and includes the of the district. Based on this data we only greenery existing around the dis- can infer that these user groups who trict. Thus, being perceived easily, it is are mostly young people perceive the the most important landscaped public district with its borders. Thus, it can be square in the district. The other two stated that there are not adequate ac- nodes are located at the intersection tivities in the inner part of the district points of the main roads which make which attract these young users. borders to the district. Even though there are many his- The users defined two major dis- toric buildings which are located in tricts in their cognitive maps; 25% of the inner part of the district, very lit- users stated Tophane and 12% of users tle data referring to these buildings indicated Salt Bazaar. Stated by a rate of was obtained from the cognitive maps. 11% of the users, the historic city walls This is because of the many disordered are the only edge elements which were and unplanned buildings surround- found on the cognitive maps. Overall, ing them, thus forming a dense urban the results which were obtained from fabric which causes these buildings to the cognitive maps can be summarized be hidden and consequently they are as follows: barely perceived. The cognitive image of Khans Dis- During the cognitive mapping, it has trict is predominantly comprised of been seen that some users (12%) do not landmarks. The other cognitive image know the exact names of the import- elements in order of importance are ant historic buildings. Instead of stat- paths and nodes. The Grand Mosque ing their exact names, they addressed and Koza (Cocoon) Khan are the most them by indicating a path, a khan, etc. important landmarks in the district. The way these places are mentioned by the users demonstrate that there is not sufficient informational signage for all the historic buildings in the district. Another reason may be the lack of awareness and interest in the district’s history on the part of the users.

4.3. Evaluation of the questionnaire survey After the cognitive mapping, a ques- tionnaire survey was also conducted with the users. The first section of the survey started with the question about Figure 3. The cognitive map of Bursa Khans District. what comes first to the respondents’ Assessing the role of users in sustainable revitalization of historic urban quarters: The case of Bursa- Khans District 202 minds when someone mentions the three quarters (83%) stated the Grand historic city center of Bursa. They stat- Mosque, the rest of the respondents ed, in order, the Grand Mosque (38%), reported Heykel, Koza Khan and To- Ottoman Period and history (19%), phane. These answers highlighted just Tophane (12%), tomb-mosque-public how important the Grand Mosque is as bath (9%) and Khans District (8%). a landmark for the district. Fewer respondents reported the Cov- The respondents were asked the ered Bazaar, Heykel and Koza Khan as most liked building in the district. The their first image element. It was seen majority of the users (70%) indicat- that the majority of the users gave ed the Grand Mosque and the second answers either related to the historic most liked building (14%) was Koza buildings or to the history of the dis- Khan. Likewise, the most liked open trict. Based on these answers, it is clear public space was asked to the users; in that the historic identity is important order of importance, the answers were in forming the image of the district. the courtyard of Koza Khan (36%), The users were also asked to draw Orhangazi Square (32%) and Tophane the borders of the district on the map. (13%). 28% of the respondents defined the The respondents were asked to mark borders of the district with the streets the most disliked buildings in the dis- of Atatürk-İnönü-Cumhuriyet and trict. Even though they are located out Cemal Nadir Boulevards. The second of the map which was given, the ma- important borders defined by the users jority of the users (36%) indicated the (11%) are Atatürk, Cemal Nadir and Doğanbey TOKI Houses. The most Cumhuriyet Boulevards and 6. Uçak disliked buildings in the district was Street which is a smaller area than the shown as firstly Zafer Plaza (9%) and first one. However, it is noteworthy that secondly Rice Khan (6%). As can be the majority of the users (47%) consid- seen from these findings, the users feel ered the district much larger than the very dissatisfied with the Doğanbey map which was given to them showing TOKI Houses due to their out of scale, the core of the Khans District. large and high-rise masses which over- According to the responses, the whelm the historic district. These hous- most used route of the Khans District es also form an aesthetically displeas- (26%) is the Grand and the Long Ba- ing background for the historic district zaar axis, the second most used ones and destroy the silhouette. Moreover, are Ulu Cami Street (13%), 6. Uçak they have increased the already dense Street (13%) and Atatürk Boulevard population and traffic in the center. (13%). Thus, the most used route in Seen from many perspectives while ap- the district is the historic commercial proaching the historic district (Figure route which is pedestrianized and cov- 4), these houses have no connection ered by a roof. with the nearby city fabric. The respondents were asked to indi- When the respondents were asked cate commercial buildings in the dis- the most disliked open public space trict. Koza Khan (56%), Coppersmiths’ in the district, many users stated their Bazaar and Ulu Bazaar (55%) were dissatisfaction due to the lack of open highlighted by many of the users in public spaces, as is seen from the an- comparison to the mostly used historic commercial route. When asked about the most dense traffic nodes of the district, the major- ity of the answers were the nodes of Heykel (60%) and Çakırhamam (40%). The users stated that there is very dense traffic on Cemal Nadir, Atatürk and İn- önü Boulevards and that they feel un- comfortable due to the noise and visual and environmental pollution. When respondents were asked Figure 4. Doğanbey TOKI Houses which are disliked by the the symbol of the district, more than majority of respondents. ITU A|Z • Vol 13 No 1 • March 2016 • G. S. Gedik, D. Yıldız 203

swer of one of the users who says “I asked the qualities that make Khans wish there were many more open public District unique and different from the spaces and then I would choose which other districts of Bursa; they stated the one I do not like.” Since there are very district’s historic structure (55%), com- few open public spaces in the district, mercial qualities (18%) and its central this question was answered by a low- location (11%). er rate of users. 9% of users only stated The respondents were asked wheth- the courtyard of Rice Khan as the most er they have a special feeling related to disliked open public space. the various parts of the district or not, In the second section of the survey, as a result of which 42% of the users questions related to the usage quality stated religious reasons with an attach- and density of the district were direct- ment to the Grand Mosque, 22% of the ed to the respondents. In this context, users indicated that they like sitting the first question was about the major and resting in Koza Khan and 13% of reasons for the users to come to the the users said that they are fond of the district. These reasons can be listed, peace and tranquility that is created by in order of importance, as shopping the historic and spiritual atmosphere (29%), religious practice (23%), stroll- of the district. ing (15%), business (15%) and social The respondents stated the most activities (13%). It has been found out important problems of the district as that commercial and religious uses follows: Traffic density (43%), the dis- of the district are the most important ordered and unplanned structure of functions that attract people. the district (17%), the lack of car park- The respondents were also asked ing space (15%), crowdedness (13%) how they access the district. The ma- and the rest of the answers which have jority of the users (50%) stated that a ratio less than 10% included dete- they come on foot to the district, the rioration of the historic fabric, the rest of the users expressed, by private Doğanbey TOKI Houses and the lack car (14%), by subway (14%), by mini- of tourist guides and historical aware- buses (11%) and by public buses (9%). ness of people. The respondents were The last question of the third section also asked about the opportunities was about the most densely used spaces which they feel will provide further of the Khans District. The respondents development of the district. They stat- indicated the Covered Bazaar (34%), ed that the district could be developed the Long Bazaar (22%), Orhangazi by improving its historic aspect (32%), Square (13%) and the Grand Mosque commercial aspect (22%) and tourism (12%). The responses show that the (17%). users evaluated the most important The respondents stated the weak- commercial spaces of the district as the nesses of the district as follows: the most densely used spaces. complex and disordered structure of In the third section of the survey, the district (19%), traffic density (19%), the user opinions on the district have crowdedness (17%), and the lack of car been evaluated. Firstly, the users were parking space (10%). The rest of the answers include the lack of promotion of the district and tourist guides, barely perceivable historic buildings, the lack of open public spaces, cleanliness, seat- ing and security, the Doğanbey TOKI Houses and the poor coordination of government offices. On the contrary, the respondents described the two ma- jor strengths of the district as its his- toric aspect (48%) and its commercial aspect (22%). The remaining answers included its central location in the city, being the center of tourism, having Figure 5. The image mapping of Khans District based on the mixed-uses, being an alive and vibrant survey data. area and the spiritual atmosphere of Assessing the role of users in sustainable revitalization of historic urban quarters: The case of Bursa- Khans District 204 the district. group has a high education level, 44% The user opinions were asked about of them are college graduates and 29% what should be done in order to make of them are high school graduates. Khans District more vivid, alive and Overall analysis of the question- user friendly. The majority of the re- naires can be summarized as follows: spondents stated that greater promo- • The image of the district which was tion of the area should be made (24%) perceived by the users is mainly and that also some planning and de- comprised of historic, commercial, sign activities are needed (10%). The touristic and religious aspects. In other answers highlighted these issues: this context, these aspects should Car parking space and tourist guides be preserved and maintained for should be provided; buildings which the future in different ways. are not in harmony with the historic • The Grand Mosque and Koza Khan fabric of the district should be demol- represent the most liked buildings. ished, the traffic problem should be The Covered Bazaar, the Long Ba- solved and there should be meetings or zaar and Orhangazi Square, which planned organizations which are open are the most densely used spaces, to the public. have special significance for achiev- The respondents were asked how ing the sustainability of the district. aware they are of the urban develop- • The most important problems of ment of Khans District being carried the district are dense traffic, dis- out by the local municipality. 37% of ordered and unplanned urban de- the users said that they are informed, velopment, the lack of car parking 8% of the users stated that they part- space, promotion of the area and ly know about the current efforts for tourist guides, poor maintenance the development of the district and of the district, overcrowdedness, 55% of the users said that they do not deterioration of the historic fabric, know anything about the work which difficulty in perceiving the historic has been carried out around the Khans buildings and a lack of awareness District recently. Even though it is a towards the value of the district’s significant effort, fewer respondents historic assets. have been informed about the inscrip- tion of Khans District in the UNESCO 4.4. Results World Heritage List. When respon- When we compared the data from dents were asked their opinions about cognitive mapping and the survey the current efforts for the development questionnaire, it has been found out of the district, while the majority of the that the results are mostly coherent. users (49%) reported that these efforts The district has been perceived with its are not enough, 28% of the users stat- boundaries and the boundaries of the ed that they are enough and 18% of the district have been defined by the sur- users said partly enough. rounding roads based on the findings In the last section of the survey, the gathered from both the cognitive map- demographic characteristics of the re- pings and the survey. Similarly, when spondents were asked. Gender rates comparing the findings of the cognitive show that 56% of the respondents are mapping with the survey, even though female and 44% of the respondents their rank order changed, similar im- are male. The distribution of the re- age elements regarding landmarks, spondents according to age groups is paths and nodes have been obtained as follows: 18-24 (26%), 45-54 (20%), with slight differences. 25-34 (18%), 35-44 (17%) and the re- The respondents emphasized his- maining population is over 55 years of toric, commercial, touristic and reli- age. This data reveals that the sample gious aspects of the district in their group is comprised of mostly young responses to various questions. These and middle aged people. The majority three major attributes of the district of the respondents (51%) were born in are the ones that need to be preserved Bursa and have lived in the city for a and maintained. One of the important long time. The educational pattern of problems of the district which have the respondents shows that the sample been indicated by the users is that the ITU A|Z • Vol 13 No 1 • March 2016 • G. S. Gedik, D. Yıldız 205

historic buildings are hidden by the diverse activities such as hotels, cafes, unplanned, disordered and aestheti- restaurants, leisure and entertainment cally displeasing buildings. This causes is necessary in order to attract every them to be barely perceived, which also age group of citizens and especially creates difficulties and inconveniences younger people. During the survey, for tourists. Verified by the findings of when some of the respondents saw the both cognitive mapping and question- map of the district, they mentioned naires, this result requires the removal that there are buildings in the district of these unplanned developments. In that they do not know at all. Many of addition, creating an informative and the respondents said that they feel un- directing tourist trail would encourage comfortable because of their lack of the touristic development of the dis- knowledge and unawareness about the trict (Gedik, 2015). history of the district. The users stated The findings of cognitive mappings that they want presentations, seminars showed that especially young people or public meetings in order to be in- could not state any image elements lo- formed about the value of the district. cated in the inner part of the district. Informing the local community is sig- This finding implied that promoting nificant since it will establish a strong Table 1. The inputs gathered from user perceptions and opinions for the sustainable revitalization of Khans District of Bursa. Physical Economic Governance Socio-cultural 1. Aims and targets Preserving and restoring the significant landmarks √ Maintaining the historic identity √ Maintaining the commercial landuse √ Promoting tourism in terms of both design and management √ Preserving and enriching existing historic commercial route √ Raising the awareness of the community about the historic value of the area and ongoing √ revitalizing works via seminars, public meetings, etc. Removing the complex and unordered buildings of the district and bringing an order Providing connection with the surrounding urban fabric visually and physically √ 2. Planning and design Raising the perceptibility of important landmarks √ Enriching the quality of existing public spaces √ Proposing new public spaces √ Landscaping of public spaces √ Solving traffic and parking problems √ Proposing adaptive reuse for abondened buildings Making courtyards of khan buildings more livable by landscaping and adding new functions √ Attracting young people to the inner part of the area by means of new functions such as √ entertainment or leisure facilities, etc. Promoting different types of activities for people from diverse age groups, such as hotels, √ restaurants, cafes, etc. Creating of a tourist trail in order to encourage people to explore the district √ Adding informative signage for historic buildings √ More seating in public spaces √ 3. Management Increasing the number of qualified tourist guides which will make easier for tourists to √ experince the area Carrying out maintenance, providing order and general upkeep of the district and √ monitoring these works by the local government Providing coordination of all the administrative units in the city √

Assessing the role of users in sustainable revitalization of historic urban quarters: The case of Bursa- Khans District 206 public consciousness about the value of in the sustainable revitalization pro- the district. We know that Bursa Met- cesses since it will directly influence ropolitan Municipality is organizing their lives. UNESCO meetings for the public; this Overall results of the study can be data shows that these efforts must keep summarized as follows: continuing. • It has been seen that the data which The evaluation of the entire data were obtained from the assesment collected from cognitive mappings of user perceptions, images and and questionnaires has shown that the opinions can contribute to the input not only can be categorized ac- physical, social, economic and gov- cording to the four major dimensions ernance dimensions of sustainable of sustainable revitalization, which are revitalization strategies. physical, socio-cultural, economic and • These data can influence (1) the -de governance; but also contribute to the termination of aims and targets, (2) different stages of sustainable revital- planning and design and (3) man- ization of the Khans District, which are agement stages of sustainable revi- (1) the determination of aims and tar- talization strategies. gets, (2) planning and design and (3) • Consequently, as a valuable re- management (Table 1). source, user perceptions, images and opinions can provide import- 5. Conclusion ant data for sustainable revitaliza- Making connections between past, tion. present and future, sustainability in The implications of this study will be historic quarters should be handled beneficial for the future development in such a way that combine physical, of sustainable revitalization strategies social, economic and governance di- in historic urban quarters in terms of mensions in an interactive, holistic involving users’ perceptions and opin- and complimentary process. Moreover, ions. Nevertheless, further research on sustainable revitalization needs a spe- taking users as a participatory agent cial attention in terms of users. Unless in sustainable revitalization by using local community’s perceptions, current various research techniques such as needs, requirements and opinions as participatory observations, in-depth well as their expectations towards the interviews etc. should be carried out future are defined well, sustainable re- for different cases. vitalization can not be successfully re- alized. Thus, taking Khans District of References Bursa as a case, this paper focuses on Al-hagla, K.S. (2010). Sustainable the users and by assessing their per- urban development in historical areas ceptions, images and opinions, aims to using the tourist trail approach: A case present how data which can obtained study of the cultural heritage and ur- from the users can then be articulated ban development (CHUD) project in in sustainable revitalization strategies Saida, Lebanon, Cities, 27, 234–248. and processes. Axelsson, R., Angelstam, P., De- User oriented data which are col- german,E., Teitelbaum, S., Andersson, lected by participatory processes can K., Elbakidze, M. and Drotz, M. K. contribute to sustainable revitalization (2013). Social and cultural sustainabil- in various ways. First of all, it will raise ity: Criteria, indicators, verifier vari- the awareness of community. The user ables for measurement and maps for group will be aware of the value of the visualization to support planning, AM- historic environment and want to pro- BIO, 42: 215–228. tect and possess it and take an active Börjesson, K. and Walldin, V. role in maintaning its unique identity. (2009). Sustainable revitalization of Moreover, being a reliable source, user places, how to avoid regeneration result- groups can be beneficial for defining ing in degeneration, Paper presented at the problems of an area and a specific IAPS-CSBE: Revitalizing Built Envi- management model which is unique ronments, Requalifying Old Places for for the district (Vural-Arslan, 2015). New Uses, Istanbul. For this reason, users should take part Bramley, G. and Power, S. (2009). ITU A|Z • Vol 13 No 1 • March 2016 • G. S. Gedik, D. Yıldız 207

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ITU A|Z • Vol 13 No 1 • March 2016 • G. S. Gedik, D. Yıldız