SUSTAINABLE NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING IN NEW URBAN AREAS: The “Bizim Şehir Konya” Project

Year 2025, Volume: 3 Issue: 2, 129 - 146, 26.11.2025

Mehmet Akif Sağ

https://doi.org/10.71298/maddergi.1744281

Abstract

This study examines the implementation of sustainable neighborhood planning strategies in the development of new urban areas through the case of the “Bizim Şehir 2023 Konya” project. Developed on approximately 332 hectares of publicly owned land in the Selçuklu district of Konya, the project is analyzed as a planning practice that aims to integrate the concepts of sustainability, local identity, and human scale. The study investigates the 1/1000 scale urban design plan, explanatory reports, and guiding documents of the project, aiming to relate the planning decisions within these materials to the theoretical principles defined in the literature on sustainable neighborhood planning. Within this scope, the research adopts a conceptual evaluation approach and conducts the analysis across four main components: spatial organization, functional diversity, open space systems, and environmental sustainability. The findings indicate that the project’s spatial structure emphasizes a pedestrian-oriented central design, diversity in housing typologies, and climate-sensitive open space strategies. However, the relationship established with sustainability principles appears to be limited in certain dimensions, such as energy efficiency, social integration, and long-term governance structures. The study evaluates both the opportunities and constraints encountered in implementing sustainable neighborhood planning principles in large-scale public land developments in Turkey, providing an analytical perspective on how theoretical sustainability principles are embodied in a local context. In conclusion, it is suggested that the success of similar large-scale initiatives depends on the institutionalization of multi-actor planning processes, the integration of socio-cultural analyses into pre-planning stages, and the strengthening of long-term governance mechanisms.

Keywords

Sustainable neighborhood planning , human-centered design , mixed social structure , green development , Selçuklu-Konya

YENİ KENTSEL ALANLARDA SÜRDÜRÜLEBİLİR MAHALLE PLANLAMASI: “Bizim Şehir Konya” Projesi örneği

Abstract

Bu çalışma, yeni kentsel alanların geliştirilmesinde sürdürülebilir mahalle planlama stratejilerinin uygulanma biçimlerini “Bizim Şehir 2023 Konya” projesi üzerinden incelemektedir. Konya’nın Selçuklu ilçesinde, yaklaşık 332 hektarlık kamu mülkiyetine ait bir alanda geliştirilen proje, sürdürülebilirlik, yerel kimlik ve insan ölçeği kavramlarını bütünleştirmeyi hedefleyen bir planlama deneyimi olarak ele alınmıştır. Çalışma, projeye ait 1/1000 ölçekli kentsel tasarım planı, plan açıklama raporları ve yönlendirici belgeleri inceleyerek, bu belgelerde yer alan planlama kararlarını sürdürülebilir mahalle planlaması literatüründe tanımlanan kuramsal ilkelerle ilişkilendirmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bu kapsamda araştırma, kavramsal değerlendirme yaklaşımı temelinde yürütülmüş; analiz süreci, mekânsal organizasyon, fonksiyonel çeşitlilik, açık alan sistemi ve çevresel sürdürülebilirlik bileşenleri üzerinden gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bulgular, projenin mekânsal kurgusunda yaya öncelikli merkez tasarımı, konut tipolojilerinde çeşitlilik ve iklim duyarlı açık alan kararlarının öne çıktığını göstermektedir. Bununla birlikte, enerji etkinliği, sosyal bütünleşme ve uzun vadeli yönetişim yapıları gibi boyutlarda sürdürülebilirlik ilkeleriyle kurulan ilişkinin sınırlı olduğu gözlenmiştir. Çalışma, Türkiye’de kamu mülkiyetli büyük alanlarda sürdürülebilir mahalle planlaması ilkelerinin uygulanmasında karşılaşılan olanak ve kısıtları birlikte değerlendirmekte; kavramsal düzeyde sürdürülebilirlik ilkelerinin yerel bağlamda nasıl somutlaştığına ilişkin analitik bir bakış sunmaktadır. Sonuç olarak, benzer ölçekli projelerde başarıya ulaşılabilmesi için çok aktörlü planlama süreçlerinin kurumsallaştırılması, sosyo-kültürel analizlerin planlama öncesi aşamada zorunlu hale getirilmesi ve uzun vadeli yönetişim mekanizmalarının güçlendirilmesi gerekmektedir.

Keywords

Sürdürülebilir mahalle planlama , insan odaklı tasarım , karma sosyal yapı , yeşil gelişim , Selçuklu-Konya

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