A model proposal for analysing multi-layered cities with a phenomenological approach: İznik case

Methods used in scientific studies conducted for understanding the past in layered cities and planning the future generally focus on historical and spatial development of layered texture. These studies, which focus on physical and historical development, are insufficent for investigating the meaning of layered city for formative and operative human. In order to fulfil this gap, a model proposal that addresses time, space and human dimensions of multi-layered cities is presented within the scope of this dissertation. The model is developed with holistic and phenomenological approaches, in order to analyze the multi-dimensional interaction between the layered city and human to develop suggestions for sustainable conservation of urban heritage. Following the introduction chapter, in which the purpose, scope and method of the study are explained, the discussed fundamental concepts are presented in the second chapter. In this chapter, primarily the concept of city and multi-layered city are evaluated within the framework of time-space-human interaction. After discussing the studies towards sustainability of multi-layered cities together with sustainable conservation and development approaches, the role of Urban Archaeology and Environmental Psychology within this course is scrutinized. Following the conceptual framework presented at the end of the chapter, the scientific approaches and methods used in examining the relations between the concepts are introduced in the third chapter. In this chapter, the 'Systematic Analysis of Multi-Layered Cities" model developed within the scope of the dissertation, is explained via identifying application steps of the pragmatic method Urban Archeology and phenomenological method Elementary Systematics. In the fourth chapter, the findings related to the city's layers and meaning derived by application of the model in İznik are presented in correlation with the model's application steps. At the end of the fourth chapter, proposals for sustainable conservation of architectural and cultural heritage values of İznik based on findings are presented. In the conclusion chapter, the results attained from the theoretical studies and the case study are presented. The efficiency of the proposed model in multi-layered city studies are discussed with its potentials and insufficiencies Ideas about its development and future applications are also presented.