Evaluation of the low-density housing settlements at urban fringes within the context of user-space relationship: Case of Izmir

At the end of 20th century the transformations throughout the world, have also caused changes in housing production methods. Especially after the 1960s, new processes, which were based on the economical transformations, have also become the fundamental determining factor in the formation of residential areas and low-density housing settlements and gated communities emerged as a result of these transformations. These settlements, which indicate a different residential practice from the previous, come forward as a new residential presentation type and urban growth form. Within these transformations that spread around the world with the effects of globalisation, these housing settlements were shaped within the context of each and every country?s own unique context. After the 1980s in Turkey, new housing communities, which emerged in the boundaries of the city, were discovered as a new way of offering a new lifestyle to the consumers, by spatial organisation with a claim of `distinction?. They rapidly spread in İstanbul and Ankara and later in İzmir as well as other big cities. The aim of the study, trying to understand the emerging process and problems of low-density housing settlements at the urban fringes in parallel with the social developments in the world scale and later, to developing a comprehensive outlook for them within the architectural practice and thoroughly discussing the İzmir case within the context of user-space relationship. Low-density housing settlements and gated communities in İzmir have main differences from their national and international counterparts through own dynamics of city. Accordingly the thesis research, have provided to understand the matter in all dimensions with the comprehensive outlook it introduced the differences of İzmir in Turkey, and also in the world, by findings of the survey and inventory study.