Evaluation of urban transformation areas within the scope of sustainability principles: the example of Yesilkent neighborhood

Cities embody the social, economic, environmental, and administrative changes that occur across the Earth. Urban transformation aims to make cities sustainable for future generations by correcting or improving these changes. Transformation processes must be addressed in a multidimensional manner, as practices focusing solely on physical transformation often lead to the unconscious consumption of public resources. Sustainable approaches that consider settlements holistically in terms of people, the environment, and the economy enable the transformation of living spaces in ways that ensure their usability by future generations. In this context, it is known that studies on methods for achieving the sustainable transformation of cities are ongoing. These studies emphasize the necessity of integrating sustainability principles into zoning plans and design processes, as well as ensuring that implementation stages are planned and managed by expert teams. This study aims to develop a sustainable urban transformation proposal suitable for the existing conditions of Yesilkent Neighborhood. To this end, it explores ways to integrate sustainability principles into urban transformation practices through a literature review. The section analyzing examples that examine the impacts of sustainability principles on spatial planning constitutes the methodological framework of the study. This section also demonstrates that sustainability principles generate multidimensional and interrelated effects. Using the findings derived from exemplary cases as references for urban transformation practices is among the objectives of this study. Yesilkent Neighborhood, located in the Avcılar district of Istanbul, has experienced unplanned and informal construction for nearly 40 years. The master zoning plans approved in 2023 do not include amnesty for illegal buildings. Therefore, the approval of the zoning plan represents the first step toward the area's transformation. The neighborhood's location and the economic conditions of its residents indicate that potential urban transformation projects may lead to displacement and gentrification. Consequently, a sustainable urban transformation proposal for Yesilkent Neighborhood constitutes a crucial approach to preventing these outcomes. In particular, the area's vulnerability to natural disasters necessitates a more planned, rapid, and human-centered process. In line with these requirements, this study proposes a sustainable urban transformation model for Yesilkent Neighborhood, based on data derived from exemplary cases that incorporate sustainability principles into their implementation processes.