A model proposal for the evaluation of the phenomenon of place attachment in urban transformation applications

This thesis focuses on the strong bond between human and the place one lives and seeks to answer the question of how a sustainable urban transformation can be achieved without contradicting the character, identity and spirit of the place. The aim of the study is to determine the elements that constitute the spirit of the place in a sustainable urban transformation and to develop a method on how these elements can be transferred to the transformation process. In this context, it is aimed to create a model and contribute to the field in line with the data obtained in the research, by serving to increase the positive returns and minimize the negative returns, without ignoring the "social dimension" in urban transformation applications. In the research, a mixed method was followed, where quantitative and qualitative data can be evaluated together. As the "qualitative methods"; archive-document scanning and observation techniques were used, as the "quantitative method"; structured field inteview form (survey and scale) technique were used. The validity and reliability tests of the prepared scales were carried out and the field interview form was revised to be used in the final field application with two pilot studies. This study, which investigates place attachment, factors affecting place attachment and perception of urban transformation, was conducted in Kayaönü Neighbourhood of Gaziantep city, a residential area where the local resident profile consisting of crowded, traditional worker families in the low and middle income group is dominant and has a detached and low-quality housing stock. In the study involving low-income group users, it was determined that the most important factor affecting place attachment was strong social ties and the participants expressed their expectations for the preservation of social ties along with other characteristics of the place after a possible urban transformation. The focus of the thesis study, "the strong bond between place and human", has been re-emphasized with this study, as well as, it has been revealed that "on-site transformation", which has already emerged as the usual method for the purpose of urban transformation and the requirement of social sustainability, has been adopted as the ideal method by the users of the area. Through the application carried out in the study, a "Place Attachment Model for Socially Sustainable Urban Tranformation" was constructed with the data obtained with the principle of realizing an urban transformation in which the attachment of the main users/local residents to the place is not damaged and social sustainability is ensured. The scales developed within the scope of the study were an output of the thesis and were considered as a basis for future scientific studies and were asked to mediate the production of more detailed measurement tools.