An architectural perspective on rural–urban dialectic

This thesis approaches the rural–urban interface as a dialectical stage where urban expansion, commodification, and ecological ruptures become visible. Within this stage, space is defined as a field where global processes intersect with local practices and political and ecological dynamics are interwoven. Accordingly, the rural and the urban are regarded as relational grounds, continuously reproduced through shifting relations, and this relation is conceptualized as the rural–urban dialectic. Following a critical reading of urbanization practices, this thesis positions Ankara as the context for discussing the rural–urban interface through its current dynamics and possible future scenarios. The Architectural Diploma Studio at TOBB ETU, which addressed the rural–urban relation as a design problem in Ankara and its peripheries, is situated at the center of the research. The studio is considered both as a critical site of inquiry and as a design practice aimed at rethinking space. Students' design proposals are analyzed through the Critical Dialectic Matrices developed from the thesis's critical readings. This framework traces how contextual analyses were transformed into scenarios and programmatic proposals across five key dimensions: environmental, socio-cultural, economic, political, and technological. In this way, the intersections of different dimensions and scales within the rural–urban interface are revealed, exposing both the potentials and the limitations of design in addressing complex relations. It also shows the extent to which critiques generated through contextual readings were reflected in life scenarios and architectural programs, indicating the dimensions excluded and emphasized. Notably, the strong emphasis on the environmental dimension points to a clear disciplinary tendency that reflects the boundaries of architecture. The critical perspective proposed by this study challenges the technocratic neutrality often ascribed to planning and design, framing these fields instead as political and epistemological arenas where knowledge, power, and spatial justice are continuously negotiated. By foregrounding ecological relations, local production, and multi-actor participation, the study advocates for the reconsideration of spatial disciplines as relational, plural, and participatory practices informed by dialectical thinking.