Effects of changing social paradigms on spatial privacy: Analysis of Konya housing typologies

The phenomenon of privacy emerging with human existence influences the life choices of users in all stages of life. Privacy, an abstract concept, directs life as a control mechanism in regulating the individual's relationship with others. Therefore, it is defined as a right, a feeling, a way of behaviour, and an act of setting limits. The social paradigms of the society we live in are of great significance in terms of privacy. There exist certain clues about privacy within these paradigms. Information regarding the meaning of privacy is obtained with the reflection of these clues to space. However, the sequences of the spaces we live in and the situations of direct or indirect relationships with each other appear as another factor that affecting the level of privacy. In this context, ascertaining both the semantic and syntactic dimensions of privacy in space is notable in terms of questioning privacy. Housing, the physical equivalent of sheltering, is shaped by social paradigm patterns, leading to the emergence of varied typologies. In these typologies, by seeking the semantic and syntactic dimensions of privacy, resolutions have been made about the progression process of privacy. In this progression process, socio-political, socio-economic, socio-cultural, and socio-technological breaking points, which affect the change of the house, are divided into four periods concerning scientific studies. In each period, the plan schemes of a total of twenty-four houses, six of which reflect the characteristic features of the period, were carried out both semantic and syntactic analysis to question privacy. In the semantic analysis, the privacy codes, put forward based on the discourses of the researchers on privacy, were sought in the spaces within the residence. In the syntactic analysis, on the other hand, through spatial syntax method consisting of depth, connectivity, integration, and co-visibility parameters; data about the accessibility, visibility, socialization of the spaces and the level of privacy were obtained. The units inside the residence are divided into five zones according to different privacy levels: spatial threshold area, public space, spatial transition area, private area and also service area covering the areas outside these. Data on the level of privacy in these areas are again collected from the averages of the syntactic values. The findings gathered as a result of both semantic and syntactic analyses were compared with SPSS analyses and the residences between periods. As a result, it was ascertained that the semantic and syntactic values of space are rather effective in determining the privacy level of that space. It has been revealed as a result of the syntactic data, the fact that a place is easily accessible, has a dense pedestrian movement, and is connected with other places, is quite effective in its privacy level being lower than other spaces. On the contrary, the drop in the number of users and gaining depth of space compared to other spaces points out that privacy is of primary value in that space. Besides, the position of the doors in the space also affects the visual access area and differentiates the level of privacy. With the data gathered as a result of syntactic analysis, the varying social paradigms have gained a distinct dimension by causing the meaning shift of privacy. In the past, the living culture, where public privacy was rather mattering to the outside, is now turning into a situation where individual privacy becomes prominent as a result of the increasing privatization of spaces. Therefore, although privacy has existed from past to present, spatial boundaries formed by social paradigm patterns have been redefined.