Social and physical effects of urban transformation projects on the surrounding settlements: An evaluation on Bursa Küplüpınar neighborhood

Today, many cities are undergoing transformation as a result of the chaotic structure brought about by growth. There are physical, social and economic deficiencies that accelerate/trigger the transformation and make it inevitable. This situation, defined as obsolescence, can occur not only due to spatial growth, but also as a result of fragmented and unrelated planning decisions. Urban transformation projects are planned in decrepit areas with the help of public initiatives, aiming to revitalize them in accordance with changing socio-economic and physical conditions. During transformation processes, changes in the physical environment, socio-economic structure and socio-cultural structure of the urban fabric indirectly affect urban identity. While urban transformation projects provide positive effects such as increasing social facilities, improving infrastructure, providing different sectors and employment, increasing land and real estate values and creating safe areas, they should also develop strategies to develop urban identity and sense of belonging in their surroundings. Otherwise, cities that adopt top-down identities are formed with projects that ignore originality and resort to identical designs. In order to create sustainable cities, urban transformation projects should be planned by taking into consideration the effects they will create on the surrounding settlements and in line with the urban identity elements of the area. This study aims to reveal the physical and social deterioration processes that emerged in Küplüpınar Neighborhood, which is located in the center of Bursa and is in the grip of a region that is being transformed by different types of urban transformation projects after 2000, and the effects of the transformation expectations created by these processes on the identity and social structure of the region. Focusing on the effects of urban transformation practices on its surroundings, this study was developed using qualitative methods in terms of scientific research methods. In this context, surveys and in-depth interviews were conducted with individuals residing in the neighborhood or who had resided in the past. The obtained data were analyzed in SPSS and QDA Miner Lite software. Furthermore, efforts were made to direct the research through field research, land use analysis and literature reviews. According to the findings, it has been revealed that the expectation of urban transformation in Küplüpınar Neighborhood, which may not be subject to urban transformation and will continue its existence with its own unique texture, has brought about the physical and social deterioration of a large part of the neighborhood. At the same time, this transformation in the surrounding areas has also led to the destruction of the identity of the neighborhood, which is active in its formation, ıt has been determined that projects implemented in a fragmented manner, without associating them with each other and without taking into account past identity elements, have caused new problems (such as population loss, loss of neighborly relations, insecurity) in the surrounding settlements.