The role of technology in the physical and semantic transformation of housing and future imaginations for İstanbul

This thesis aims to determine the role of technology in the transformation of housing and to create a foundation that enables the development of future visions from this perspective. This goal requires prospective and retrospective understanding. That is, understanding the housing-technology interaction involves grasping the past on the one hand and exploring future visions on the other. A conceptual approach has been developed in the thesis to create future visions through this examination. To exemplify this, context, İstanbul, has been added into the thesis. Paradox theory has been utilized to generate three paradoxes regarding the future of housing-technology interaction in Istanbul. The first paradox is defined by the inter-scale tension between sustainability goals and digital innovations; the second paradox by the temporal tension between the past and the new; and the third paradox by the contextual tension between the processes transforming the city's identity and the aim of these transformations to generate economic benefits. Accordingly, the transformation of housing in Istanbul is shaped in different directions on the axis of digital innovations and sustainability. While technology makes housing more flexible, functional and energy efficient, it also carries risks such as resource management, compatibility with the local context and inequality. The preservation of historical texture is possible by applying physical and digital preservation methods together. The inaccessibility of technology and the prioritization of economic interests over needs can lead to the damage of local identity. In the future, shaping housing to be crisis-resiliant, sustainable, accessible, and preserve local identity depends on the effectiveness of technology with an equality- and balance-focused approach.