The evaluation of neighborhood identity concept by urban regeneration project competitions

The effects of globalization and the rapid and economic solutions brought with the adaptation of developing technology bring uniformity both in human life and in urban spaces and as a result it affects the sustainability of local identity characteristics. This situation reveals the necessity of the studies in which locality is taken into prominence and sustained in the world. In our country it is seen that, with the new spatial constructions such as closed housing estates and shopping malls, society moved away from traditional life styles and sociality and turned into an individual oriented life, the neighborhood relations are almost disappear and the concept of neighborhood is used to define a certain settlement boundary by breaking away from its old meaning. Urban transformation practices which provide solutions for problematic areas in cities, have accelerated in our country recently. However, as the results of these practices were criticized on issues such as loss of rights, lack of participation, fragmentary practices that do not take into account the urban upper scale and identity problem, it is understood that these issues should be studied. Identity problem is one of the issues that should be dealt with in more detail in urban regeneration practices, and a number of searches have been started to sustainment of local identity in the neighborhood scale urban regeneration practices. In this context, it is necessary to develop a guideline which helps to identify the local identity characteristics of the area and reflect it to the design in urban regeneration practices in the neighborhood scale. The aim of this study is to create a guideline for the sustainment of neighborhood identity throgh determining the components that will enable the comprehension of neighborhood identity by discussing the extent to which these componets are taken into consideration within award-winning projects in neighborhood scale urban regeneration competitions that are sponsored by the public. Within the scope of the study the components that provides understanding of neighborhood identity were specified by literature analysis. Upon this, a guideline consisting of targets, indicators and methods was improved by determined neighborhood identity components and taking the advantage of the results of "Integrated Urban Development Strategy and Action Plan (KENTGES)", "City Planning Council" and "Project to Development of Planning Principles and Criteria in the Urban Regeneration Practices". Within the scope of field study, neighborhood approaches of the forty-three projects that were awarded as a results of the "7 Climate 7 Region: Neighborhood National Architectural and Urban Design Idea Competition" organized by TOKI- EMLAK GYO A.Ş. and "Neighborhood Design Idea Competition" organized by Iller Bankası A.Ş. which were studied by different designers in seven regions of Turkey evaluated with the targets in the guideline.