A proposal for a method for carrying historic urban texture and architectural spaces to the future; Sivas example

Cities have grown and developed by having a central square on the periphery of a temple since their foundation. Both the temples and the squares associated with the temple were shaped according to the relationship each civilization established with the space. With the onset of the modern age, the development of cities changed according to the standards determined in accordance with the spirit of that time. This situation has caused cities to break away from their own identity and become de-identified. For this reason, the problem of cities protecting their own identities and maintaining their own identity for the future has almost become the main agenda of cities. The historical city of Sivas, which was chosen as the sampling area of this thesis, developed around the castle and grew in a circular form in the form of walls, reaching a square where we can define the castle and the madrasahs, which we can define as the main square. As Various civilizations and states have ruled in Sivas from the first periods of history to the present day.As of today, it contains many layers of history with its archaeological sites and monumental structures in its center. Attempts to preserve these historical textures and transfer them to the next generations started later in our country compared to other European countries. Unfortunately, the cultural layers of Anatolia, which has hosted even the oldest known civilizations in the world, were noticed too late. Despite all these efforts, sufficient efficiency has not been achieved in developing a holistic form of protection on the urban scale. In this context, it is aimed to analyze the identity and memory of the city in order to reflect the urban texture of Sivas, one of the ancient cities that have evolved towards losing its unique identity, to the architectural spaces and to ensure that it reaches the future in a sustainable way. This study, which aims to carry the historical city center of Sivas to the present and the future, consists of two parts: literature and field research. The conceptual basis of the study section in the literature survey, the city and the Historic Environment, Heritage Conservation, urban memory and urban and cultural memory, identity, and urban identity, urban sustainability and urban issues of continuity are investigated. In the second part of the literature survey, research on the field of study was conducted. The field research part, which is described as the second part of the thesis, consists of four parts. First of all, the area within the walls of Sivas historical city center, which was determined as the working area, was analyzed in terms of area-occupancy area, green area, building density, building usage and floor density based on the zoning plan of the city. Secondly, in order to determine the region within the boundaries of the study area and the interaction of the region with the environment, the region within the city walls of Sivas Central District and Sivas historical city center was built on the concepts of space syntax method. Thirdly, a face-to-face survey was conducted with an expert group of 70 people consisting of Sivas historical city center architects, city planners, conservation experts and local government members. Questions were asked in order to identify the historical buildings in the city memory in the historical city center of Sivas and to determine them in terms of accessibility, security, functions, architecture and planning criteria. As a result of the study, the data obtained from preliminary analysis, space syntax analysis and survey results were compiled. By synthesizing these data, suggestions were made about the city of Sivas in terms of administrative management, regulations, architectural design and urban design. In this context, the factors affecting the development of the city were investigated, variables were determined and analyzes were made. As a result of these analyzes, projections were made towards the future by establishing a connection between the historical urban fabric and today's urbanization, and suggestions for creating the infrastructure of the search for a sustainable-livable city that preserves its unique identity were discussed.