A research of the changes occured in Republic Period in the historical street structures with conservation context: Kemeraltı-871 Street pilot

Historical street structures, having an important role in the conservation of urban history,reached today with their structures which have been forced by urban developments, changingand loosing their genunine values. The street textures developing with grid plan system inAntiquity, transformed to organic street textures depending on the settlement system throughthe Otoman Period. However this system lost its practicability due to the effects ofModernization accelerated with Republican Period. The historical streets have experienced thedevastation process parallel to the changes of cultural, economical, ideological and politicalconditions in the periods occurred with the break points of the Republic Period which can beseperated to 1923-1950, 1950-1980 and after1980 periods. These streets had been taken underconservation as ?site? areas in 1973, but even this couldn?t detain this devastation. After 1980,the historical streets evaluated in urban conservation approaches, encountered with variantinterference types in conservations and mostly could transformed to consumed districts in city.İzmir-Kemeraltı commercial district have also experienced corruptions in texture characterswith the result of determining periods of Republic and have become a collapsing historicalcenter in the city. Kemeraltı had been declared as a ?site? in 1978 but even this could not stopthese changes. The district has a fundamental importance in the city history but it?s streetswhich would reflect these historic values have had to face problems in variant scales.871 Street had been chosen for a typical conservation-renovation study for it?s historicalcharacteristics and its location and it has many social, economical and physical data it ispossesing. The street has a rich cultural heritage with its monumental historical and singularcommercial buildings.However the street had experienced a devastating process parallel toKemeraltı in Rebublic Period and lost some of it?s heritage. Besides this, the street has manyproblems in todays conditions from general to specific. By the help of detailed analysis, theproposals can be improved to have the street conservated and took it?s place in thecontemporary life actively. This study of Kemeraltı-871 Street is an experiment of taking theconservation efforts in the street scale.