Determination of ecological urban design criteria for historical settlements, an examination on the case of Battalgazi (Old Malatya)

People have adopted a lifestyle intertwined with nature from the moment they existed, and they have used what they need by obtaining from nature. Over time, with the differentiation of needs and the increasing population, natural resources have started to deplete and environmental problems have started to occur with the occurrence of climate changes. Rapid and uncontrolled population growth has led to the formation of distorted settlements with the irregular settlement of the living population. This situation, which affects the whole world, is an important problem that needs to be intervened in historical settlements as well as in new settlements. Historical settlements exhibit unique traditional urban texture features with their natural and cultural values. In terms of preserving the identity and ensuring cultural continuity in traditional settlement areas, it is important to preserve and sustain these areas. In this direction, the aim of ecological urban design for historical settlements is to protect existing natural resources for a sustainable life, to ensure that cultural values are preserved and kept alive, and to adopt an ecological approach for the design and management of the urban environment. The historical settlement of Battalgazi (Old Malatya), chosen as the research area, with its natural and cultural features in the Eastern Anatolia Region, III. It exhibits the characteristics of a traditional settlement area, which has a protection status as a 3rd Degree Archaeological Site. For this reason, it is an area that should be protected and kept alive in terms of ecological balance and cultural richness. In this context, it is aimed to reveal the natural and cultural characteristics that make up the traditional identity of the historical settlement of Battalgazi, to determine the ecological urban design criteria and to develop suggestions. In this context, the study in general; data collection, analysis, determination of indicators and sub-criteria, evaluation and results were carried out in 4 stages. First of all, literature studies, field surveys, semi-structured interviews with the expert group, surveys for local people and visitors and field analyzes were made. At the same time, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis were made, which will contribute to the spatial definition of the ecological urban design of the research area. For the sustainability of the historical settlement area, spatial indicators and sub-criteria, one of the ecological urban design criteria, were determined and scored by supporting them with current spatial maps. Calculations were made accordingly. When the weighted scores of the indicators are evaluated, the indicator with the highest score expressed the indicator with the most adequate score in ecological urban design, and the indicator with the lowest score expressed the indicator with the lowest score on ecological urban design. Therefore, the indicators with the lowest scores are the ones that should be studied primarily in ecological urban design studies. As a result; In the studies to be carried out to ensure the sustainability of the historical settlement of Battalgazi, suggestions were made for the spatial criteria of ecological urban design, and in this direction, the Ecological Urban Design Evaluation Model in Historical Settlements was created. It should not be forgotten that the design decisions to be produced should be made on the basis of examining natural and cultural values together and should be carried out on the basis of cultural protection. The Ecological Urban Design Evaluation Model in Historical Settlements created with this study; Considering the studies to be carried out in similar areas, it is thought that it will contribute to the preservation and survival of the historical settlements for their sustainability.