Mevcut Konut Stokunda Yenileştirme Yaklaşımları: 1930-1970 Dönemi Modern Konut Yerleşmelerine Yönelik Bir Model Önerisi

Abstract

Bu çalışma, Türkiye’deki mevcut modern dönem konut yerleşmelerinin, kültürel, sosyal ve ekonomik sürdürülebilirlik bağlamında mekânsal kalitesinin arttırılmasına yönelik yaklaşımlar geliştirmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Cumhuriyet’in ilanından sonra özellikle 1930-70 yılları arasında modern mimari ve şehircilik anlayışı ile tasarlanmış, dönemin ve kullanıcılarının yaşam biçimini yansıtan, bulunduğu kent parçasında önemli değişimlerin yaşanmasıyla beraber çeşitli ölçeklerde müdahalelere maruz kalan ve kültürel bellekte yer etmiş konut toplulukları üzerine odaklanılmıştır. Gelecek nesillere aktarılabilecek ve model oluşturabilecek konumda olan bu yapı topluluklarının sürdürülebilir bir anlayışla kültürel, sosyal, ekonomik ve politik bir tabanda kurulmuş, koruma ve iyileştirmeyi de içine alan, mekânsal kaliteyi arttırmaya yönelik yaklaşımlara ihtiyacı vardır. Bu yaklaşımlar, konut kullanıcılarından, merkezi ve yerel yönetimler, finansör kurumlar, sivil toplum kuruluşlarına kadar birçok aktörün katılımıyla oluşturulacak bir organizasyon olarak, katılım süreçlerine ve biçimlerine dair alternatifler getirmeyi hedeflemektedir. Sürdürülebilirliğin önem kazandığı günümüzde, hem ekonomik hem sosyal ve kültürel sürdürülebilirlik, mevcut stokun yeniden ele alınmasında büyük önem taşımaktadır. Mevcut stokta mekân kalitesinin arttırılması üzerine başlatılan bu araştırma Türkiye ve dünya genelinde yapılan literatür çalışmasının ardından, örneklem üzerinden anket ve görüşmeler ile verilerini elde edecek şekilde kurgulanmıştır. Tez kapsamında, mevcut stok üzerinde oluşan mekânsal, sosyal, kültürel ve ekonomik değer kayıplarının azaltılması, kalitenin iyileştirilmesi ve yenileştirme çalışmalarının kurgulanması için çeşitli yaklaşımlar ele alınmış ve incelenmiştir. Mekânsal kalitenin iyileştirilerek kültürel sürdürülebilirliğe katkı sağlanması amaçlanan çalışmada, alan çalışması olarak ülkemizde modern mimari ve şehircilik anlayışının önemli temsilcilerinden Prof. Dr. Kemal Ahmet Arû’nun tasarımını gerçekleştirdiği ve Türkiye’de modern mimari konut uygulamalarının en önemli örneklerinden 4. Levent Emlak Bankası Konutları ele alınmıştır. Bölge, kent belleğinde modern mimarinin ülkemizdeki yansımalarını ve gelişimini aktaracak önemli bir belge niteliğindedir. Bu yerleşmelerin kendilerine özgü nitelikleri korunarak, günümüz kullanıcısına daha sağlıklı ve kaliteli konut mekânları sunulması bir yandan toplum belleğine, diğer yandan doğrudan kullanıcıya yarar sağlayacaktır. Çalışma, mekânsal, sosyal, kültürel ve ekonomik sürdürülebilirlik ile kalite kavramları arasındaki ilişkinin kurulması, modern dönem konut mimari olgusunun gelişimi, kent belleğindeki yeri ve önemi, mevcut mekânsal kalite problemleri bağlamında aktarılacak, alan çalışması, analiz ve öneriler şeklinde sürdürülecektir. Alan çalışması, 4. Levent Evleri tarihçesi, arşiv taraması, literatür çalışmaları, gözlemler, ilgili aktörlerle yapılan derinlemesine görüşmeler ve bölge konut kullanıcıları ile yapılan anket çalışması ile tamamlanacaktır. Anket ve derinlemesine görüşme çalışmaları, kullanıcıların ve diğer aktörlerin bölgenin mekânsal kalitesinin sürdürülebilirliği yönünden fikirlerini araştırıp, analiz etmeyi sağlayacak, mekânsal kalitenin arttırılmasına yönelik hizmetlerde kendilerini nerede konumlandırdıkları hakkında bilgi sağlayacaktır. Yapılan analiz ve değerlendirmelerde hem kullanıcılar hem de diğer aktörlerin mevcut modern mimari konut yerleşmelerinde mekân kalitesinin sürdürülebilirliğine bakışı irdelenerek, ihtiyaç duyulan organizasyonun geliştirilmesine yönelik yaklaşımlar ve fikirler sunulacaktır.

Dwellings are one of the most important basic needs of human life. Throughout history, all societies have shaped their houses in terms of their particular social, cultural, economic and geographical assets. The results of a dwelling research provide all of the dimensions of human life in a country with regard to the past. Today, the world has a huge housing heritage in the form of different settlements. Housing settlements are not only affected by economic, geographic properties, but also by society’s political and cultural vision. The architectural characteristics of the settlements in a country reflect all such ideas. They give hints about the regions’ memories/past. While houses satisfy people’s dwelling needs, at the same time they are a big part of the memory of the city. The buildings we see around us today make strong connections with the past. That is why the existing housing stock in a country is important in terms of understanding the past and the future. Recent existing housing stock can be listed in two groups such as preserved cultural heritage housing and non-preserved housing stock; the first examples relate to the modernism idea of the 1920s, the post-World War II social housing stock, the Soviet Union Commieblocks, and the 60s-70s modern architecture apartments and mass housing projects. This research focuses on the existing housing stock’s spatial quality problems and the solutions to such issues in a systematic way. The main aim of the study is to create a housing regeneration approach for Turkey’s existing housing stock in order to improve spatial quality. By solving such spatial quality problems, the aim is to provide for the social, cultural and economic sustainability of the stock. Housing stock goes through different stages during its life period; design, construction, occupancy, modification, maintenance, and, after this progress is generally complete, with ‘demolition’. Today, after many years in construction terms, the existing stock has struggled with problems of spatial quality. There are several solutions for improving the spatial quality of the existing stock. The preserved stock (listed buildings) is generally made up of buildings in need of restoration or renovation projects and has been provided with protection from national or international laws and policies. On the other hand, non-listed buildings have two alternative outcomes: demolition or regeneration. The most problematic preservation subject relates to modern housing settlements as part of the existing housing stock. A small number are listed as heritage sites. In recent years in particular, many low quality modern housing settlements have been demolished. In this context, modern housing stock that is from the 20s and 30s should be dealt with in terms of spatial quality. The main aim of the study is to criticize the new formation and to develop a strategic approach with regard to design-redesign criteria for the existing housing stock in order to provide sustainability. Developing a new approach for the existing housing stock will provide economic, social, cultural and ecological sustainability that are defined in the Brundtland Report as ‘…development that meets the needs and aspirations of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ (WCED, 1987). Modern housing stock is not only an economic resource. They are also valuable social and cultural resources. The spatial quality problems of the 1930-1970 period modern housing settlements in Turkey are the main issue of this research. By the 1920s, a new design revolution had occurred, with all the products from industrial design to urban design being affected by it. Modern architecture is a term for the movement in the 20th Century in which new technology and materials were begun to be used for art and architecture. It is characterized by the use of simple geometric forms and the subtraction of ornamentation from the product, thus emphasizing the aesthetic of simplicity and functionality. Modern movement is not only a result of technological developments and innovations, but also a result of social and political revolutions. During the 20th Century, world wars, revolutions, and regime changes affected urban settlements enormously (Heynen, 2011). Today, due to the modern movement in terms of its housing heritage, the European countries especially have a huge stock. This stock is handled in two ways: conservation and regeneration or demolition. While the heritage that was built before the 20th Century is perceived as having to be preserved and conserved, modern architectural buildings that were built in the recent past cannot be considered as being part of a country’s architectural heritage by the people in general. Now it can be said that the modern movement architectural heritage needs new regeneration approaches. Conservation and regeneration of the 20th Century built environment provides us with an understanding of the way of life from the past, connecting us to the past and strengthening our emotions and memories. Besides this, the modern movement heritage carries an art philosophy. Twentieth Century architecture is important because of the use of form, materials and colors, the organization of social relationships and neighborhoods, and social concepts. The term was formed with regard to social, technological and aesthetic intentions that represent our recent social past, so it can be said to be an important and vital subject (Henket, 1996). After the declaration of the Republic of Turkey, and especially in the period between 1930-1970, many residential buildings were built according to modern architecture and urban design principles. Those buildings reflect the people and the lifestyle of those days. The cities changed following the recurring lifestyles of its residents. As Bozdoğan (1998) pointed out, the modern movement claimed to transcend ideology. During the World War II period, many new regimes, and political and economic systems embraced the ideals of the modern movement. The capital city of Turkey, Ankara, and Istanbul have included the most important modernist buildings from the first experiments. With the establishment of the republic, a need occurred to create a new ‘modern’ society. The new style with a Turkish vision began to be implemented for the cities and their buildings. With the economic strategies and politics, urbanization and urban policies have increased in importance. When we look at the history of housing in Turkey, during the early period of the Republic in the 1920s and the 1930s, the government focused on housing shortages and the residential needs of the growing population. In the 1940s-1950s, industrialization caused migration from rural areas to urban centers, leading to a rapid population increase. Until the 1950s, with increasingly rapid migration, the housing shortage was an important problem for the government. In practice, there were different housing production systems for different income groups. During that period, while high and middle-income groups were living in built-sell apartment blocks or cooperative settlements, low-income groups created new lifestyles when it came to obtaining shelter, becoming squatters (Tekeli, 2012). Since the 1960s, the main approaches in terms of housing and settlement policies generally have been determined and described in 5-year development plans that are prepared by Ministry of Development and as the part of government programs. The issues, which are always dealt with, are squatter settlements, earthquakes and sustainable development. It can be said that not enough importance has been placed on housing maintenance, reinvestment and regeneration and on the 20th Century architectural heritage. The government’s approach generally relates to policies dealing with urban regeneration and renewal projects. We can talk about certain regulations, rules and some forecasts related to housing regeneration policies and economies, but we cannot see any implementation with regard to the existing housing stock that needs representation to improve the quality of the existing housing stock. Today, it can be seen that there are many housings examples from modern period and they have spatial quality problems. The modern movement in terms of housing settlements in Turkey generally is not recognized as being part of Turkey’s heritage whereas ancient buildings can be listed easily as part of this cultural heritage. This study concentrates on those residential buildings that have a place in cultural memory, and puts into place arguments about ways to increase the quality of space in those buildings by considering the social, cultural and economic sustainability aspects. This approach model aims to constitute a consortium of government, residents, financial institutions and free foundations. It is very important to consider cultural, social and economic sustainability in order to reconsider the situation with regard to the current housing stock. This approach is an alternative to popular urban transformation, and in this way, it will be easier to preserve and sustain cultural memories. The main idea with regards to this stock is generally to concentrate on demolition and rebuilding. Nobody talks about regeneration because of the lack of strategies. Housing regeneration is based on reinvestment and renovation. It provides both good economic results and well-organized, high quality living spaces. We need firstly reinvestment policies and supplements for the regeneration of modern movement housing settlements. Regeneration and reinvestment implementations need the support of all economic, social, cultural and architectural organizations. In particular, the architectural (design) aspect is the base of this big organization. The design stage associated with implementation is particularly important for directing the other subjects. There are many elements and actors involved in creating a regeneration process related to reinvestment, in the form of urban, architectural, landscape and interior design. Regeneration and reinvestment requires a special strategy that needs to consider several actors, abilities and implementations. Strategic approaches provide a sustainable economy, an aesthetic view and a healthy human life. Consciousness and awareness, economic support and well-organized design methods from unit to urban scale are the most important aspects. Householders (users), governmental and non-governmental organizations and professionals (architects, city planners and designers, etc.) and financers are the most powerful actors when it comes to creating housing regeneration strategies in Turkey. This study aims to understand and create solutions for the spatial quality of the existing housing stock. So, at the beginning of the study, existing housing stock and space quality relationships and space quality theories were examined in terms of the case study examples. While studying quality, sustainability theories were researched in terms of the existing stock and its advantages. National and international approaches and policies were examined. To understand the regeneration process and the relevant organizations, European countries and their implementations were analyzed in terms of the design process, participation, laws, financial sources, etc. Post-occupancy researches into these examples from European countries were examined, and some important points were identified before researching the situation in Turkey. With the help of these examples, the methods and details of the site interviews are defined. The research study is based on questionnaires and interviews that can be used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. ‘4. Levent Emlak Bankası Konutları’ is selected as the case study area for this research. The settlement was designed by Professor Kemal Ahmet Arû who is one of the most important architects in the field of modern architecture in Turkey. Literature and historical research was undertaken to understand the evaluation of the area. Spatial quality problems in the area are examined based on on-site observations. This area faced many big changes and it is located on the Büyükdere Avenue that is still one of the most popular areas in Istanbul. The research continues with an attempt to build a relationship between cultural sustainability and the quality of the space, and working on analyzing the development of the concept of modern housing architecture, and its place in the memory of the city. Questionnaires and in-depth interviews are conducted in this part of the city, in accordance with the chosen focus. The results of these questionnaires and interviews are used to analyze the ideas of people living in this place with regard to space and housing quality. When the results of the questionnaires and in-depth interviews are examined, it can be seen that the main aspects of the spatial problems are related to a lack of regular maintenance regulated by laws or to a lack of consciousness about Turkey’s modern housing heritage. As a result of analyzing the needs and ideas of residents, along with developing an understanding of the approaches of the actors, this study has tried to build an approach for Turkey. At the end of the study, a strategic model that can be used for regeneration studies on existing stock has been developed, based on the literature research and findings of the field study. While building this approach, regeneration process, potential actors who can contribute to the process and actors’ abilities have been determined. Then process and network of relations have been defined. As the proposal of the study, a well-organized regeneration model has been created with a participatory approach for increasing spatial quality in existing housing stock.