Since the 1980s, while cities have been economically, socially and spatially restructured under the influence of globalization and neoliberal policies, place identities have changed significantly. Contemporary cities have gained global identities through large-scale urban transformation projects. At the same time, characteristics of local and unique place identities are being distorted, devalued, and, in some cases, destroyed through spatial decisions. Cultural heritage sites have become the spaces reflecting the conflicts between the local and global identities of cities, and the stages of political and economic interest struggles. Today, while conserving local identity fosters the entrepreneurial and competitive power of many cities in a global context, it causes the commodification, commercialization and privatization of the characteristics and components that constitute the place identity, especially in cultural heritage areas. This article explores the transformation of Gençlik Park, a historic and symbolic public space in Ankara, over the 100-year history of the Republic. Initially designed in the 1920s to embody the ideals of a modern, secular, and Western society, the park has gradually shifted away from its original design and identity. Using a theoretical framework of “place identity”, this qualitative study examines changes in the park’s physical characteristics, activities, and meaning under four subsequent historical periods within contextual and evolutionary perspectives. Through historical analysis and a single-case study approach, it highlights the park’s evolving identity in relation to the city’s changing identity, the factors driving these changes, and their connection to the broader urban, economic-political, and historical shifts in Ankara. This study also demonstrates how the broader identity transformation of Ankara has influenced the evolving identity of Gençlik Park.

Kadifekale Urban Transformation Project, which was implemented in the early 2000s, is a significant and prominent example of neoliberal urbanization practices in Izmir. In this context, within the scope of the project, revealing the perspectives, relationships established with the lived space of displaced individuals due to disaster risk is considered crucial. Although oral history narratives forms the basis for the methodology of this study, in the context of the “Actor Network Theory” method the use of the Graph Commons tool, an open-access data visualization tool, plays a facilitating and effective role in making the information obtained from oral history interviews about the space visible. It aims to visualize the often unseen, memory-based knowledge, representations of space in memory, and relationships in dense data pools for a more comprehensive analysis of micro-space information. In the Kadifekale Urban Transformation area and the communities residing within it, oral history, digital mapping software, and visualization tools (utilizing tools like Graph Commons and the ArcGIS program) are employed to counteract the erasure of knowledge about the space and the disappearance of the voices of those who lived in the vanished space as the urban space undergoes transformation. Drawing on the practices of the Kadifekale Urban Transformation Project, this study highlights the importance of remembering local, micro-space knowledge in urban research and emphasizes the significance of revealing and interpreting this knowledge using various research and analysis methods.The outputs of the study offer innovative and alternative paths for new research.

Studies focusing on children in the field of urban planning are increasing along with an increase in the number of children living in urban areas and problems associated with urbanization. There has been a tendency in these studies for the usage of child-centered methods. Accordingly, a growing number of researchers have begun to assess the success of the methodologies they employed in their research, especially in western countries. However, from the standpoint of the researchers, the success of the methods may change from one context to another. This fact highlights the necessity of refraining from generalizing results obtained from different contexts. This study presents a method of assessment to evaluate the success of child-centered data collection methods. Thereafter, it uses this method to assess the success of various activity diaries completed by 1303 9–14-year-old children in Ankara and Istanbul from a researcher’s perspective. Results show that the diaries analyzed in this study have both overlapping and non-overlapping benefits and drawbacks in relation to the applicability of the methods, children’s capabilities, and the principles of scientific research. The author found that activity diaries in the form of spreadsheets are more beneficial to researchers than those that can be categorized as creative in type. These benefits can be especially seen regarding the empiricism and repeatability dimensions of scientific research. Conducting the activity diary exercises with individuals rather than groups yields better results in engaging children in research. The discussion of these experiences is essential for the success of future research.

With rapid urbanization and the global challenges of population growth and environmental degradation, sustainable urban transformation projects have become essential solutions to challenges. In Türkiye, these projects are gaining prominence as cities strive to balance economic development, environmental preservation, and social equity. This research focuses on Ankara’s transformation projects, aiming to assess the level of sustainability awareness and the factors influencing stakeholders’ understanding and application of sustainability principles. The study draws on a comprehensive literature review and empirical data collected through surveys and expert interviews with key stakeholders, including local government officials and practitioners involved in urban transformation projects in Ankara. The findings reveal that, despite a general recognition of sustainability’s importance, actual implementation is hindered by insufficient awareness, unclear regulations, and financial constraints. The research proposes targeted strategies to enhance understanding and the implementation of sustainability practices, aiming to address these challenges comprehensively. When effectively implemented, these strategies have the potential to significantly improve the current situation, laying the foundation for a sustainable and resilient future. The findings underscore the pivotal role of municipal authorities in fostering sustainable urban transformation. Through policies that advocate for green building standards, efficient resource utilization, and community involvement, municipal authorities can significantly influence the sustainability of their cities. This research enhances the understanding of sustainable urban transformation in developing country contexts and offers actionable insights for policymakers and practitioners. These insights can be instrumental in their efforts to build resilient and livable cities for future generations, emphasizing the critical role of each stakeholder.

In recent decades, bioclimatic architecture has become a highly discussed topic among researchers and architects who mainly aim to harmoniously integrate architecture with the environment and even the climate to ensure human comfort and well-being. Although this topic generates a keen interest in discussions, it is important to confirm the use of this approach by examining the achievements of our predecessors, particularly in vernacular architecture. In this article, we aim to explore the link between vernacular architecture and the bioclimatic approach, highlighting two masterpieces on the architectural and urban level: The M’zab Valley in Algeria and the Yazd Valley in Iran. These two cities, listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, demonstrate a remarkable adaptation of local societies to hot and arid climatic challenges. By conducting a comparative study, we notice striking similarities such as a compact urban fabric, minimization of vegetation, introverted architecture, narrow streets, compact fabric…etc. From this study, we explore how these ancient cities were able to integrate sustainable solutions on the architectural and urban level to be able to integrate with the immediate environment. We also find nuances that emerge, especially in the way each city finds solutions according to the particularity of its site. These two vernacular examples showcase the bioclimatic factors used in ancient cities. Based on the main factors of the two approaches, bioclimatic and vernacular, this study aims to highlight the understanding of the environmental aspects of ancient cities and their know-how, with the aim of preserving them and using them in future constructions. This comparison allowed us to confirm that both approaches emphasize the deliberate use of local resources, the need to adapt to the prevailing climate and the creation of a built environment that integrates perfectly with nature to ensure human comfort. Thus, we can affirm that vernacular architecture is a bioclimatic architecture which has been able to meet the needs of the inhabitants, provide comfort and well-being, and has been able to integrate into its environment while respecting it.

In addition to the devastation caused by the February 2023 earthquakes, the subsequent reconstruction processes have led to rapid transformations in the urban form of Antakya. The continuity of the urban fabric in Antakya is essential for maintaining the city’s culture, society, and urban life. This study evaluates the changes on the urban form of Antakya that have taken place since the earthquake by using the analytical tools of urban morphology. This study aims to identify the continuities and ruptures in the urban fabric during the reconstruction process in the neighbourhoods of Akevler and Gülderen, and to propose recommendations for ensuring urban continuity. Accordingly, the first part of the article discusses the multiple components of the concept of “urban continuity,” while the second part focuses on the transformation observed in two neighbourhoods of Antakya where reconstruction is nearing completion. The analysis reveal that not only the continuity of individual urban plan elements but also the continuity of dialectical relationships among them are increasingly significant since the "reserve area" policy has resulted in the elimination of plots. Moreover, the large mass-housing areas on the urban fringe results in alienation of urban fringe, the emergence of speculative development in inner fringe belt, and production of disconnected and incoherent centers in the urban periphery, all of which disrupts urban continuity as well as collective memory. This article contributes to the field by documenting the spatial transformation in Antakya after the earthquake and by proposing urbanization practices after a sudden disrupt that promote continuity. The study is particularly valuable for offering insights into shaping the principles of post-disaster reconstruction when climate change oriented ecological disasters pose serious threats to cities today.

Rural gentrification, characterized by land privatization and displacement, intensified in the 1990s with state-driven interventions further integrating into the system. Despite historical references, gentrification is generalized, affecting rural spaces beyond city centers. This particular development is articulated by focusing on the works concentrating on urban and rural bases. In the contemporary discourse, rural spaces are portrayed as hybrids between industrial urban and natural rural settings, with leisure and tourism increasingly shaping their consumption without excluding the effects of capital flow. In the Global South countries, industrialization alongside tourism facilities contributes to rural gentrification. These processes predominantly manifest in the service and production sectors, blurring the distinction between urban and rural spaces and presenting challenges for research and conceptualization. Addressing this gap, this study aims to contextualize the blurred urban-rural situation through a review of contemporary spatial issues with a theoretical contribution. By examining transformation processes in tourism, industry, and agriculture, it seeks to offer discussions on the production of rural space. Employing a literature review and qualitative research on significant examples, this study will explore rural gentrification via new demographic data within the frameworks of urban and rural studies, providing insights into its implications and practices. Accordingly, the effects of new capital flow through the rural space will be explored.