Kure-Ersizlerdere Village Design Guide: A Debate on Process and Methodology

Abstract

Problems areas in Turkey manifest themselves in planning field as well however means of intervention is limited. As a result of process growing organically, the first village design guide in Turkey was produced for the village of Ersizlerdere. The preparation process of the guide started when actors such as Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, North Anatolian Development Agency (NADA) and Governorship of Kure looking for new methods in rural development encountered. With the will of the actors, village design guide became one of the key projects that were proposed in the local development workshop held in Kure. Depending upon this proposal and the agreement of cooperation between Governorship of Kastamonu, NADA and MSGSU, Ersizlerdere Village Design Guide was prepared. It was aimed to raise the low level of participation in the planning efforts in rural areas and the level of participation was raised thanks to extensive field work. Village people were included in the process through questionnaires conducted and focus group meetings held and thus primary data were collected. With the settlement analyses it was aimed to determine the elements of rural identity. In this context, spatial analyses examining topography, landscape, silhouette and settlement fabric; analyses about parcel structure and usage and architectural survey were made. In the light of findings obtained through the work and basic information about village, the content and construct of the guide were determined. The guide consists of three main chapters: Settlement Fabric, Parcel Formation and Rural Architectural Character. In the chapter of Settlement Fabric, there are proposals about silhouette, aspect, altitude, vegetation and land cover, common public spaces, roads/paths. In the chapter of Parcel Formation some proposals about parcel size and lot coverage are developed. Rural Architectural Character, there are proposals about building/parcel layout, spatial organization, materials and new buildings. Consequently, it was remarked that in Turkey village design guide studies must be interrelated with rural development initiatives and that sense of ownership of the institutions, academic contribution and local participation are important. It was emphasized that the content of the guide might differentiate according to the locality and that is why more studies and implementation are required in Turkey.