The Urban Growth and Development Periods of Turkish Cities: A Fringe-Belt Perspective

Abstract

This study aims to elaborate a discussion on the urban growth of Turkish cities from an urban morphological viewpoint and to question the applicability of the urban fringe-belt concept to explain the growth of Turkish cities and their urban structure. It has been recognized that the inner fringe belt that surrounded the historic core emerged and developed during the late Ottoman period was consolidated during the early Republican period and then experienced further changes in the subsequent periods. The inner fringe belt was enveloped by residential accretions, produced as a bourgeoisie environment by jumping over the inner fringe belt. The units of the middle fringe belt began to appear in the early Republican period and intensified during the 1950s. It was consolidated after the second wave of sprawl through large-scale housing projects, while at the same time, informal residential environments encircled the inner and middle fringe belts. This study suggests a tentative framework for a discussion on the development periods of Turkish cities in relation to fringe-belt development. The more these cities are studied, the more accurate results will be acquired.