Thinking About the Concept of Morphological Region in Istanbul

Abstract

The delimitation of morphological regions is the climax of exploration of the historico-geographical structure of the urban landscape. The concept of morphological region, and the method of morphological regionalization, conceived within the historico-geographical approach, provide a basis for management of existing forms and creation of new forms. Urban morphologists dealing with the concept and method, have debated on how to describe morphological regions, and have applied it to different geographical and cultural settings, testing the robustness of both. Despite the large number of applications worldwide, the implementation of the concept remains elusive. This paper intends to contribute for the clarification of the application procedures, exploring a set of relevant criteria. Accordingly, it applies the concept into the multicultural city of Istanbul – in particular to Fatih, an urban area with a strong legacy of Byzantion, Roman and Otoman empires. The morphological analysis reveals a four-order hierarchy of morphological regions. First-order regions consist of superimposition of two fundamental criteria: street ages and geometrical arrangement of streets. Second-order regions are a product of plot layout (area, width and depth), and land and building utilization. Plot coverage ratio, land and building utilization, plot area, and architectural style support the identification of third-order regions. Finally, building materials and height contribute to the identification of fourth-order regions. Recognition of this criteria-based approach and its application into Istanbul provides an important basis for a more systematic and clearer application of the concept, with benefits for urban landscape management and planning.