SPACE SYNTAX ANALYSIS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY TRANSFORMATION OF KULA

Abstract

Kula is a historical small town in Aegean Anatolia, which has been under preservation since the 1980s. This paper analyzes the morphology of Kula in order to understand the transformation of its spaces that are considered to be public. These spaces are the social and spatial landmarks of the town, which are the old mosques and churches, the common open spaces, and the public fountains that were closed in the 1970s. By employing the space syntax analysis developed by the group led by Bill Hillier and Julianne Hanson, Kula is examined in three time periods in the 20(th) century. The first period is between the 1900s and the 1930s, the era that when Kula still manifested the formal characteristics of an Ottoman town. The second period is between the 1930s and the 1970s, the era when the new public institutions and the Izmir-Ankara highway were built. The third and the last period is between the 1970s and the end of the 20(th) century. This is when the preservation regulations were implemented on the town and it is also the time frame when Kula grew twice its size of the 1960s.