Through the Historical Landscape to an Urban Green Infrastructure: Themes and Context

Abstract

Landscapes around the world have changed dramatically during the
last five decades. While new functions, new forms of land usage and increased
infrastructure dominate and trigger this change, places with a
rich history have become more fragile than ever before. Within contemporary
urban life, historic landscapes and associated land usage gain
priority by their power to define and contribute to the sustainability of
green infrastructure.

This research analyzes the green heritage of Istanbul to gain a better
understanding of its potential to contribute to the development of the
European side of Istanbul. Accordingly, three relevant typologies: historical
parks and gardens, groves and cemeteries are analyzed to reveal the
different themes and contexts they represent.

The research results show that historical landscapes can be managed
through a systematic approach that underlies the integration of those
landscapes into the surrounding environment by evaluating those places
as a part of the green infrastructure of the city. These findings suggest
that conservation strategies are an effective tool to control the change
within those landscapes and should be re-considered, from the perspective
of contemporary design approaches, to create a robust framework
for the development of an integrated green infrastructure.