Konya Meram Urban Design Guide
(2021, Academic Advisor),
Team: Necati Uyar, Hüseyin Yeldiren, İ. Fatma Eren, Ayşen Çaloğlu Sevim, Banu Aksel Gürün, Cansu Canaran, Yiğit Acar, Hatice Karaca, S. Levent Turan, Özlem Ersavaş, Belida N. Önlü, Kaan Gedik, H. Özer Önder, Canan Gürcan, Ayşe Civaş, Ezgi Nur Güngör, Kubilay Yaldır.
The Meram Urban Design Guide is a prototype study commissioned by the Ministry of Urbanism in Turkey, with the aim of transforming the legislative framework governing urban development. This guide serves as a valuable resource for urban planners, architects, and local governments, providing guidance and facilitating discussions during the implementation of projects in the Meram settlement.
The guide consists of three volumes: the Urban Atlas, the Strategy Document, and the Design Guide. The Urban Atlas, the first volume, presents extensive research and data on the Meram urban area, including information on protected areas, settlement patterns, and neighboring agricultural regions. This section establishes a comprehensive understanding of the existing conditions and values of Meram, serving as a foundation for the subsequent volumes.
The Strategy Document, the second volume, focuses on the future development of Meram. It conducts an analysis of the settlement's weaknesses, evaluates urban development trends, and outlines policies, goals, and strategies to create a distinctive and identity-driven urban space. This document establishes a vision and mission for Meram, adapts universal urban policies to the specific context, and sets priorities for their implementation. It serves as a guide for determining urban design strategies, principles, and design frameworks for selected areas.
The third volume, the Design Guide, provides site-specific urban design schemes. It expands on the universal urban policies and design approaches tailored to Meram, presenting strategic approaches through conceptual diagrams for different character areas. This section also defines priority areas for urban design work and outlines application processes. The Design Guide focuses on various aspects such as streets, transportation, open spaces, and buildings, aiming to preserve urban diversity, promote green development, foster walkability and accessibility, and ensure urban integrity and continuity.
The Design Guide is further divided into the Thematic Design Guide and the Site-Specific Design Guide. The Thematic Design Guide establishes principles for public open spaces and buildings, utilizing visual language and text to express them. The Site-Specific Design Guide provides detailed information on how these principles should be applied to specific character areas within Meram.
Overall, the Meram Urban Design Guide offers a comprehensive framework for urban development in the Meram settlement. It provides guidance, strategies, and design recommendations to create a sustainable, livable, and distinctive urban environment, aligning with the Ministry of Urbanism's agenda of transforming urban development practices in Turkey.
