Urban spaces are generally defined and created by physical and non-physical entities. Among these entities buildings play important role in defining urban spaces. These open spaces come into being as a part of building (a private courtyard), as spaces between buildings for semi-public activities in cul-de-sac (as extensions of indoor/courtyard), or as common public gathering and thoroughfare spaces, in a settlement. Yet, these spaces have been studied and analyzed according to different physical and social aspects. But, this paper studies these spaces in different manner inspired from Dominsky`s three domains “Reuse, Reduce and Recycle” of the outcomes of sustainable settlement. However, in this paper, these three “Rs” are used as tools to enhance the sustainability of urban spaces and their ecological importance for a society both physically and morally. The objective of this paper is to explore the criteria of ecological sustainability and adaptation of changing society to traditional Anatolian settlements, and to derive physical issues and features of sustainable design and planning for new settlements in hot arid regions.

Inceruh, Cemil, and Oktan Nalbantoglu. "Rediscovering the Principles of Eco-City as Spatial Attributes in Traditional Housing Settlement: The Case Of Urfa in Southeastern Anatolia," in ArchNet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, vol. 3, issue 3 (2009).

Cemil Inceruh and Oktan Nalbantoglu

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