Climate Crisis and Urban Transformation Project by Academics from Departments of Interior Architecture and Interior Architecture and Environment

A research project examining the relationship between the climate crisis and urban transformation, developed by academics from the Departments of Interior Architecture and Interior Architecture and Environmental Design at Istanbul Gelisim University (IGU), has been approved under the university’s Scientific Research Projects (BAP) programme.

Led by Asst. Prof. Dr. Başak Lale, with Lecturers Cansu Sözer and Serenay İnceoğlu serving as researchers and student Alanur Emine Top participating as a project team member, the project titled “Building Stock Inventory at the Intersection of the Climate Crisis and Urban Transformation: Mapping Demolition and Reconstruction Processes in the Avcılar Parseller Area” aims to examine the environmental impacts of urban transformation through a data-driven approach.

Environmental Impacts of Urban Transformation to Be Investigated

Demolition and reconstruction activities carried out as part of urban transformation have significant environmental impacts due to high material consumption and the generation of excavation waste. Focusing on the Parseller area in Istanbul’s Avcılar district, the project will investigate the temporal and environmental characteristics of changes in the building stock.

In the first phase of the research, data on building age, number of floors, transformation status, demolition and reconstruction dates, and building materials will be collected through fieldwork and archival research. The collected data will be assessed using building life cycle parameters to reveal the environmental dimensions of urban transformation activity in the area.

Building Stock Inventory to Be Digitised

In subsequent phases of the project, the collected data will be transformed into a map-based digital inventory system. The planned open-access system will enable the visualisation of changes in the building stock and the environmental impacts of urban transformation processes.

The inventory, which is planned to be made accessible through the official website of Istanbul Gelisim University’s Faculty of Fine Arts, is intended to provide a data-driven resource for researchers and other interested users.

The pilot methodology to be developed in the Avcılar Parseller area is expected to provide a foundation for future applications across Istanbul. The project aims to contribute to the assessment of urban transformation not only in terms of building safety but also in the context of the climate crisis and environmental sustainability.