Istanbul Informal Settlements and Generative Urbanism

Istanbul: Informal Settlements and Generative Urbanism analyzes two informal housing settlements in Istanbul, Turkey –Karanfilköy and Fatih Sultan Mehmet –to examine how generatively built structures and neighbourhoods can be successfully realized in a modern, burgeoning urban context. Generative development processes adapt to existing conditions and unfold over time, but there have been relatively few examples in the 20th and 21st centuries. This book evaluates the constructs of living structures, pattern languages and generative urban design processes in relation to Istanbul’s informal settlements. It provides examples of communities making liveable, dynamic and user-adapted neighbourhoods and establishes them as a modern settlement typology in generative urban design theory.

Introduction 1. Informal Urbanism and Istanbul’s Informal Settlements 2. Generative Urban Design Theory 3. Analysing Generative Structures, Patterns and Processes in Karanfilköy and Fatih Sultan Mehmet 4. Degrees of Life in Karanfilköy and Fatih Sultan Mehmet 5. Pattern Languages in Karanfilköy and Fatih Sultan Mehmet 6. Generative Development Processes in Karanfilköy and Fatih Sultan Mehmet 7. Conclusions and projections for Istanbul informal settlements and generative design

Noah Billig is an Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture and Planning in the Fay Jones School of Architecture + Design at the University of Arkansas, USA. He has taught, researched and worked in the urban design, landscape architecture and planning fields in the United States, Turkey and Austria. His research focuses on adaptive and resilient design and planning, including participatory design and planning engagement, generative design and perceptions of environments.