Social and Economic Effects of Different Urban Renewal Projects on the Surrounding Settlements: An Evaluation on Bursa Küplüpınar Neighborhood

Abstract

Today, many cities are experiencing transformation as a result of the chaotic structure brought about by growth. It is the physical, social, and economic inadequacies that accelerate/trigger the transformation and make it inevitable. This urban decay, defined as obsolescence, can occur not only due to spatial growth but also as a result of fragmentary and unrelated plan decisions. In this study, the aim is to reveal the physical deterioration processes that emerged in the Küplüpınar neighborhood, which is located in the center of Bursa and in the grip of a region that was transformed with different types of urban renewal projects after 2000. Also, the effects of the transformation expectation created by these processes on the identity and social structure of the region is determined. In this context, surveys and in-depth interviews were conducted with individuals who live in the neighborhood or have lived there in the past years. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS software. In conclusion, it has been determined that the renewal projects carried out in a fragmented manner create an expectation of transformation in the surrounding settlements. Over time, this expectation leads to decrepitude, population loss, weakening of identity and neighborhood relations, and the formation.