Preservation Plan Applications for the Historical City Centre, Kemeralti (Izmir, Turkey)

The necessity of preserving traditional environments, as a part of cultural heritage, is recognized and accepted in Turkey. Nevertheless, due to the abundance of archaeological sites and areas that are deemed historical, several problems exist regarding the preservation of these areas. The improvements made world-wide, specifically in Europe, regarding urban preservation have also had an impact on Turkey. Yet, as the “awareness of preservation” notion indirectly showed its impact affecting only a small group, the integration process was inherently impeded. Consequently, both regulations and successful plan studies on preservation were delayed. Conversely, the issue of preservation has always been considered a secondary priority for Turkey. Whenever a conflict of interest occurs between development and preservation, development is usually preferred. Due to the fact that preservation does not rank high among our priorities suggests that social awareness regarding preservation is not at a desired level. In this article, the applications of the preservation plan studies of the historical city centre of Izmir (the third largest city in Turkey) will be evaluated. Kemeralti, due to its history, size, archaeological, historical and natural values, and being in Izmir, which is an exceptional city in terms of the emphasis on preservation compared to other cities, is considered to be privileged and, therefore, presents a significant example for study. Besides maintaining the identity of the city as well as national identity, preserving areas which may be considered a part of world heritage depends, above all, on raising social awareness. Furthermore, in addition to the concerns regarding the preservation of historical environments in urban areas in Turkey, this article also discusses the promising developments produced by the gradual increase of positive efforts made concerning this matter. These efforts along with the initiatives and experience that played a successful role in overcoming these concerns may also set an example for other similar fields.