**4. Sustainability, sustainable development and sustainable urbanism**

Today there is a widespread belief that different dimensions of 'sustainable development', such as economic, social, environmental and institutional, are not given equal priority by many policy makers [10]. But it is not considered as a rational or comprehensive application form. Bennet et al. [11] and Şahin [12], argue that sustainability is a concept including social economic and ecological aspects. In addition, UN Brundtland Commission dated 1987, suggests sustainability is a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations [13]. And Atil et al. [14] define sustainability as a significant concept which not only aims at high productivity but also intends to continue the functions of any social, economic or ecological system requiring sustained continuity without damaging or depleting the sources used [14].

and action aimed at resolving the multi-faceted problems of deprived urban areas in order to improve their economic, physical, social as well as environmental conditions [4] There are also

In the dictionary of the Turkish Language Institution, the term 'renewal' is defined as trans‐ formation, reform, to enter into another form and to take another case. When called 'urban renewal' in Turkey in the 1970s and 1980s, the first thing that came to mind was the improve‐ ment of slum areas [5]. Actually, urban renewal is a general concept including the applications

Generally, urban renewal has been regarded as a sound approach to promoting land values, improving environmental quality, rectifying the urban decay problem and meeting various socioeconomic objectives on the one hand, and enhancing the existing social networks, improving the inclusion of vulnerable groups and changing adverse impacts on the living environment on the other [4]. Urban renewal is also considered as a comprehensive work aiming at improving the physical, social, economic and ecological aspects of urban areas through various actions including redevelopment, rehabilitation and heritage preservation [7]. According to Ho et al. [8], urban renewal projects can profoundly improve urban competi‐ tiveness providing that they are designed and implemented properly. On the other hand, urban renewal is associated with other concepts such as sustainability and defined in a broader sense. For example, according to Czischke et al. [9], sustainable urban renewal is understood as renewal actions, policies and processes within a city, which addresses interrelated technical, spatial and socio-economic problems in order to reduce environmental impact, mitigate environmental risk, and improve environmental quality of urban systems, lifestyles and assets.

The renewal of the post-war era that began in the 1950s with rebuilding to repair the destruc‐ tion, continued as revamping in the 1960s and 1970s. Then, a new process was launched in the in the 1980s and 1990s although they are different in every country, and especially the projects dominated by the private sector and corporate partnerships were implemented. Today, urban renewal activities including all of the concepts such as urban regeneration, urban conservation and urban gentrification are performed all over the world in order to ensure the sustainability of the city. Unfortunately, many urban renewal work carried out especially in developing countries is far from sustainable urbanisation and urban ecological understanding, for the reasons such as the lack or national policy and local policy, lack of infrastructure, urban rents

**4. Sustainability, sustainable development and sustainable urbanism**

Today there is a widespread belief that different dimensions of 'sustainable development', such as economic, social, environmental and institutional, are not given equal priority by many

many other striking definitions, explanations and application forms of this concept.

carried out for the renewal of the existing urban structure [6].

**3. Historical development of urban renewal process**

fight and so on.

158 Sustainable Urbanization

On the other hand, the term 'sustainable development' dates back to the 1970s and it is a relatively complex concept made even more complicated by the fact that there is still no commonly accepted definition of this term [4]. Sustainable development makes the world a better place to live in, for both the present and future generations. It also involves the preser‐ vation protection of the earth's wealth-creating sources by bringing about the social and economic conditions for a transformation in that direction [11]. Besides being the determinant of environmental policy in the world, sustainable development is also defined as a concept integrated with the concepts of economic and social development without getting limited to the domain of the environment [15].

According to Berke and Manta, sustainable development is a dynamic process connecting local and global concerns, in addition to linking local, social, economic and ecological issues in order to fairly meet the needs of current and future generations [16]. Corresponding to urban renewal in terms of social, economic and environmental sustainability, sustainable development has been recognized that urban renewal and sustainability should be combined [4].

Although sustainability and sustainable development are not the same, they are often used without attention as if they were. According to Barrow, sustainability is the ongoing function of an ecosystem or use of a resource, and implies steady demands. But sustainable develop‐ ment implies increasing demands for improving well-being and lifestyles and also in the foreseeable future, for a growing population [17].

As for sustainable urbanism, it is a widely used phrase, often with ecological and green connotations, constituting a rather complete framework for the interdisciplinary planning and urban design of contemporary cities, neighbourhoods and residential places [18]. In addition, Hall emphasized that 'Planning and renewal must not be separated; instead, renewal must be an integral part of planning' [19]. This approach explores sustainability and urban design in a holistic manner by focusing on the processes that shape the form and function of our built environment in its full complexity [18].
