**2. Urban design in the Turkish planning system**

The planning can be described as the process of preparing systematic action plans in order to achieve the desired goals. The plan is defined over two components constituting it. These components are:


In planning, which refers to systematically implementing the theoretical knowledge, it is necessary to determine both the target of the plan and the ways to follow in order to achieve the target. Within its widest meaning, the planning has three characteristics:


The planning is to systematically implement theoretical knowledge. It is a process extending from the current time to the future. The main sub-processes are as follows: preparing the research, planning, implementing, monitoring, and assessing [5, 6].

Urban planning is defined as a science, art, and discipline aiming to shape the physical development of the cities by considering the social and economic necessities. Besides that, it is also considered to be a way of directing the change of urban areas [7].

The construction and design of the urban built environment are performed with a systematic approach in countries having a national planning system. The urban design should be a part of this system. The core of the planning system is the urban plans prepared at specific levels. Accordingly, the urban plans offer a framework for directing all the construction activities in the cities. The success of the framework offered by these plans depends on their relationship with the urban design in terms of the spatial dimension of the plans. The position of urban design in the planning system of Turkey is controversial. Urban design could not be positioned in Turkey's planning system in the form specified in the literature, being nothing but a technical implementation carried out because of the legal obligations. For this reason, it would be very useful to discuss the concept of planning.

Urban design is a comprehensive and multidimensional concept. In general, it reveals the ways of creating ideas and putting them into practice. All the long-run social, economic, administrative, and spatial change factors related to the use of sources in the habitat are considered within the scope of planning.

In urban science, planning is discussed at four levels: the city, the environmental, the regional, and the national. As for the topic of urban spaces, it can be defined as the process of determining the land use, transportation, and physical structure within a mutual interaction with the social relationship, including the investigation

of the positions of cities in the region [8]. Urban planning is a comprehensive process with economic, social, and esthetical dimensions, as well as the directing of the physical formation developments. The steps of this complex process are as follows:

a regulation instrument shaping the physical environment. Even though the landuse plan (physical plan) is an important input for managing the quality of the environment, the land-use plan alone without comprehensive urban design plan/ project may not ensure and maintain a high-quality environment [10, 14].

urban design should be involved in the entire planning process.

similarity from the aspect of urban design.

*Assessing the Urban Design Quality of Turkish Cities DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.89779*

*de Zone*) are used [15].

nized fashion (**Figure 2**).

**331**

**3. Urban planning and urban design approaches and relations**

countries. The main reason for this is thought to be that the planning system starting from the upper scales moves together with the urban design approaches to the lower scales. Thus, everything in the city that people have contact with is provided using various instruments developed together with the plans. These instruments, playing an important role in shaping the urban space, also show

The spatial quality of urban spaces in developed countries is better than other

For instance, in England, the *design codes*, *design briefs*, *design guidelines*, and *development briefs* named as *supplementary planning guidance* are prepared for this purpose. In the USA, however, this process is generally named as *design review*, and the design auditing instruments such as *urban design guideline* are prepared. In France, the urban plans (*Schéma Directeur* master plan) and the "land-use plans" (*Plan d'occupationdessols-POS*) are not alone considered sufficient for managing the change in the urban space, and therefore the instruments such as "planning zone" (*ZAC-Zoned'AménagementConcerte*) and *"*zoning plan" (*PAZ-Plan d'Aménagement*

In the different planning approaches and legal regulations worldwide, both the central and local administrations use urban planning and urban design together in ensuring urban quality. Even though the framework offered by the zoning plans in Turkey seems enough from the quantitative aspect, the plans are not sufficient in the process controlling and directing the urban design in different countries, and the urban design instruments are used together with the plans. This is the hint for

Since the nineteenth century, the concept of urban design has been considered in different contexts and scopes within urban planning. In this process, practitioners and theoreticians such as Kevin Lynch, David Mackay, Francis Tibbalds, etc. have offered different definitions. In parallel with the works and discussions of the theoreticians and practitioners, urban design has been conceptualized in an orga-

In this conceptualization, urban design is close to urban planning at a high scale. Besides that, considering urban design as the design of small urban spaces at a low scale, it is close to the esthetic and spatial points of interest of the architecture and arts. Moreover, urban design is interested in the interaction between public and private development and its effect on the form of the city, the relationships between people and locations, movement and urban form, nature, building structure, and

creating high-quality spaces and a successful outcome [16–18].

the processes providing successful cities and towns [1, 2, 19].

From this aspect, the framework offered by the zoning approach and practice is a regulatory system based on high-level accuracy and offering uniformity at the national level. The zoning plan, which is the expression of this framework, is to create and audit the urban built environment qualitatively. In this process, the main auditing subject of the zoning plans is the parcel [15]. This structure, not including the urban design processes but offering a strict frame, may fall short in providing a qualified urban space. Urban planning and urban design are two important phenomena complementing each other. For this reason, excluding the urban design from the planning process prevents the plans from achieving their targets. Hence,


Since the outcomes of the urban planning processes were different, various assessments were developed. Especially in keeping with the understanding that the city is a multidimensional and complex case, urban planning has shown advancement towards becoming an interdisciplinary and inter-specialty field of implementation. Urban design has an important role in urban planning's process of gaining an identity, and, as one of the peoples' activities of organizing the environment in which they live, it cannot be separated from the planning [10–12]. From this aspect, different actors also play a role together with the components of the planning system in this process. The urban spaces, which are constructed by the sociopolitical dimension, are the spaces in which the discussions and reconciliations between the actors having different interests and expectations occur. The area in which the process occurs defines the participation styles, effects, and activity forms of the actors.

From the aspect of planning and urban design, the main reason for the problems observed in Turkey is the "zoning approach and practice" [13]. Being the main guideline of the legal foundation of the Turkish planning system, Zoning Law Nr.3194 can be summarized as follows: the zoning plans can be defined as the "master plan" and the "implementary development plan"; the "master plan" is the plans prepared in order to lay the foundation of the preparation of the implementary development plans and to show subjects such as general usage types, main region types, future population densities, building density (when necessary), size and principles of the development of various residential areas, transportation systems, and solutions for the problems on the existing maps prepared in accordance with the regional or environmental plans. The "implementary development plan" is, however, drawn up based on the principles of the master plan drawn on the existing maps showing the cadastral statuses, and these plans show the building blocks, the intensity and order of these blocks and roads, and all the implementation steps and information to form the basis of the development implementation programs in detail.

As can be seen here, the zoning planning aiming to achieve a legal document generally defines how a building can be constructed on a parcel, but it falls short as

#### *Assessing the Urban Design Quality of Turkish Cities DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.89779*

of the positions of cities in the region [8]. Urban planning is a comprehensive process with economic, social, and esthetical dimensions, as well as the directing of the physical formation developments. The steps of this complex process are as

Since the outcomes of the urban planning processes were different, various assessments were developed. Especially in keeping with the understanding that the city is a multidimensional and complex case, urban planning has shown advancement towards becoming an interdisciplinary and inter-specialty field of implementation. Urban design has an important role in urban planning's process of gaining an identity, and, as one of the peoples' activities of organizing the environment in which they live, it cannot be separated from the planning [10–12]. From this aspect, different actors also play a role together with the components of the planning system in this process. The urban spaces, which are constructed by the sociopolitical dimension, are the spaces in which the discussions and reconciliations between the

actors having different interests and expectations occur. The area in which the process occurs defines the participation styles, effects, and activity forms

observed in Turkey is the "zoning approach and practice" [13]. Being the main guideline of the legal foundation of the Turkish planning system, Zoning Law Nr.3194 can be summarized as follows: the zoning plans can be defined as the "master plan" and the "implementary development plan"; the "master plan" is the

plans prepared in order to lay the foundation of the preparation of the

From the aspect of planning and urban design, the main reason for the problems

implementary development plans and to show subjects such as general usage types, main region types, future population densities, building density (when necessary), size and principles of the development of various residential areas, transportation systems, and solutions for the problems on the existing maps prepared in accordance with the regional or environmental plans. The "implementary development plan" is, however, drawn up based on the principles of the master plan drawn on the existing maps showing the cadastral statuses, and these plans show the building blocks, the intensity and order of these blocks and roads, and all the implementation steps and information to form the basis of the development implementation

As can be seen here, the zoning planning aiming to achieve a legal document generally defines how a building can be constructed on a parcel, but it falls short as

follows:

• Defining the problem

• Assessment, synthesis

• Feedback and control

• Implementing [9, 10].

• Assessment

• Projecting

of the actors.

programs in detail.

**330**

• Determining the objectives ad targets

*Sustainability in Urban Planning and Design*

• Designing the options (suitable plans)

• Collecting and constructing the knowledge

a regulation instrument shaping the physical environment. Even though the landuse plan (physical plan) is an important input for managing the quality of the environment, the land-use plan alone without comprehensive urban design plan/ project may not ensure and maintain a high-quality environment [10, 14].

From this aspect, the framework offered by the zoning approach and practice is a regulatory system based on high-level accuracy and offering uniformity at the national level. The zoning plan, which is the expression of this framework, is to create and audit the urban built environment qualitatively. In this process, the main auditing subject of the zoning plans is the parcel [15]. This structure, not including the urban design processes but offering a strict frame, may fall short in providing a qualified urban space. Urban planning and urban design are two important phenomena complementing each other. For this reason, excluding the urban design from the planning process prevents the plans from achieving their targets. Hence, urban design should be involved in the entire planning process.
