Research Information System
Thesis Type: Postgraduate
Institution Of The Thesis:
Approval Date: 2020
Thesis Language: English
Student: Hilal Özge İdali Özden
Principal Supervisor (For Co-Supervisor Theses): Adnan Barlas
Co-Supervisor: Funda Baş Bütüner
Abstract:While politicians prefer to make investments on visible projects, sanitary and ecological infrastructure projects are not generally preferred or postponed due to their long-term results. Infrastructure investments, which are realized by spending a large amount of public taxes, are mostly considered problems that engineers have to solve and do not attract most people, including designers. The most crucial infrastructure problem for cities is Urban Water. For instance, water flows when we turn on the tap and discharges when we flush the toilet; however, we do not think where the water comes from and where it goes to unless a problem occurs. Nevertheless, urban morphological transformations are guided by urban water infrastructures. In this context, the relation between natural waterways, the essential component of the geomorphological process in the city, and the urban remains distant, too. For example, the streams, which have played an important role in the formation of the settlements of Ankara, are now disappeared. Throughout the 20th century, it was common for small streams to be channelized first, then covered and turned into a sewer line. However, the alarming condition of ecological phenomena like global warming, climate change, and depletion of resources in the 21st century has more clearly revealed the fact that resources should be used sustainably. The tension between economy and ecology has caused political decisions to be taken in favour of economic interests. However, it has appeared that engineering and infrastructure solutions that serve economic interests are not profitable in the long term, and ecology-oriented engineering and design solutions have begun to be implemented in the cities through the lens of landscape infrastructure. Stream daylighting projects have started to be implemented in several metropolises of the world, where the streams are channelized, transformed into a sewage line, and covered in the cities. These projects serve purposes such as flood prevention, transition to separate sewage systems, efficient use of treatment facilities, human-nature interaction, and increasing biodiversity. Hydrological features of Ankara have been neglected in the formation of the city since the 1960s. The capital, which has been struggling with flood and infrastructure problems due to rapid urbanization, is studied in terms of stream daylighting. The disappearance of waterways, which were once a determinant of urban formation, is considered as an urban planning, design, and infrastructure problem. In the 21st century, policies and infrastructure solutions for urban streams are developed not only by engineers but also by design and ecology-oriented disciplines collectively. This study investigates the historical relationship between infrastructure and urban streams through Ankara case by using city maps and various reports. It presents the "Disappeared Streams Map of Ankara" for 100 km2 area within the city center. Moreover, the criteria for stream daylighting were identified, and the sites, which can be applied, were evaluated, and the potential sites were determined for Ankara.