An investigation of influential factors in the long-term survival of vernacular architecture in the form of cone-shaped dwelling : Case studies of Kandovan and Goreme (Cappadocia)

In recent years sustainability and sustainable development have become widely used terms in which the environmental, economic and social aspects go hand in hand in a holistic way to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Although there is widespread understanding of the physical and environmental challenges involved in creating settlements, there is still much to be learnt about what makes some communities succeed and others fail .The successful communities are considered as good examples for our understanding of the role played by social, environmental and economic factors in the success of settlements and how vital they are for the communities long term success and survival. . There are several examples of surviving communities and villages in various parts of the world, which have been inhabited for centuries in the form of rocky architecture. Understanding the factors that led to the survival of these villages will contribute to a practical understanding of what makes some communities succeed and others fail. This study tries to investigate the factors which have impacted on the long-term survival of some communities by focusing on two case studies of Kandovan in Iran, and Capadoccia in Turkey. Although Kandovan and Cappadocia (Gourme) have the same architectural features and structure; One of them (Kandovan) has been habitable continuously for centuries (over 40 generations), and the other has been abandoned since 19 centuries. Regarding to the similarities between environmental, economic, and architectural factors of two aforementioned villages, it can be concluded that the social dimension can be the key factor leading to communities succeed and survival