A Conservation Strategy of Rural Heritage Sandima Village, Bodrum

The term of rural heritage can be formulated as the vernacular spatial characteristic and functional identity assets depending on the interactionshetween the built and natural environment in the context of the social, cultural and economic relations. In this framework, rural heritage can be defined as the assets having genuine identity and integrity in the context of the vernacular architectural styles, the types of rural settlement pattern, socio-economic activities related to rural life and also tangible and intangible cultural heritage assets depending on the traditional life styles. This study attempts to define the conceptual and contextual including of a rural heritage conservation strategy for sustainable conservation of rural heritage in Sandima village having vernacular natural and tangible intangible cultural heritage values in the northwestern Bodrum Peninsula. The rural heritage conservation strategy presents some solutions in order to define the planning and implementation process on conservation-improvement of spatio-functional framework of Sandima village, determine the strategies for socio-economic development, prepare the site management plan in the context of the institutional-legal framework and also, researching the sources of potential financial support for sustainable of rural heritage. The methodological framework of this study is depended on a process composed of three stages. Firstly, the spatio-functional background of Sandima village as depending on the historical development process must be evaluated. Also, these definitions of the spatial and functional priorities to the future in the context of the socio-economic potential and cultural background are important. Secondly, both upper and subscale planning experiences on Sanduna village in chronological sequence must be examined. It is considered that these evaluations contribute to the estimation of institutional-managerial problematic about planning-implementation process. And finally, a rural heritage conservation strategy which defines the sustainable conservation-improvement strategies must be formulated. It is considered that this study tries to contribute to the planning debates on sustainable conservation of rural heritage in the context of the methodology. And also, it presents an alternative approach to the spatio-functional and socio-economic development of the rural settlements having natural and cultural heritage values