Characteristics of the spatial structure of Safranbolu and implications of the preservation proposals

Safranbolu is a small Anatolian town which displays a •non-typical social and physical structure. The extraordinary visual quality of the physical structure of the town, slowly deteriorating, has recently provoked preservation discussions especially among academic circles. The aim of the article is to contribute at problem definition stage, hoping that this may bring some clarification to the field for the people of Safranbolu, the related Municipality and the academic circles involved. A survey of historical sources shows that the town situated on trade routes, functioned as a break of bulk point. The majesty of public buildings dating from 17-18 centuries are evidences to the central functions performed by the town. The dominant manufacturing activity was leather. Income accruing from a possible monopoly in the national leather products market coupled by a sizeable agricultural surplus is reflected in a rich and unexpectedly beautiful man-made environment. Two exogenous factors: change of technology in leather manufacturing and location of the first iron and steel complex of Turkey in Karabük, about 10 km. away, upset the social and physical structure of the town. The feudal merchants and landlords left the town selling their houses to in-coming rural population drawn by the factory. The fact that the historical physical structure lived so far is not due to conscious preservation efforts by the people who bought the houses. The structure lived because it was functionally used. While there was still available land in Karabük for incoming workers and for location of new urban functions, demand did not concentrate on Safranbolu land. The relatively better-off in-coming groups settling in Safranbolu still had to participate in rural production activity for social security. The value of Safranbolu's urban land was not more than their urban income plus their rural income. Therefore there was no need to change function or density on land. Slow workerization process caused people to maintain rural relations. In this process the houses were functionally suitable for performance of rural production functions (like storage, food processing, water storage, gardening) and also for sheltering extensive families, typical family form in rural production environments. Besides people neither had sufficient incomes nor felt the need to transform the physical structure. Their reference groups were villagers not urbanites and resulting comparisons showed that they were better off already. Yet the very factors which preserved the structure are changing now. Available favorable urban land is now diminishing and expensive in Karabük. Demand for urban land i therefore now being transferred to Safranbolu, increasing land prices rapidly. As a result, a multi-storey and concrete type of habitat started in Bağlar, a comparatively richer neighbourhood As urban incomes increase, rural contacts are transformed from participation in production to transfer of rural incomes to town. Therefore since there is no need for such organizations, extensive families break-up, old houses lose function. The source for social security is now transformed from control of rural land to control of urban land. The consciousness developed in town is not oriented to preservation but to change. Therefore preservation proposals for Safranbolu's housing structure should be revalue once again within the context of the dimension developed in the articlePublisher's Versio