Abstract:

Located in the most eastern part of Turkey, Van Province has unique architectural and geographical characteristics in the region. The urban architecture formation and development of Van Province took place in the Old Town of Van until the early part of the XX century. The architectural structures in the Old City of Van were completely burnt down and destroyed in 1918 during the withdrawal of the Russians and Armenians from the region. Since then, architectural construction has continued in the modern city of Van. The city's zoning plan was first made in 1925, and then, with the plans in 1945, 1970, 1985, 1996 and 2014, the Urban Development Plan of today's Van City was formed. As a result of the two earthquakes that occurred in Van in 2011, the planning of the missing social facilities and urban spaces of the city was regulated by the reconstructed zoning plan. The city of Van, which has grown and developed with the newly prepared zoning plan, has been evaluated within the scope of planning, from Edremit in the south, to the hillside of Erek Mountain in the east and Kalecik regions in the north. Planning decisions and strategies taken to the metropolitan level by establishing the Van Metropolitan Municipality in 2012 accelerated the development and transformation of the city. The city of Van has changed its settlement area four times in the last century due to various compulsory reasons. In the study, the area changes that took place in the city of Van were evaluated from the past to the present by considering the planning decisions and processes.

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