Revitalizing a Declining Residential Area -Samanbahçe- in the Walled City of Nicosia

Abstract

Traditional historic urban quarters, which are special places not only due to the cultural heritage that they house but also due to their urban pattern, are in danger of losing their traditional character, if relevant measures fail to exist to ensure the continuity of this character. Just like the island of Cyprus as a whole, as being ruled by many different conquerors, the Walled City of Nicosia, which is the core of the capital of the island, has undergone substantial changes throughout history, to fit the requirements of different cultures. As a spatial reflection of different socioeconomic life or attitude of the rulers - Lusignan {1192- 1489); Venetian {1489-1571); Ottoman {1571-1878); British {1878-1960) -the urban pattern as well as the buildings and their functions have been modified through time. Consequently, the traditional historic areas became places of intermingling cultures.Through ages, the Walled City of Nicosia, with its organic urban tissue, has always been a pole of attraction in terms of administrative, economic and cultural activities. However, due to the clashes between the two communities living on the Island {the Greeks and the Turks), "a green line" divided the Walled City of Nicosia into two parts in 1963: the Turkish sector in the North and the Greek sector in the South. Until then, the two parts have been developing independently. After 1970s, due to the political and socio-economic changes on the Island, and thus, accordingly the changes in the population and its physical distribution and mobility, the North part of the Walled City has lost its attractiveness. Since then, it is in a process of decay and deterioration, and its functionally distinctive areas are severely threatened by physical, functional, locational and image obsolescence at varying degrees, as many other historic quarters elsewhere in the world.Considering the revitalization of the Walled G)ty in a longterm perspective, these differences should ge taken into account for successful decisions for its· sustainability. Samanbahce, a unique traditional residential area at the edge of the Kyrenia Avenue in the Walled City of Nicosia, is a unique place not only due to its distinctive physical, urban and architectural characteristics, but also as being the first mass-housing area on the Island developed in 1930's by the British. Although being located next to the most lively area of the Walled City, today, Samanbahce area is suffering from physical and social decay. The aim of this paper is to propose conservation and revitalization measures to address the deterioration and obsolescence process of Samanbahce area, based on a thorough study at both architectural and urban levels. The method of the analysis will include a field and a questionnaire survey, which will convey to an understanding of the environmental and socio-cultural qualities.