Conference Presentations by Gül Aktürk
Articles by Gül Aktürk
Vernacular Heritage as a Response to Climate: Lessons for future climate resilience from Rize, Turkey
Land, 2022
Vernacular heritage is undergoing rapid changes caused by the effects of the changing climate, su... more Vernacular heritage is undergoing rapid changes caused by the effects of the changing climate, such as loss of lands, biodiversity, building materials, integrity, traditional knowledge, and maladaptation. However, little is known about the causes of deterioration in vernacular heritage sites under changing climate and landscape conditions from a user perspective. This paper provides insights into the perceptions of local people on climate change and how it has changed the landscape in the Fındıklı district of Rize in the Eastern Black Sea area of Turkey. The study proposed analyzing vernacular architecture as a heritage category for localizing the management of climate change impacts using field survey, on-site observations, and unstructured interviews with local people. The results of the shared concerns regarding the changing climate and landscapes from a local perspective evoke the use of narratives as a tool for local authorities to include local communities in building resilience of cultural heritage to climate change.
A systematic overview of the barriers to building climate adaptation of cultural and natural heritage sites in polar regions
Environmental Science & Policy, 2022
This paper systematically reviews publications for the period 2002–2020 addressing the barriers t... more This paper systematically reviews publications for the period 2002–2020 addressing the barriers to climate adaptation of cultural and natural heritage in the Northern and Southern poles. Climate change and its socio-economic implications deteriorate different forms of cultural and natural heritage, including archaeological sites, historic buildings, and indigenous heritage in the polar regions. Climate adaptation of cultural and natural heritage of polar regions is challenged due to the barriers, constraints, and limitations of various factors such as lack of awareness of polar heritage, remoteness of the sites, and lack of tools and facilities. This paper first presents the general characteristics of 76 documents out of 218. It then analyzes the barriers derived from the content analysis of the publications. Despite growing interest in polar studies, incomplete and inaccurate data and inventories and facilities and tools as technological constraints negatively affect building climate adaptation of polar heritage. Following that, existing regulations and organizations are found to be ineffective and slow to address the issues of communication and collaboration for building climate adaptation of polar heritage. The findings will discuss the policy implications of understanding barriers and tackling them to facilitate the climate adaptation of polar heritage.
Sustainability, 2021
Cultural landscapes reflect a cultural group’s continuous and evolved interactions with natural r... more Cultural landscapes reflect a cultural group’s continuous and evolved interactions with natural resources and the environment. By now, climate change has become the most significant threat to cultural landscapes, e.g., food security, water scarcity, and displacement. The cultural and natural heritage of cultural landscapes can enhance their value as integrated systems and offer solutions to the challenges brought by climate change. Although exploring tangible impacts of climate change has received sufficient attention in cultural landscapes, a systematic understanding of the main barriers has been overlooked in building climate resilience in cultural landscapes. This paper aimed to explore the main barriers to building climate resilience in cultural landscapes. The research methodology was based on the content analysis of 359 documents published between 1995 and 2020. The results revealed that the integrated approach in documentation and assessments was the most quoted technical barrier. In addition, the lack of a regulatory framework for supporting effective collaboration and cooperation has been discussed as the most significant institutional obstacle to climate resilience in cultural landscapes.
Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, 2021
Climate change is borderless, and its impacts are not shared equally by all communities. It cause... more Climate change is borderless, and its impacts are not shared equally by all communities. It causes an imbalance between people by creating a more desirable living environment for some societies while erasing settlements and shelters of some others. Due to floods, sea level rise, destructive storms, drought, and slow-onset factors such as salinization of water and soil, people lose their lands, homes, and natural resources. Catastrophic events force people to move voluntarily or involuntarily. The relocation of communities is a debatable climate adaptation measure which requires utmost care with human rights, ethics, and psychological well-being of individuals upon the issues of discrimination, conflict, and security. As the number of climate-displaced populations grows, the generations-deep connection to their rituals, customs, and ancestral ties with the land, cultural practices, and intangible cultural heritage become endangered. However, intangible heritage is often overlooked in the context of climate displacement. This paper presents reflections based on observations regarding the intangible heritage of voluntarily displaced communities. It begins by examining intangible heritage under the threat of climate displacement, with place-based examples. It then reveals intangible heritage as a catalyst to building resilient communities by advocating for the cultural values of indigenous and all people in climate action planning. It concludes the discussion by presenting the implications of climate displacement in existing intangible heritage initiatives. This article seeks to contribute to the emerging policies of preserving intangible heritage in the context of climate displacement.
International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 2021
The district of Fındıklı in the Northeast city of Rize in Turkey is environmentally and culturall... more The district of Fındıklı in the Northeast city of Rize in Turkey is environmentally and culturally rich with its rural, built, and natural heritage. The city of Rize has been experiencing more frequent and severe rainfall, flooding, and landslides in the last decade. River flooding along the coast and in the center of the city is destroying infrastructure and residential areas, while landslides are becoming more destructive and repetitive in the hin-terland of the district. Vernacular heritage is particularly exposed to the catastrophic consequences of floods and landslides, e.g., through the deterioration of historic building façades. This paper aims to identify the vernacular settlements under the threat of natural disasters in the selected case area. ArcGIS software was used to reveal the changes in spatial planning since 1969 in combination with geo referenced built and natural heritage sites at risk in the district. The comparison between the maps of 1969 and 2019 aerial pictures on ArcGIS illustrates the river transformation, coastal change, urban sprawl, and deforestation as threats to vernacular heritage in the area. Furthermore, this paper will highlight landslide-prone sites in the hinterland and river floods on the coastal area on the current map to show heritage sites at risk. The findings of this study intend to present the accelerated effects of floods and landslides along with the mismanagement of land use and rivers on vernacular heritage at a district scale to inform decision-and policymakers on needed actions.
International Journal of Intangible Heritage, 2020
The rural vernacular architecture in the highlands of the Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey has ... more The rural vernacular architecture in the highlands of the Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey has survived over 2000 years, yet the local traditions of craftsmanship in wood are disappearing. As these craft skills are no longer being handed down, the value of the intangible heritage that lies behind the vernacular architecture is no longer being promoted, despite the importance of woodworking in the historical evolution of the area.
This paper reviews the longstanding tradition of woodworking and its relationship with the local community. Based on unstructured interviews with local people, analysis of archival sources and on-site observations, the study first highlights the use of wood in daily life, including everyday objects, decoration and carving on traditional furniture. Then it examines current local practices, the interconnected value of the built heritage, and the loss of those values in construction today. I ask how woodworking was used in the past and how people can now promote it. I will discuss the continuity of this legacy particularly through oral history, and how better public inclusion could safeguard this element of intangible heritage in the future.
Conference Proceedings by Gül Aktürk
Papers by Gül Aktürk
Land
Vernacular heritage is undergoing rapid changes caused by the effects of the changing climate, su... more Vernacular heritage is undergoing rapid changes caused by the effects of the changing climate, such as loss of lands, biodiversity, building materials, integrity, traditional knowledge, and maladaptation. However, little is known about the causes of deterioration in vernacular heritage sites under changing climate and landscape conditions from a user perspective. This paper provides insights into the perceptions of local people on climate change and how it has changed the landscape in the Fındıklı district of Rize in the Eastern Black Sea area of Turkey. The study proposed analyzing vernacular architecture as a heritage category for localizing the management of climate change impacts using field survey, on-site observations, and unstructured interviews with local people. The results of the shared concerns regarding the changing climate and landscapes from a local perspective evoke the use of narratives as a tool for local authorities to include local communities in building resilien...
Blue Paper #5: Sea snot as a visible sign of climate change
Port City Futures, Jul 6, 2021
Investigate past polluting activities on public health and land uses
Cities, 2022
International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 2021
The district of Fındıklı in the Northeast city of Rize in Turkey is environmentally and culturall... more The district of Fındıklı in the Northeast city of Rize in Turkey is environmentally and culturally rich with its rural, built, and natural heritage. The city of Rize has been experiencing more frequent and severe rainfall, flooding, and landslides in the last decade. River flooding along the coast and in the center of the city is destroying infrastructure and residential areas, while landslides are becoming more destructive and repetitive in the hinterland of the district. Vernacular heritage is particularly exposed to the catastrophic consequences of floods and landslides, e.g., through the deterioration of historic building façades. This paper aims to identify the vernacular settlements under the threat of natural disasters in the selected case area. ArcGIS software was used to reveal the changes in spatial planning since 1969 in combination with geo referenced built and natural heritage sites at risk in the district. The comparison between the maps of 1969 and 2019 aerial pictures on ArcGIS illustrates the river transformation, coastal change, urban sprawl, and deforestation as threats to vernacular heritage in the area. Furthermore, this paper will highlight landslide-prone sites in the hinterland and river floods on the coastal area on the current map to show heritage sites at risk. The findings of this study intend to present the accelerated effects of floods and landslides along with the mismanagement of land use and rivers on vernacular heritage at a district scale to inform decision-and policymakers on needed actions.
Sustainability
Cultural landscapes reflect a cultural group’s continuous and evolved interactions with natural r... more Cultural landscapes reflect a cultural group’s continuous and evolved interactions with natural resources and the environment. By now, climate change has become the most significant threat to cultural landscapes, e.g., food security, water scarcity, and displacement. The cultural and natural heritage of cultural landscapes can enhance their value as integrated systems and offer solutions to the challenges brought by climate change. Although exploring tangible impacts of climate change has received sufficient attention in cultural landscapes, a systematic understanding of the main barriers has been overlooked in building climate resilience in cultural landscapes. This paper aimed to explore the main barriers to building climate resilience in cultural landscapes. The research methodology was based on the content analysis of 359 documents published between 1995 and 2020. The results revealed that the integrated approach in documentation and assessments was the most quoted technical bar...
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Conference Presentations by Gül Aktürk
Articles by Gül Aktürk
This paper reviews the longstanding tradition of woodworking and its relationship with the local community. Based on unstructured interviews with local people, analysis of archival sources and on-site observations, the study first highlights the use of wood in daily life, including everyday objects, decoration and carving on traditional furniture. Then it examines current local practices, the interconnected value of the built heritage, and the loss of those values in construction today. I ask how woodworking was used in the past and how people can now promote it. I will discuss the continuity of this legacy particularly through oral history, and how better public inclusion could safeguard this element of intangible heritage in the future.
Conference Proceedings by Gül Aktürk
Papers by Gül Aktürk
This paper reviews the longstanding tradition of woodworking and its relationship with the local community. Based on unstructured interviews with local people, analysis of archival sources and on-site observations, the study first highlights the use of wood in daily life, including everyday objects, decoration and carving on traditional furniture. Then it examines current local practices, the interconnected value of the built heritage, and the loss of those values in construction today. I ask how woodworking was used in the past and how people can now promote it. I will discuss the continuity of this legacy particularly through oral history, and how better public inclusion could safeguard this element of intangible heritage in the future.