Fatih Neslisah Neighborhood Urban Design
Year2025
LocationIstanbul, Turkey
ClientFatih Municipality
StatusOngoing
Area97000 m²
TypologyUrban Design
TeamAli Önalp, Burak Yardımcı, Berk Günay, Doğan Elen, Melis Üsküner
The Fatih district of Istanbul encompasses the entire Historical Peninsula, stretching along the entrance of the Golden Horn and extending to the Yedikule area. After the conquest of Istanbul, Fatih began to develop around the Fatih Mosque, which was built on the city’s fourth hill by the order of Sultan Mehmed II, and rapidly transformed into a classical Ottoman-Turkish city.
With its surviving wooden houses, mosques, madrasahs, and fountains, Fatih is a center where distinguished examples of the lifestyle and architecture of the period can still be observed, while also housing the heritage of major civilizations such as the Romans and Byzantines.
Located along Vatan Avenue (Adnan Menderes Boulevard)—a continuous and uninterrupted axis stretching from the geographical center of Fatih District to its northeastern end—the residential site was built in a block formation and completed in 1974. The complex, consisting of 12 blocks, includes green areas, gathering spaces, and limited recreational zones at its core.
With a history of 50 years, the transformation of this residential block is now on the agenda in line with earthquake preparedness scenarios. The urban design project, which considers both the entire site and three additional blocks to the north, covers an area of approximately 55,000 m² with a total of 32 blocks. The plan foresees that the existing housing units will be distributed to rightful owners on a one-to-one basis, and apartment typologies will also be determined according to ownership rights.
Özgür Street has been identified as the main axis running east to west through the project area. The block typologies differ on the north and south sides of this axis: on the south, along Vatan Avenue, the blocks maintain the scale and dimensions consistent with the pre-renovation layout and the general scale of the avenue; while on the north side of Özgür Street, the block sizes are reduced to align with the neighborhood scale.
The entire residential block and its surroundings have been designed to increase the density of green and recreational areas. Secondary streets and fine-grained access routes have been planned in accordance with emergency access requirements.
