Neighborhood from Cul-De- Sac to Gated Community in Turkish Urban Culture: The “Fina”

Abstract

In this study, the closed neighborhood was discussed in gatedcommunities and in cul-de-sacs by focusing on public and privateconcepts, rights and regulations in Turkish urban culture. The studyaims to enlighten old concepts such as “close neighborhood,” “gatedcommunity,” and “cul-de-sac” with a new approach in order tounderstand whether planned and modern gated communities containthe same aspects of traditional Turkish cul-de-sacs – part of the “fina”concept. According to tradition and culture, the concept of fina is a kindof usage of public space as if it were private. In the modern age, gatedcommunities have created new life styles, spaces and boundaries withtheir advantages and disadvantages all over the world. The gatedcommunity may be called an “architecture of fear,” namely fear of theneighbors, fear of theft, fear of the one living outside the gates. On theother hand, cul-de-sacs are derived from friendships and family relations– namely, being friends with relatives, neighbors and nature. Gatedcommunities and cul-de-sacs are both created by making public space –belonging to all citizens – into private/semi-private space belonging toonly a special community. A comparative method is used between gatedcommunities and cul-de-sacs in order to understand whether thelegalization of using public space in private ways creates benefits to society as a whole or not. The result expected from this study is not onlyto determine the similarities and differences pertaining to cul-de-sacsand gated communities but also to reveal the positive values generatedor existing in these two living areas and provide feedback with thepotential of reflecting each other.