In the heart of Çanakkale, a city steeped in history and scarred by time, a group of young landscape architects are breathing new life into a forgotten corner of the urban landscape. Led by Elif Sağlık, a lecturer at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University’s Faculty of Architecture and Design, these students are tackingling the challenge of urban lost spaces, areas that have fallen out of use and disconnected from the city’s living fabric.
The project focuses on the Çanakkale Old Central Hospital, a site that has fallen into disrepair due to a combination of war, natural disasters, fire, disinvestment, and neglect. “This site is a perfect example of a historical lost space,” Sağlık explains. “It’s disconnected from the city, it’s not contributing positively to the urban environment, and it’s open to redesign.”
The students, all in their third year of the Landscape Architecture program, are working to reincorporate the area into the urban memory and agenda. They’re considering the site’s ecological, economic, and social dimensions, selecting plant species and structural materials that are suitable for the historical texture of the city. They’re designing different spatial arrangements and presenting design proposals that are supported by sustainable design approaches.
The project is not just about revitalizing a single site; it’s about developing a model for how to approach historical lost spaces in cities around the world. “We believe that this study can play a pioneering role in the evaluation of lost historical places,” Sağlık says. “It can support them with sustainable landscape design studies and contribute in terms of academic and practical benefits.”
The research, published in the Iconarp International Journal of Architecture and Planning (translated from Turkish as ‘Iconarp International Journal of Architecture and Planning’), has significant implications for the energy sector as well. By revitalizing urban lost spaces, cities can reduce their energy consumption, improve their resilience, and create more sustainable and livable environments.
The project is still in its early stages, but the potential is clear. If successful, it could serve as a model for other cities looking to revitalize their own lost spaces and create more sustainable, resilient, and livable environments. It could also pave the way for new collaborations between the architecture, design, and energy sectors, leading to innovative solutions that benefit both the urban environment and the bottom line.
As Sağlık puts it, “This is not just about designing a park or a plaza. It’s about reimagining the city, reimagining the urban environment, and creating a more sustainable future for all of us.”