The Innovative Housing Models for Green Architecture: Come-Back of the Garden-Cities First Known as Bank-Houses in Istanbul

Abstract

This research focuses on garden-cities in Istanbul, first developed as a new, innovative housing models in the world, later planned in context of sustainability, green architecture, and recently with the pandemic, COVID-19.  In the beginning of the twentieth century, E. Howard’s book of  Garden-cities of To-morrow and his idealized garden-city models became a worldwide phenomenon. First with the climate change concerns, and later the recent pandemic COVID-19 people began to question the old planning theories and doctrines and the city and metropolitan life model which was imposed throughout the twentieth century. Nowadays, with the increasing awareness of sustainability and green architecture, also planning with the renewed interest, this old rhetoric, E. Howard’s garden-city models have recently made a come-back as a research object after the recent pandemic. The original English garden-city models and its derivatives in Europe were known as cité-jardins, in France, and Garten-stadts, in Germany, also known as bank-houses in Istanbul, Türkiye. These housing models were transferred to Istanbul via European, French, and Italian architects later were designed and developed uniquely for Istanbul. Characteristically various models of French cité-jardins (garden-cities) developed for Istanbul by Henri Prost a French architect-urbanist who was affiliated the French urbanism school were searched. Until 2000s, the garden city housing models and its derivatives in the post-Prost period known and developed as bank-houses as a version of his cité-jardins later implemented by Turkish architects on the Asian-Anatolian side; Kadıköy, Acıbadem, Koşuyolu and European Side; Levent, Yeşilköy, districts were revealed. After the 2000s, some new and innovative housing models appealing the old, English style countryside living originated from garden-cities were planned out of the city. In the 2020s,  with the recent pandemic the old, Welwyn garden-city concept come-back first in England, later influenced the world and Istanbul.  As original garden-city, this model first known as bank-houses emerged and evolved as healthy houses concept planned in green areas with the pandemic specifically for Istanbul were examined.