A longitudinal study on the transformation of farm areas in Çukurova, Turkey

Abstract

Recently, agricultural production methods have changed drastically in the Çukurova region. Due to the decrease in the need for workforce and the change in agricultural product types in Turkey, there has been a significant transformation in the definition of farming and the use of farm spaces. The main subject of this pilot study is the morphological formation and transformation of the spatial components of farms and the reflections on human behaviour through space syntax. Therefore, six farm areas built since the 1850s in Çukurova were selected. Study aims to find traces of technology and human behaviour in farm spaces, revealing the boundaries between the common and private areas. Two different datasets were obtained to test the validity of the hypothesis. First consists of behavioural data obtained through observations. The second consists of survey diagrams, photogrammetric drone mappings, and aerial photographs from the Civil Aviation Command since 1944 to reveal the changes throughout history. This research shows that use of farms has varied over time in terms of technological changes and living conditions. Recently, the distinction between private and production spaces in the farm layouts has begun to change. These recent morphological changes may be relevant when describing contemporary farm sites. Thus, study is aimed to reveal the spatial adaptation process of the farm areas in Çukurova in this article. Therefore, contemporary agriculture and syntactic studies show how the adaptation of farms has progressed over time. This study also aims to predict spatial planning in sustainability, especially in contemporary/modern agricultural environments.