Interface between urban and rural: Determination of use status for göktürk forest nursery

Istanbul, Turkey's economic capital is in rapid change and development due to the increased population growth and spread. At this rapid change, the fringes become an important opportunity to establish the relationship between rural and urban and to meet the needs of people in terms of recreational requirements. The reserve areas, which are at the urban boundaries, such as 2-B lands1, forest nurseries, open mining areas and post-industrial sites have significant potential for re-use after losing their functions. Göktürk Forest Nursery was founded to meet the needs for production of forest trees and ornamental plants in 1969. Today it is in a transitional phase of urban development, changing into a place of interaction of both urban forms and rural landscape. Göktürk Forest Nursery should be appraised by using sustainable landscape planning and design processes to consider its physical, ecological, social and economic potential. This study examines the new use proposals for Göktürk Forestry Nursery at three scales; macro-scale analysis considering the 1/100.000 scale Istanbul Environmental Master Plan, medium-scale relation analysis considering Göktürk scale; and micro-scale analysis with Questionnaire method and a matrix of comparison between different urban green type scenarios for its future development.