Hacetdere, a seasonal creek in the town of Tuzla, and its surroundings have experienced a rapid landscape change last ten years due to illegal housing developments.  Nowadays, these developments are subject to the urban transformation towards large apartment blocks.  Subsequently, the changes in the water table, vegetation cover, pollution from uncontrolled wastewater disposal are major problems affecting the ecological viability of Hacetdere. Despite its problems, the site occasionally neighbors with a mature pine forest, which proposes a wonderful aesthetic and ecologic potential. This project employs buffer concepts to mitigate the effects of imminent urban developments on the site.  The goal is to restore the ecological qualities of the riparian corridor while allowing some nature-friendly recreational activities for people.  Maintaining permeability and using native species are the backbone of the design as well as safely facilitating the flow of water and people.

Our design provides alternative flood control and stormwater management model for the entire river valley. The activity matrix overlaps with the natural matrix on the site hence explaining how urban and natural processes can simultaneously take place and how humans co-exist in this urban riparian corridor.