The Importance of Typological Analysis for Cultural Continuity: The Case of İzmit Central Traditional Residences

Izmit, settled at the end of Izmit Gulf and center of Kocaeli, is located in the intersection of road,seaway and railway which connects Anatolia to Istanbul. Because of these geographical features, Izmit was an important settlement area for different civilizations throughout the history. Today in Izmit, in the areas which are protected as “Urban sites” with the traditional house pattern, marks of the civilizations can be traced. Due to the rapid change in the city, a few monuments have been protected or have been confirmed and most of them have disappeared or about to disappear. Moreover, It is quite remarkable that the studies which documents and inspects the historical Izmit Traditional houses from an architectural point of view are not enough and there is no typological study about these houses. With these reasons, main idea of this study is to understand and transfer Izmit's Traditional Houses which have an important place in Turkish House to future. In this study; forty traditional houses in Izmit Center have been examined with typological analysis method. Therefore, the most characteristic houses which were chosen from the forty houses having Izmit Traditional House Features have been identified and the most common architectural features have been determined. With this study in which Traditional houses taking place in Izmit and constituting an important place among Turkish Houses have been examined in terms of typology; both typology idea and typological studies in architecture have been questioned theorically and also Izmit Traditional House Characteristics have been presented. Gathered typologies will not only help to transfer Izmit Houses to future but also will be guide to the new designs which will be made to transfer the past culture to the future.