Density

Density, yoğunluk in Turkish planning, describes how many people or how much building a given area carries. Population density is usually expressed as people per unit of land, while building density is expressed through floor-area-based values such as the floor area ratio. In Turkish zoning plans, the density set for each zone is the basis for working out how many roads, schools, parks and how much infrastructure it needs.

Density as a plan decision

The master development plan sets density tiers for each zone; the implementation plan translates them into plot-level values such as TAKS, floor area ratio and height. Raising density also means providing more public facilities. So a change in density, even when it looks like a single plot’s gain, is a planning decision that affects the whole neighbourhood. The values are set separately in each area’s plan.

Perceived density

The same density figure can produce very different places. A layout of tall blocks with wide open spaces between them and a low but tightly packed neighbourhood can share similar numbers on paper. Whether people find a place crowded or spacious depends on building spacing, street width, green space and lively ground floors. Massing models and eye-level images make that difference visible in a way the numbers cannot.