Protection Boundary Development in Historical–Cultural Built Environments Using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Geographic Information System (GIS)
Contemporary urban environments continuously transform and evolve due to rapid urbanisation and development pressures, putting historical and cultural heritage sites at risk. To cope with this, it is essential to frequently re-evaluate and redefine protective boundaries and strategies for developing...
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Urban Science |
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| author | Can Kara Aminreza Iranmanesh |
| author_facet | Can Kara Aminreza Iranmanesh |
| author_sort | Can Kara |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Contemporary urban environments continuously transform and evolve due to rapid urbanisation and development pressures, putting historical and cultural heritage sites at risk. To cope with this, it is essential to frequently re-evaluate and redefine protective boundaries and strategies for developing them to reflect current and emerging urban patterns. Defining protection boundaries is an inherently complex task consisting of intricate and interrelated spatial, social, and cultural networks and elements. What is more, the data layers used to represent different dimensions of cities are diverse and generated by various sources. In order to make any decision capable of addressing this multifaceted problem, it is essential to employ a thorough decision-making framework capable of accounting for multiple criteria. In this study, a combination of the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) integrated with Geographic Information System (GIS) offers a structured approach to managing the complexities of setting these protective zones. Despite their extensive use in diverse site selection contexts, applying AHP and GIS to determine urban protection boundaries remains underexplored. The method was explored and tested in a case study in North Cyprus. The proposed method systematically includes economic, architectural, environmental, social, and legal data layers, aiming to generate a more comprehensive model for developing protection boundaries tied to multidimensional and contextual complexities, as well as considering rapid urbanisation patterns. The study contributes to the ongoing discourse on heritage preservation and sustainable urban development by providing an evidence-based analytical method for managing the evolving challenges of urban heritage protection. The results indicate that experts see social and environmental factors as the most significant, emphasising the significance of community engagement and ecological considerations in heritage conservation. Additionally, the study highlighted regulatory gaps, particularly in maintaining architectural compatibility within the historical context. These findings underscore the importance of integrating stakeholder perspectives and adjusting local regulations to enhance the resilience and effectiveness of heritage protection strategies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-eb20daf8c8ec4214b002fa25b4653f7e |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2413-8851 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Urban Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-eb20daf8c8ec4214b002fa25b4653f7e2025-08-20T01:56:42ZengMDPI AGUrban Science2413-88512025-05-019517310.3390/urbansci9050173Protection Boundary Development in Historical–Cultural Built Environments Using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Geographic Information System (GIS)Can Kara0Aminreza Iranmanesh1Faculty of Architecture, Near East University, Via Mersin 10, Nicosia 99138, North Cyprus, TurkeyFaculty of Architecture and Fine Arts, Final International University, Via Mersin 10, Girne 99370, North Cyprus, TurkeyContemporary urban environments continuously transform and evolve due to rapid urbanisation and development pressures, putting historical and cultural heritage sites at risk. To cope with this, it is essential to frequently re-evaluate and redefine protective boundaries and strategies for developing them to reflect current and emerging urban patterns. Defining protection boundaries is an inherently complex task consisting of intricate and interrelated spatial, social, and cultural networks and elements. What is more, the data layers used to represent different dimensions of cities are diverse and generated by various sources. In order to make any decision capable of addressing this multifaceted problem, it is essential to employ a thorough decision-making framework capable of accounting for multiple criteria. In this study, a combination of the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) integrated with Geographic Information System (GIS) offers a structured approach to managing the complexities of setting these protective zones. Despite their extensive use in diverse site selection contexts, applying AHP and GIS to determine urban protection boundaries remains underexplored. The method was explored and tested in a case study in North Cyprus. The proposed method systematically includes economic, architectural, environmental, social, and legal data layers, aiming to generate a more comprehensive model for developing protection boundaries tied to multidimensional and contextual complexities, as well as considering rapid urbanisation patterns. The study contributes to the ongoing discourse on heritage preservation and sustainable urban development by providing an evidence-based analytical method for managing the evolving challenges of urban heritage protection. The results indicate that experts see social and environmental factors as the most significant, emphasising the significance of community engagement and ecological considerations in heritage conservation. Additionally, the study highlighted regulatory gaps, particularly in maintaining architectural compatibility within the historical context. These findings underscore the importance of integrating stakeholder perspectives and adjusting local regulations to enhance the resilience and effectiveness of heritage protection strategies.https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/9/5/173heritage conservationprotection boundariesanalytical hierarchy processAHPgeographic information system (GIS)urban heritage |
| spellingShingle | Can Kara Aminreza Iranmanesh Protection Boundary Development in Historical–Cultural Built Environments Using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Geographic Information System (GIS) Urban Science heritage conservation protection boundaries analytical hierarchy process AHP geographic information system (GIS) urban heritage |
| title | Protection Boundary Development in Historical–Cultural Built Environments Using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Geographic Information System (GIS) |
| title_full | Protection Boundary Development in Historical–Cultural Built Environments Using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Geographic Information System (GIS) |
| title_fullStr | Protection Boundary Development in Historical–Cultural Built Environments Using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Geographic Information System (GIS) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Protection Boundary Development in Historical–Cultural Built Environments Using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Geographic Information System (GIS) |
| title_short | Protection Boundary Development in Historical–Cultural Built Environments Using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Geographic Information System (GIS) |
| title_sort | protection boundary development in historical cultural built environments using analytical hierarchy process ahp and geographic information system gis |
| topic | heritage conservation protection boundaries analytical hierarchy process AHP geographic information system (GIS) urban heritage |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/9/5/173 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT cankara protectionboundarydevelopmentinhistoricalculturalbuiltenvironmentsusinganalyticalhierarchyprocessahpandgeographicinformationsystemgis AT aminrezairanmanesh protectionboundarydevelopmentinhistoricalculturalbuiltenvironmentsusinganalyticalhierarchyprocessahpandgeographicinformationsystemgis |