CIP A 2003 XIX th International Symposium, 30 September - 04 October, 2003, Antalya, Turkey 
is only a small one, it will often suffice to adapt the existing 
buildings only. In other cases, the market situation gives greater 
leeway, making it possible to consider alternatives such as 
demolition and new building. This kind of development is often 
accompanied by an expansion of the overall building volume 
and an increased density of building. In its most extreme form, 
the urban structure may itself be modified, (figure 3) 
The general rule that changing function and status are followed 
by spatial changes does not apply to the historic inner city. The 
spatial characteristics of the centre are stable in character. This 
is largely related to the complexity of the spatial changes. 
Changes in other urban areas and extensions to the total city 
area are vastly simpler to carry out; investments in outer areas 
carry less risk and are therefore more attractive to developers. 
The high level of risk puts a brake on improvements to inner 
city locations. The relative market position of the historic centre 
is changes rapidly precisely because, from a spatial viewpoint, 
too much stays the same. 
The spatial stability of the city centre is not only a result of the 
complexity of change. The urban structure and the buildings 
within that structure were realized in an era when the building 
industry was organized into guilds. The patrons who ordered the 
construction of many of the buildings in the historic centre were 
church communities or wealthy burghers. The levels of 
craftsmanship achieved would be almost impossible to match 
today. These qualities have resulted in a unique spatial 
ensemble which imposes restraint on anyone planning to initiate 
spatial improvements. 
If a similar spatial inertia prevailed in another part of the city, its 
market position would deteriorate rapidly. It would run the risk 
of decay and impoverishment. Changes in the functional 
demands placed on the buildings and the urban environment in 
these areas have to be followed closely by spatial and technical 
adaptations. The historic centre forms an exception to this rule. 
The historic structures and buildings are a communal good 
which is not open to discussion. Both companies and 
individuals are keen to take advantage of the available spatial 
facilities. As Joel Kotkin points out, the companies concerned 
are mainly small-scale enterprises which are offshoots of the 
new economy. 
This trend is largely explained by the specific identity of the 
historic centre. ‘Identity’, according to Paul Meurs , (Meurs, 
269) is that quality that transforms an arbitrary location into a 
specific place. He cites the anonymous suburbs as exemplifying 
places where there is a total lack of identity. He is partly correct. 
However, those who grow up in suburbs, which others see as 
monotonous, do perceive a local identity. It is made up of 
personal experiences that have a direct relationship to the 
location - not so much objective spatial characteristics as 
individual experiences evoked by the place. 
The increasing mobility of the native European population and 
the increasing number of non-native Europeans has caused a 
dislocation between spatial identity and the individual 
experience. Yet there is a primary need for spatial landmarks 
within the experiential world. The city centre has an important 
function in this respect. It serves as an emblem for the modem 
city that has developed around it. The modem, dislocated 
European seeks terra firma in the historic inner city. The 
monotony of the urban expansion areas of the last century, 
particularly those dating from the period following the Second 
World War, engenders psychological disorientation. 
The historic city centre thus has an important communal 
function, (figure 4) The extent to which that function can be 
adequately fulfilled in the future depends strongly on how the 
renewals, which must inevitably take place, will be 
implemented. The worst mistake - one that can be fatal to the 
qualities of the historic centre - is to approach the inner city 
with the same strategy as other urban areas. That strategy 
implies treating the city centre as a place where all metropolitan 
activities must be concentrated. It will emerge that the urban 
structure and buildings of the centre are absolutely unsuited to 
those functions in spatial respects. If the chosen path is followed 
rigorously, the physical developments that take place will result 
in destruction of the inner city’s essential spatial characteristics. 
STRATEGIES FOR SPATIAL/FUNCTIONAL 
ADAPTION REGARDING QUALITY, IDENTITY 
AND HISTORY 
The historic city centre is a place with unique qualities. Because 
of that we have to be very careful. The old inner city area differs 
from other urban areas especially in terms of small scale, fine 
meshed structure and high differentiation. That differentiation 
shows itself in a differentiated façade illustrating that the urban 
tissue is build up of individual buildings. A strong mix of 
functions also expresses that differentiation. The residential 
function is often combined with different kinds of small-scale 
business functions. The buildings show a long historic 
background. The maintenance and improvement activities have 
led to a differentiation in technical and functional condition. 
The front door of each building is different. The façade picture 
shows that every floor in the building has a different hight. The 
windows of the lower floors are of different size then the 
windows of floors above. These are only a few examples of 
aspects on which the differentiation can be specified. Also 
examples, which make clear that there is a high level of 
differentiation in the historic city center, or so to speak, a high 
‘differentiation density’. 
The high differentiation density of the historic city centre is 
possible only in the small-scale atmosphere that prevails there. 
The differentiation density can be specified in terms of 
functions, users, ownership types, the spatial design of the 
buildings, the spatial structure of open space, population age 
structure etc. It is the supremacy of the historic centre with 
regard to differentiation density that gives the core its unique 
attractiveness. In this respect, it is also distinct from all other 
urban areas, (figure 5) 
The urban areas outside the historic city center are approached 
with strategies that can be specified in terms of maintenance, 
improvement, restructuring, revitalization etc. In the strategies 
brought into action to lead the historic center into the future 
other concepts will be dominant. Those concepts should be 
specified in terms of copy, conservation and restauration. In that 
it is advisable to make a difference in the adaption of urban 
structure and the adaption of the urban elements, like buildings. 
For the identity of the historic inner city the intricate urban 
structure is at least as important as the buildings, with a lot of 
monuments among them. In the strategies for adaption of urban 
areas the choice often is made for intensifying the use and 
building density, because of financial arguments. Besides that 
visions on the future urbanization are delivering arguments. 
Supporters of the compact city concept will strive for 
intensifying the use of the existing urban area. However if the 
preservation of historic values is politically essential for the 
society then the use of the historic center should be stabilized or 
even decreased. That will lead to the need for more financial 
support to do the necessary investments. In a period of 
economic recession that is a difficult message.