Urban Transformation: A Comparative Analysis of Building and Population Densities in Urban Housing Settlements with Diverse Textures in Terms of Sustainability—The Case of Bursa Osmangazi

The aim of this study is to evaluate the urban transformation processes in the context of urban sustainability by analyzing the population and building density trends of four different housing settlement textures that have developed in Bursa Osmangazi since the 1960s, when the industrialization process began in Turkey. The methods include a detailed analysis of population changes and building and population densities. The results show that, in the areas developed between 1960 and 2004, population growth has either stopped or declined, and there are irregularities in building and population densities. This situation indicates the problems arising from planning and infrastructure deficiencies in urbanization processes. The earthquake risk in housing areas from this period especially increases the urgency of renewal and transformation processes. This study emphasizes the necessity of urban-scale solutions to manage the urgency of renewal in earthquake-prone regions. It highlights the need to handle pre-2004 areas together in the urban transformation process to balance densities. In this context, the importance of density transfer, the protection of property rights, and the effective management of transformation processes are underlined for urban sustainability.