Contemporary practices and policies for the conservation and presentation of antique ruins in multi-layered cities: Insights from İzmir

Abstract

Historic urban landscapes often embody a multi-layered city structure, where successive phases of urbanization, transformation, and cultural accumulation coexist within the same physical and symbolic landscape. However, despite continuing conservation initiatives, persistent problems remain: a lack of accessibility in physical, visual, and intellectual terms limits public engagement with the city’s archaeological layers, while a lack of integration, both physical and societal, prevents these invisible periodic layers from being incorporated into contemporary urban planning and public narratives. In response to these challenges, the aim of this study is to analyze current policies and practices for conserving and presenting urban heritage embedded within complex historic fabrics, and its objective is to trace the chronological evolution of İzmir’s urban base to reveal how successive transformations have preserved, obscured, transformed or reinterpreted heritage layers. The research adopts a case study approach focusing on the Kadifekale city walls in İzmir. Its methodology integrates a literature review using historical maps, memoirs, and publications for understanding the case, comparative studies, and international documents regarding effective heritage conservation with fieldwork and evaluative analysis to elucidate on-site conditions and policy contexts. Ultimately, the study proposes an integrated, participatory, and sustainable framework for managing and presenting multi-layered urban heritage within historic cities.