ABSTRACT
In this article the thoughts of Turgut Cansever on urbanism and planning are studied together with three principles. Although Cansever’s projects could satisfactorily read from an architectural perspective, the concepts of urbanism and planning are the crucial components of his thought. Considering this issue, it may be mentioned that the intellectual journey of Cansever regarding urbanism and planning can be divided into three significant principles. The first principle related to this issue is “the principle of conservation”. Cansever takes into consideration the concept of conservation in philosophical terms regarding the conservation of moving culture, which results from the relation between nomadism and sedentarism, and in spatial terms regarding the historical architectural heritage of Islamic countries. The second principle is “the principle of neighborhood”. By organizing three significant components such as unity in time, close proximity and interrelation between neighbors, the principle of neighborhood is formed by two small but meaningful elements, specifically, the house and street, and local formations can be taken into consideration as the result of the principle of neighborhood. The last principle is “the principle of economic activity”. Signifying the importance of economic activity by citing the relation between planning and economic life, Cansever points out that the planning of economic activity in a city is indispensable on account of allowing for the formation of different economic centers.