Exploring the Effects of Flexibility in Mass Housing on Urban Design

Abstract

This study aims to explore how the ideas of flexibility in mass housing are reflected at the
urban design scale rather than being limited to the interior organization of dwelling units.
Focusing on selected early and later mass housing settlements in Batıkent, Ankara, the research
examines how different interpretations of flexibility shape the relationship between mass
housing and urban spaces. This study is structured around three analytical steps: (1)
establishing a conceptual framework that approaches flexibility as a socio-spatial notion linked
to urban design; (2) introducing Batıkent as a case study through its development process and
spatial organization, with particular attention to flexibility ideas; and (3) interpreting how
varying flexibility approaches correspond to changing housing ideals and urban life scenarios.
By comparing representative settlements from different periods, this study has shown that
urban-scale reading of flexibility in mass housing played a role in shaping collective living
environments rather than solely adaptable dwelling units.