Historical Landscape Transformation and Connectivity Loss by the Bosphorus: Morphological Spatial Analysis of Ortaköy’s Century-Long Change

Urban expansion drives habitat fragmentation globally, while cities are conceived both as the problem and the solution. Growing recognition of land-use change points to the importance of holistic planning approaches, yet fine-scale analyses of historical landscape transformation remain limited. This study combines quantitative fragmentation analysis with historical context, questioning how historical data can inform planning processes and provide insights into diverse ecological, cultural, and socio-economic dynamics. It quantifies landscape connectivity changes in Ortaköy, Istanbul, from 1927 to 2024 using morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) combined with fragmentation and connectivity indices. Historical land-use patterns were reconstructed from Jacques Pervititch’s detailed insurance maps (1927) and compared with contemporary OpenStreetMap data (2024). Results reveal dramatic landscape transformation: Green areas declined from 65.4% to 28.2%, with complete elimination of agricultural lands that once comprised one-third of the study area. Morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) demonstrated severe habitat fragmentation, with large core areas declining by 34.7% and connectivity elements decreasing by 71.9–82.0%. Multiscale analysis showed increased fragmentation across all observation scales, with average connectivity declining from 55.5% to 19.9%. Water features transformed from natural streams and traditional cisterns to recreational pools, representing ecological and cultural landscape loss. Large institutional green spaces persist as regional connectivity hubs, while smaller residential gardens disappeared through gentrification. This century-long transformation from diverse agricultural-residential landscape to homogenized urban environment demonstrates how incremental development decisions cumulatively fragment urban ecosystems. The study validates MSPA methodology for historical landscape analysis and provides baselines for urban planning recognizing historical biocultural diversity as foundations for sustainable urban ecology.

Cite this article as: Kırca, S.F. (2026). Historical landscape transformation and connectivity loss by the Bosphorus: morphological spatial analysis of Ortaköy’s century-long change. Forestist, 76, 0119, doi: 10.5152/forestis.2026.25119.