72 open house international Vol 31, No.2, June 2006 Describing Housing Morphology in the City of Trabzon 1. INTRODUCTION: SPACE AS A SOCIAL, CULTURAL AND CONFIGURATIONAL ARTEFACT In architecture, space has become a central research theme and a core of some architectural theories in the last century. In addition to its function as a physical shelter for the various activities of peo- ple and societies, space is also a meaningful and informative formation expressive of the culture and life-style of different societies and of the transfor- mations that the social structure has experienced. It can be proposed here that distinctive characteristics of societies exist within spatial systems, and their knowledge is conveyed through space itself, and through the organization of spaces. According to Rapaport, without trying to define culture one can say that it is about a group of peo- ple who share a set of values, beliefs, a worldview and symbol system that are learned and transmit- ted. These create a system of rules and habits which reflect ideals and create a life-style, guiding behav- iour, roles and manners as well as built forms. What distinguishes one environment from another is the nature of the rules embodied or encoded in it. These rules must themselves be identified with the formation and organization of spaces in the whole. As Rapaport pointed out, if design is accepted as the organization of space, time, meaning and com- munication, then we are more concerned with the relationship among the elements and underlying rules than with the elements themselves (Rapaport, 1977). In reality, whether it is at the settlement or at the building scale, the man-made environment is formed by similar elements, like the house, the street, the cul-de-sac, or the room, the hall, the courtyard; but differs from one culture to another by how these elements are organized, and their mean- ings. According to Hillier, space is a more inherently difficult topic than physical form for two reasons: first, space is a vacancy rather than a thing so even its bodily nature is not obvious, and cannot be taken for granted in the way that we think we can take objects for granted. Secondly, related spaces cannot be seen all at once but require movement from one to another to experience the whole (Hillier, 1996). To understand and experience the man-made environments, the spatial elements and their relational or configurational properties must be clarified. Morphological studies try to clarify these config- urational properties and their meanings by mathe- matical and graphical analysis, rather than intuitive DESCRIBING HOUSING MORPHOLOGY IN THE CITY OF TRABZON Pelin Dursun & Gülsün Saðlamer Abstract In morphological studies analysis, rather than intuitive explanations, of differences pertaining to the man-made envi- ronment requires an understanding of the relational or configurational structure of that specific spatial system. Space Syntax is a set of techniques for describing and analyzing those relational or configurational properties of man made environments. Space Syntax tries to clarify these properties and their meanings by mathematical and graphical analy- sis to interpret them on a scientific basis. Originally conceived by Prof. B. Hillier and his colloquies in the 1980's as a tool to help architects simulate the likely affects of their designs, it has since grown to become a tool used in a variety of research areas and design applications. This study attempts to formulate the various spatial patterns that have been formed through the history of Trabzon, by means of Space Syntax techniques in a concrete way. It is suggested that the analysis techniques of Space Syntax, supported by a wide range of knowledge, have contributed greatly in the formu- lation of spatial models in concrete form, further intuition, and can be accepted as a useful tool for defining similarities and differences between different home environments. Keywords: Space, Morphology, Space Syntax, Trabzon.