Assessment of resilience in rural areas: The case of Bağlıköy, Cyprus

Authors

  • Mümüne Selen Abbasoğlu image/svg+xml European University of Lefke

    M. Selen Abbasoğlu completed her undergraduate studies in the Department of Architecture at Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) in 2001. She received her master’s degree in 2003 and her PhD in 2016 from the same university. Since 2011, she has been serving as a faculty member at the European University of Lefke. Her research interests encompass interior architecture and architectural education, design methods, visual perception, subjective well-being, vernacular housing, rural and urban resilience, public spaces, shape grammar, semiotics, cultural identity, children’s spaces, and interior design. She actively contributes to interior architecture design studios at her university. Dr. Abbasoğlu has participated in numerous international conferences on topics such as urban quality of life, space syntax, sustainability, resilience, and both architectural and interior architectural education. She has also focused on the theoretical foundations of architectural and interior architectural education, as well as urban and rural resilience, urban conservation, and urban planning. She has contributed articles to national and international publications on these subjects.

  • Fatma Bıldır image/svg+xml European University of Lefke

    Fatma Bıldır graduated from the Faculty of Architecture and Design at the European University of Lefke and completed her Master's degree there in 2024. Since 2020, she has been actively involved in both the design and implementation phases of conservation and restoration projects related to cultural heritage. Throughout her career, she has undertaken restoration and preservation work on architectural heritage elements from various historical periods. Her interests lie in the conservation of cultural and environmental heritage, with a focus on ensuring their preservation for future generations and enhancing their accessibility through digitalization. She continuously works to expand her expertise in these areas. In addition, she has participated in both national and international conferences, addressing topics such as urban and rural resilience, urban conservation, and urban planning.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47818/DRArch.2025.v6i1157

Keywords:

rural resilience, rural area, swot analysis, reslience, Bağlıköy

Abstract

Recent developments have significantly impacted both urban and rural areas, leading to increased migration from rural to urban regions and considerable challenges in rural areas. Rural activities have decreased due to the reduction in population and the labour force, affecting economic, environmental, social, and demographic structures. These natural and artificial changes constitute potential threats to rural resilience. Consequently, rural resilience analysis has become essential to ensuring the sustainability and well-being of rural communities in the face of economic, environmental, and social challenges. Rural resilience is defined as the ability to adjust, transform and cope with change in response to ever-changing regional dynamics. There are four key components of rural resilience: economic resilience, social resilience, environmental resilience, and cultural resilience. Robust infrastructure, including transportation, communication, and healthcare systems, maintains connectivity and access to essential services during adverse events. The research focuses on the cultural, economic, environmental, and social factors influencing the resilience of rural area. Besides, this study hypothesizes that the resilience of rural areas is significantly influenced by vulnerabilities resulting from regional transformations, and both natural and artificial impacts. Bağlıköy village was selected as the case study area to examine this hypothesis. A SWOT analysis of Bağlıköy’s rural resilience helps identify internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as external opportunities and threats that influence its ability to withstand and recover from challenges. The assessment of the vulnerability of rural areas to natural and artificial effects experienced with regional transformations linked to resilience factors. In conclusion, the study evaluates the rural area's resilience and provides recommendations to enhance its sustainability and adaptive capacity.

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Published

2025-04-30

How to Cite

Abbasoğlu, M. S., & Bıldır, F. (2025). Assessment of resilience in rural areas: The case of Bağlıköy, Cyprus . Journal of Design for Resilience in Architecture and Planning, 6(1), 57–70. https://doi.org/10.47818/DRArch.2025.v6i1157

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 1 (2025)

Section

Research Articles

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Copyright (c) 2025 Mümüne Selen Abbasoğlu, Fatma Bıldır

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