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Today, there is a growing tendency towards tourism based economical activities. However, the impact of tourism particularly in the less developed countries can be very destructive in terms of the environment that is also an attraction point for tourists. It is widely acknowledged that tourists prefer to experience the natural environment, the social and cultural life, the historical heritage of the region they are visiting. Hence it is obligatory to answer these needs in a responsive tourism development process. When sustainable tourism is mentioned it includes conservation of natural and architectural environment, as well as the cultural identity while providing economical benefits. In this respect, sustainability of these particular natural, cultural and architectural environments is a crucial issue. The integration of tourism with the local environment and local community is another important factor in successful planning. In light of this discourse, the ongoing tourism developments in Bafra region in the north of Cyprus are standing at a very challenging position for decision makers in terms of balancing the impacts of tourism on these resources. Bafra's coastline is recently becoming a new center for mass tourism by its increasing number of hotels, holiday villages, recreation areas, etc. This study proposes sustainable tourism planning for a unique traditional rural settlement-Bafra Village- which is located in close vicinity of this heart of tourism. The continuity by conversion of existing traditional housing stock of Bafra village for tourism purposes is critically discussed in order to minimize the potential threats of increasing tourism demands.

The international conference on Architectural Education, was held at the Faculty of Architecture, Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) in Famagusta, North Cyprus, on April 3-4, 2014. This conference has been organized in collaboration with the European Association for Architectural Education (EAAE), under the title of “Unspoken Issues in Architectural Education (UIAE)”.

Vernacular and modern architecture have mostly been seen as antitheses, impossible to reconcile, especially in Africa. They appear to belong to different ages, utilize different materials and methods, and encourage or support different lifestyles. This paper aims at seeking points where a merging of principles may be attempted between the two positions.

The study is based on a survey on the traditional architecture of the Yoruba people of West Africa. The decline in popular use of this building tradition and its rejection by design practitioners raises some physical and psychological issues which are examined in this paper. These include: spatial layout, use and quality, ecology and economy, concepts, meaning and perception. The fate of Yoruba traditional built culture depends on a conscious attempt to reconcile it with people's contemporary needs, lifestyles and world views.

Therefore, a brief introduction on the importance of Yoruba architecture and its preservation will be followed by a general definition of its features and characteristics, advantages and disadvantages. Finally, the problems posed by the architecture's modern trends in Yoruba land will be examined. It is hoped that such works may assist in the development of a truly responsive and sustainable architecture for the Yoruba people. The proposed solutions may be applied in other parts of Africa, or in regions with similar cultural or geographical concerns.

Rapid changes due to the globalization process, cause in disappearance of traditional values and identity in the new architectural designs, particularly in the historical settlements. Presence of courtyard in the houses of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean countries dates back to nearly six thousand years ago. Privacy is one of the fundamental notions in the spatial organization of the traditional houses in this region and courtyard is the main component that assists achieving privacy in such houses. Kashan as one of the ancient cities of Iran possessing a considerable number of distinctive traditional courtyard houses, is crucial to be interrogated in terms of its traditional architecture to maintain its values and to sustain identity of the city. Space syntax as an effective method to clarify the spatial pattern of buildings and the degree of privacy in the interior spaces is applied in this study to identify privacy concerns on the formation of courtyards in the spatial organization of the traditional houses of Kashan. This paper may contribute in providing an approach for distribution of spaces in the house according to their level of privacy and its relationship in the process of current house layout design

When looking at recent debates on sustainability one can observe that implicit within these debates is a criticism against the values, attitudes, and tools by which most of the built environment has been produced over the years, that has led to social alienation and environmental depletion. Several definitions of sustainability correspond with this criticism, where some definitions focus on environmental criteria while others integrate socio-cultural aspects into environmental concerns. The main idea behind the notion of sustainability is to create an effective system of resource distribution and utilization with a long term perspective in mind (ECE, 1996). A sustainable society in this respect is one that can persist over generations, one that is far sighted enough, flexible enough, and wise enough not to undermine either its physical or its social systems of support.

This study explores the characteristics of a particular vernacular architecture, which is known as terraced housing. Terraced housing can be found in many different mountainous parts of the world such as the mountainous regions of Bahrain, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Greece, Italy and Japan, which have different environmental and cultural characteristics, and which were built in response to human needs according to the particular topographical conditions. Amongst the examples mentioned, Iranian terraced housing remains distinctive with its local richness and variation, constructed and designed according to the topography of the region. Accordingly the general overview of Iranian vernacular architecture and form is examined by focusing on the environmental factors of two specific Iranian villages.

The identification of these villages is evaluated according to the topography, climate, urban pattern and spatial organization of Iranian terraced settlements. As a consequence, the analysis of case studies and data processing will enable decision makers, planners, architects and designers to become more aware of the existing architectural building tradition. The contemporary housing design problems can be solved by employing an appropriate method of design and building construction with reference to the present vernacular housing stock.