Abstract
The interplay of water, space, and human behaviour plays a central role in shaping the morphological development of coastal cities. This study focuses on Istanbul’s Bosphorus to examine how historically layered environments respond to rapid urbanism. The research explores how coastal cities can strengthen morphological resilience through the concepts of urban palimpsest and urban juxtaposition. A systematic literature review of 144 peer-reviewed articles (2000–2025) was conducted to assess how theory and practice address spatial configuration, heritage continuity, and public behaviour in waterfront planning. The results reveal a critical gap between theoretical models and applied urban practices, particularly in addressing adaptive spatial structures, heritage integration, and participatory planning in water-bound cities. This study addresses a major gap in urban morphology literature by offering a comprehensive framework that links morphological resilience with interdisciplinary planning for both theoretical and practical perspectives. It introduces a novel synthesis of water–space dynamics, spatial morphology, and human interaction, grounded in the context of Istanbul’s coastal transformation. By conceptualizing the Bosphorus as both a living spatial archive and a planning challenge, the study provides a transferable model that advances scholarly understanding and supports salutogenic, resilient design in coastal urbanism.