Abstract: In the context of this paper, the ways of use of wooden building material in traditional and contemporary Turkish architecture is compared. This comparative analysis is made in terms of ecological, economic and socio-cultural sustainability. The concept of sustainability is envisioned as closely bounded up with the ways of achieving sustainable urban development of the country. In this context, on one hand, the physical and spatial features of traditional wooden buildings - both monumental buildings and examples of civil architecture - are evaluated in terms of sustainability indicators. On the other hand, concerning the same indicators, another evaluation is made for the contemporary examples of wooden architecture. The traditional examples for the comparison are chosen from valuable heritage sites in Turkey, whereas the contemporary ones are chosen from big cities where it is possible to use modern building techniques. The comparative analysis of these two types of buildings, made up of the same building material but having different structural systems and building techniques, enables us to set out the principles of sustainable architecture from past to present and also from tradition to contemporary. It is thought that, the results of this comparative study could light the way for achieving sustainable urban development of settlements with different urban or rural scales in especially developing countries, like Turkey.