Thesis Type: Postgraduate
Institution Of The Thesis: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Faculty of Architecture, Department of City and Regional Planning, Turkey
Approval Date: 2016
Student: MERVE BAŞAK
Supervisor: BAHAR GEDİKLİ
Abstract:Participatory planning and design approaches were started to be discussed in the 1960s with the growth of community reactions against the top-down decision-making mechanisms, and social and environmental problems in cities that were triggered by the onset of industrialization in the 19th century. The citizens’ demand for participating in decision-making processes to shape the built environment in which they currently live or will live in the future directly/indirectly affected the role of urban designer as an actor who produces urban spaces. This alternative approach for producing urban space which gradually contributes to social and spatial development asserts a new equilibrium between the role of user and designer. The dimension of the notion of “design” and the operation of the process undergo a change in a design continuum which is fed by the users’ demands. Within the context of the thesis, the realization of participatory urban design process is evaluated. This thesis aims to elaborate how existing participatory urban design models were implemented in the design process of Düzce Hope Homes Project, and how project specific conditions impacted the realization of the design process. In this context, the participatory design methods which were used to acquire inputs from the user and the input transformation process are elaborated. As a result of the literature review, a participatory design framework is created; the realization of design process is analyzed and Düzce Hope Homes Project is evaluated within the established design framework. The study does not focus on the end product but rather than that, it analyzes the design process. The research concludes with inferences regarding existing participatory urban design models and methods, and their realization within the context of Düzce Hope Homes Project.