Pedestrian experiences in Bahçelievler 7th street: Setting the design criteria for the enhancement of urban public realm

---

Tezin Türü: Yüksek Lisans

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Şehir ve Bölge Planlama, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2004

Tezin Dili: İngilizce

Öğrenci: MERT AKİT

Danışman: Fatma Cânâ Bilsel

Özet:

This thesis aims to set out an urban design framework, based on pedestrian experiences and pedestrian spaces, in order to take up streets to design or enhance them as pedestrian friendly urban public places. This could also be considered as a model of approach, which assumes a normative manner. Pedestrian urban places are surveyed, then analyses are drawn that will lead to design. In that framework, the study first summarizes theoretical concepts of urbanity, urban quality and pedestrian experiences, which are necessary for examining these places. Then, it puts out how an urban place is examined with respect to the three main headings, which constitute the components of urban places: urban form, urban image and urban activity. The study area, 7th Street in Bahelievler, has become a secondary centre with its vitality and the diversity of activities attracting many people from other districts besides local residents. However, initially planned within a housing cooperative, the neighbourhood has lost much from its cultural and urban accumulation due to global dynamics based on consumption. What is more, 7th Street is quite inadequate in providing an easy circulation both for pedestrians and vehicles as well as providing a quality urban place with its every element. Hence, the street has been examined with the above framework. This is done first with respect to the above mentioned components, and then with the information based on maps, photographs, personal observations and questionnaires which are done in order to find out the problems and characteristics of the users as well as their perceptive qualities. The conclusions together with strengths and weaknesses, which are derived from these surveys, have been used to set specific design guidelines for the area.