Convivial urban spaces: The case of Sakarya Street, Ankara

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Tezin Türü: Yüksek Lisans

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Mimarlık Fakültesi, Şehir ve Bölge Planlama Bölümü, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2015

Tezin Dili: İngilizce

Öğrenci: ZEYNEP MURAT ÇOLPA

Danışman: Emine Yetişkul Şenbil

Özet:

This study focuses on the necessity of socio-spatial experiences of people which are gained from the streets as a public space that are subject to urban design approaches. Besides analysis of geographical, physical and administrative dimensions of the place, which are related to design and planning processes, it reveals the necessity of including the psychological effects of the place on people via their senses, in other words, the information gathered through experiences to design process. By this way, it tries to explain the content of the relationship between daily experiences of people and spatial formation of a street, and public life and public place. Thus, the study focuses on Convivial Urban Design approach which brings together the emotions and psychology of people along with these kind of urban designs. In this context, the author investigates Sakarya Street which is located in the center of Kızılay, Ankara. Kızılay has gained importance as a new bureaucratic and politic center after proclamation of the republic, however, the period after 1980, covers the course which is determinant for consumer policy. It became a center for cars rather than pedestrians with car oriented planning approaches physically, which was used by civilians actively for spending time. The Sakarya Street, which has an important position within the city center, has conserved its importance as being one of limited pedestrian streets that appealing to people of various portions of city, age and gender from past to present. This importance is analyzed in terms of conviviality under five vi different criteria via a questionnaire and the results of this study is examined in detail. The results give recommendations about conviviality of a place, which can be adopted during design process. The results of this thesis reveals the indicators that can be used as inputs for design of a living and lively urban space and explains why Sakarya Street still has some characteristics that causes an intensive use. Criteria and findings discovered with this study show that there is more than conventional urban design approaches in space design.