Examining Urban Design Characteristics of City Centers Using Walkability Criteria: Case of Turkey
Publication: Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 147, Issue 2
Abstract
This study aims to explore the success in the urban design endeavors of Turkish cities throughout the years, which is mostly distinguished by a variety of city plans. The criteria for walkability will be the focal point in the exploration of urban design success levels. A hybrid [fuzzy logic + space syntax analysis + geographic information system (GIS)] method, which is not commonly used in current research, will be used as the method for this study. Five cities will be selected as samples and an expert group of 49 people formed. The analysis will be according to the determined criteria and various results were obtained. The results show that Turkish cities' success levels in walkability is very low. Therefore, these results show that Turkey should question its spatial planning decisions. The design of cities is shaped according to the needs of motor vehicles and priority for pedestrians is seldom considered. This shows that negative conditions persist in Turkish cities for urban design standards. This study could be applied to different cities with its methodology and content. Therefore, it could contribute to the improvement in the urban design level of cities and help to ensure that walkability becomes the priority in these designs.
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Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 147 • Issue 2 • June 2021
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© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Feb 8, 2020
Accepted: Oct 20, 2020
Published online: Jan 20, 2021
Published in print: Jun 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Jun 20, 2021
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