Browsing by Author "Kubat,A.S."

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3

Citation Count: 6
Defining a strategical framework for urban pedestrianization projects: Assessment of walkability in 3 urban squares in Istanbul
(Sejong University Press, 2013) Kubat,A.S.; Ozer,O.; Ozbil,A.
There has been a growing interest in the transformation of major urban squares in Istanbul in recent years. This heightened trend in the urban renewal of prominent areas within the city has led to multiple pedestrianization projects aimed to revitalize urban cores in terms of infrastructure and pedestrian activity Despite their strategic schemes, these proposed projects lack an objective methodology to implement systematically at various scales. This paper focuses on the walkability of 3 historical urban squares in Istanbul by analyzing their street configuration and land use compositions and comparing it with the levels of pedestrian movement. The main objective of this study is to determine the existing relationship between space allocation and pedestrian activity and to assess the efficiency of proposed pedestrianization projects developed by local authorities for these areas. Overall, the analyses presented in this study emphasize the importance of measures of street connectivity in walkability studies. It is shown that street network configuration; measured using both metric and directional connectivity measures at the road-segment scale is strongly associated with pedestrian movement when controlling for land use compositions at the parcel-level. Based on the spatial analysis and statistical models produced for the research area, a pedestrian-oriented strategical framework that takes into account the existing spatial configuration, parcel-based land-use compositions, as well as pedestrian movement distributions within the areas is proposed for the study areas and their surroundings. With its systematic methodology, efficient spatial models, and strategical approach, this study is anticipated to be used as a unique design framework for prospective urban design and pedestrianization projects for Istanbul.
Citation Count: 1
Evaluating the impacts of an urban design project: Multi-phase Analyses of Taksim Square and Gezi Park, Istanbul
(Space Syntax Laboratory, The Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, 2015) Kubat,A.S.; Ozer,O.; Gumru,F.B.; Argin,G.
Taksim, which is known as the heart of Istanbul, is not only the main centre of entertainment, retail and cultural activities, but it also functions as a connection node between the old and new central business districts of the city. Throughout history, Taksim has played an important role for both the city and the country as it was the 'host' of several major social events, while it sometimes was the direct 'subject' of these events. Taksim has long been the subject of debates on account of its unresolved pedestrian and vehicular traffic. In September 2011, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality approved a pedestrianisation project for Taksim. Despite the objections raised by professional organizations and civil protests, the area went under construction in order to build a tunnel system for vehicles, which would leave the surface above as a pedestrian-only platform, and to reconstruct a military barrack, which was once located in the place of Gezi Park but was demolished in the 1940s. The construction phase of the pedestrianisation project for Taksim Square was completed in 2013. However, the reconstruction of the replica barrack was cancelled upon the judgement of the court which was declared as the wave of demonstrations continued throughout the country. Currently, the underground tunnel system is open to traffic, Gezi Park remains as is with slight improvements, and Taksim Square, which is a vast concrete space, awaits for an urban design project. Considering that there would be a major change in the pedestrian activity in Taksim during the construction and after the implementation of such a significant pedestrianisation project, this three-phase research was designed in order to bring an insight on the relation between the spatial organization, and the volume and movement flow of pedestrians in the area before the municipality's pedestrianisation project was implemented (phase I), during the construction (phase II), and after the implementation of the pedestrianisation project (phase III). In order to quantify and analyse the volume and the flow of pedestrian movement in the area, gate counts were conducted for all three phases. After the launch of the construction, many of the roads (both pedestrian and vehicular) were blocked, and alternative routes were introduced to users. The changing spatial layouts of these three situations were represented in syntactic maps and were analysed to compare with the movement patterns. This paper explores the opportunities and challenges in taking a syntactic approach to the spatial analyses of different phases of the pedestrianisation project in the rapidly transforming political centre of Istanbul. The results of this paper, which were derived by using the tools offered by Space Syntax, demonstrate the effects of the changing spatial layout on pedestrian movement levels, and provide insight towards understanding the preferences of pedestrians when their usual choice of route is blocked and they are forced to use alternative paths. The paper also provides input for the urban design project which will be implemented in Taksim Square by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
Citation Count: 4
Measuring walkability in istanbul galata region;
(Istanbul Teknik Universitesi, Faculty of Architecture, 2015) Özer,Ö.; Kubat,A.S.
Pedestrian movement is one of the critical issues in urban design, but yet a determinate method for evaluating the attractiveness of an area for walkability has not been established. This paper presents the findings of a comprehensive study on walkability, developed on a historical centre of Istanbul, named Galata that has become segregated in recent years. This study has researched the possible effects of the environmental variables on the levels of activity in urban spaces. The aim is to shed light on key variables that affect the attractiveness of an area for pedestrian movement, which in turn can help to develop an objective methodology to evaluate walkability. Within the context of the study, the existing pedestrian movement patterns in Galata have been observed and a range of variables have been determined to analyze the relationships. The data recorded in this study have been analyzed with a multiple regression analysis, in which pedestrian movement levels are considered as the dependent variable. The result of the regression analyses has generated a model that accounts for 0,60 of the variation in pedestrian movement. According to the findings of the model, pedestrian movement levels have been explained with three out of five variables: safety, accessibility (space syntax integration values) and land use pattern. The method and the findings of this study constitute an analytical model that could shed fresh light for future research on walkability as well as for evaluating proposals to regenerate historical city centers that have lost their vitality. © 2015, Istanbul Teknik Universitesi, Faculty of Architecture. All rights reserved.