A proposal for the evaluation of the effect of socio-economic structure on the user's choice and urban square design: Bursa case study

Place that is created by the effect of culture and geography where the people live in, generates behaviours and manners with the interaction between individuals and environment. In this relationship, the place provide an environment for people to determine their living conditions and rebuilt themselves. Along with the creator impact, people have role as a user. Cities consist of people that belongs to different values, traditions, cultures, ethic groups, and social groups. Urban public places are the places where communication between people happen. Comprehending of public places that are common living spaces supports interpretting social perception and relationships. Public spaces in which the diversity of the city is best understood are those where the social pattern is shaped by supporting the relationship between the individual and society. This study is based on determining the user needs of the square according to the socio-economic structure of the environment in which the square is located. In the literature research, it was observed that the studies on the square were mostly made on central city squares and the local level squares were not examined. In spite of the advantage of analyzing and meeting the expectations of the users of the subsquares to address a more defined user group than the squares in the city center, designing these squares in a way that does not reflect the environment is determined as the main problem. Therefore, analyzing the local level squares that reflecting a dominant social structure was found appropriate for study purpose. to determine the impact of the social structure, rather than the central squares that serve a mixed society. Confirming the socioeconomic characteristics of the inhabitants of the square is important to determine the users and user needs. The aim of the study is to detect the dynamics of the relationship between the users and the square and to examine to examine the physical environment by including the human factor. The province of Bursa, which is spatially differentiated markedly due to migration and income, was chosen as the sample area. As a result of passing the local level squares, which are mostly related to the neighborhood and have local characteristics, through a number of stages determined by spatial and social environment characteristics, three different squares were selected as Mütareke Square, Adalet Square and Yunusemre Square. These three squares, which are not as heterogeneous as the city squares and have similar physical characteristics, represent low-medium-high socioeconomic groups. In order to examine the selected local level squares according to their physical, social and administrative characteristics, field analyzes, user survey, headman interviews and municipal interview methods were applied for the cases. The survey was conducted randomly for each neighborhood square with 30 users. As a result of the analyzes, the findings for each square were compared according to physical, social and administrative dimensions. User questionnaires were evaluated by crosstab query, grouping of categorical variables and factor analysis. The results obtained from the surveys were interpreted by other research methods; physical environment analyzes and interviews. As a result of the evaluation, three different hypotheses were tested in order to measure the impact of socioeconomic differentiation in neighborhoods that the squares serve on the users' use of the square, the spatial design of the square and the services provided by the administration. Therefore, It was determined that the research supports the hypothesis. The thesis consists of five chapters and all the chapters are constructed on the physical structure-social structure-administrative structure backbone. In the introductory section, the concepts of public space, space and society which are the basic concepts that should be known before the research is designed are examined. The concept of public space is examined with its definition in different disciplines and periods, its historical process, its importance in architecture and urbanism, the criteria of publicity degree, its roles in the city, the factors shaping public life and the characteristics of successful public space. Accessibility of the public space and having qualifications to connect with people are the main approaches. The concept of space is defined as various definitions, the roles of space and the concept of urban space. The concept of society is explained by the definitions of some important theorists, and the common culture and values that bring people together are emphasized. It has been concluded that different disciplines should work together to fulfill all the roles of the public space in order to reveal the successful designs together with the basic concepts. At this point, it is important that public space establishes a connection with the society in order to be a space. In the second section, the literature search for creating the method of the study is explained within the scope of urban squares. The definition of the square, its place in history and the lack of a culture of the square in our country are mentioned. It is determined that squares are classified according to size, usage, architectural form, location etc. but mostly classified according to function and form. The physical structure of the squares is explained by the form of the space, the design features, the relationship with the surrounding structures, the characteristics of the surrounding structures and the capacity of the space. It is expressed as the social structure characteristics of the square, bringing the society together, contributing to social life, reflecting the culture of the society and hosting the activities. As a result of the detailed evaluation made with the square-social structure-use relationship, the importance of urban squares that create the opportunity for individuals to be included in the society is emphasized. At this point, the concept of place devotion has come to the fore; besides, the neighborhood features, which are the units connected with the space, are examined. The management of the square is explained by the role of the square within urban policies and what the square means for managers. The role of public authorities in decision-making in the design and implementation process is important. The concept of quality used in many areas has been defined in terms of squares to measure the success of the space. The quality of the square is related to the capacity of the space to respond to physical and psychological needs at the same time that increases the use of the square. Criteria in the study of many theorists on quality are defined by the titles of successful space, environmental quality, design principles, successful squares, spatial quality and public space quality. Considering the basic principles, the variety of functions in the surrounding area, accessibility, visual aesthetics, urban furniture design, comfort, activity diversity, safety and maintenance are determined as important parameters that determine the quality of city squares. The relationship between the square and the user is examined by the relationship between human and space, human needs and activities. There is a mutual interaction between the behaviors that arise as a result of human needs and space. In the literature, it is seen that the needs are defined by generalizing all people. In the light of the information obtained from the literature research, the third chapter is about the determination of the parameters appropriate to the hypothesis and sample areas and the creation of the method. In addition, socio-economic classification and determination of sampling areas are explained in detail in this section. The physical structure of the squares was examined with 48 parameters for physical properties, aesthetic features, accessibility, usage and functionality. The relationship between the social structure of the squares and the characteristics of the neighborhood, the definition of the square and the use of 46 parameters were examined. The relationship between the administrative structure and the square was evaluated by using 17 parameters with the definition of the square, the square management and participation features. The determined parameters were measured by physical environment analyzes, user surveys, municipal interviews and headman interviews. Physical environment analyzes were performed with observation data for the sub-regions determined and user counts made on three different days of the week. User surveys were conducted randomly with a total of 90 participants in each square. Questionnaires and interview questions were formed to include the parameters determined for the measurement of physical, social and administrative structure. The fourth section consists of research findings. After informing about Bursa province, the effects of the selected local level squares within their neighborhood and walking distance to the access and use of the square were evaluated. After interpreting the preliminary research information about the squares, the results of the physical environment analysis, user surveys, and institution interviews of the Mütareke Square, Adalet Square and Yunusemre Square, which represent different groups with their socio-economic structure, are stated. The general physical structure of the square is defined and the problems determined regarding physical comfort are explained in the field evaluations. The relationship between the personal information of the participants and the use of the square was examined according to the user surveys by cross-examination based on the chi-square test. The designated relations were examined together with field analyzes and institution interviews. At the end of the chapter, the square in three different socio-economic structures was compared in order to measure the effect of the characteristics of the environment on the square. The details of the factor analysis and the mean scores analysis of the variables are explained. As a result of the factor analysis, six factor groups were obtained and the data set was described as 57.97%. The questionnaire responses for the analysis of categorical variables were coded according to the five-point scale. The results of the analyzes were evaluated separately under the physical organization, social structure and administrative structure and interpreted together with the interviews. In the fifth chapter, the results obtained from comparison of the squares at different socio-economic levels and general evaluations are explained. It was determined that the results of the method were in parallel with the hypotheses. In summary, although societies with low socio-economic levels need urban squares to meet and socialize, it is revealed that it was not sufficiently supported by the administration. The result of the study aims to contribute to the production of more qualified squares as a guide for the actors designing the squares. The evaluations are valid for squares in low-density neighborhoods and research can be improved by working with squares that serve high density neighborhoods.