Determination of the preferences of young peoplethe case of Kadıköy – Moda coast, İstanbul

It is possible to say that coastal areas contain a lot of important elements for young people, such as: possibilities for socialization, self-development and escaping from daily routine brought by modern life. These areas have this unique identity of being a space that offers activities for youth participation. Youth participation is crucial for these spaces to protect their identity, their sustainability and to add more meaning in them. In order for young people to reveal their strenghts and to increase their confidence, one should create spaces aimed at self-improvement of young people. Thus, one could improve their quality of life. The resources that these spaces offer should be determined regarding the preferences of the participants. The aim of this study is to determine the preferences of young people in coastal areas. In this context, three different techniques were used. Firstly, a survey has been conducted in order to determine the spatial preferences of young people. Secondly, a visitor based photographing (VBP) system has been conducted in order to determine the visual spatial preferences of young people regarding aesthetics. Last but not least, a semantic differentiationhas been conducted with expert people in order to determine which are the efficient parameters in such spaces. The survey has been conducted with 100 people. As to the VEP and semantical differentiation, 30 people have been interviewed. The findings that are found by the 3 techniques were superposed on the conclusion of the work. Moreover, in the use of the semantic differentiation technique, the most preferred dias are the third (playfield) and the fifth (open urban space). In addition, it has been found that the dias which have the most relaxation effect are the second (oval seating area), fourth (exercise area) and eighth (observation area activities). Proposals have been made for elements that could both enhance the visual value of the spaces and that could encourage a more functional use of the spaces. Key Words: Visitor Based Photographing, Semantical Differentiation, Survey, User Preferences, Young People, Youth, Coast, Moda.