Examining the concept of experimentation in public space in the context of urban memory: Diyarbakir Gazi street example

This study, which examines the relationship between human beings and their environment in the context of human-space-object, focuses on the extent to which the elements in the individual's memory are spatial, what are the memorable aspects of space, and to what extent the act of remembering is associated with the experience factor. This study, which aims to examine how individual or social experiences and memories are integrated with the city, deals with the interaction of public spaces in the city with memory through Gazi Street, which can be considered as the old city centre of Diyarbakır and one of the main arteries of this historical district. The essence of architectural space creation lies in the relationship of vital processes with space. When the user/human enters a space, he/she first starts to make sense of that space and then starts to shape it. Spaces are phenomena shaped in line with the demands of users. The user reproduces the space in line with his/her personal experiences. Spatial memory is shaped by both the space and the participant and the experiences that take place in the space. In this case, in a study to be read through memory, human and space factors should be included in the research by covering the experience processes. The thesis begins with a detailed examination of the intricate relationship that architectural practice establishes with "memory" and analyses other dimensions of architecture beyond the mere production of physical space; in fact, it bases architectural practice on concepts and phenomena such as user experience and memory (temporality). In the third part of the thesis, the main concepts are defined and these definitions are fed with literature studies. Following the establishment of the conceptual framework, the fourth chapter of the thesis focuses on the relationship of these concepts with each other and with the practice of architecture in particular. In the fifth chapter, the structure of the thesis was formed and the materials and methods were selected. In the sixth part of the study, Gazi Street, which is one of the main arteries of the city of Diyarbakır, which has a long history and is thought to provide publicity in the city, and the public spaces on this street are focused on. In the field study part of the thesis, the "in-depth interview" technique was used to investigate the perceptions of the users about the space and the semantic values they attributed to the space. The data obtained from the users after the interview were discussed in the light of the literature and the data were supported by the researcher by drawing some of the experience-oriented space descriptions, emotions and feelings of that space and observations of the interviewee as 'episodic / instant representation visuals'.