The role of leisure spaces on quality of urban life: Case of İstanbul

Measuring quality of life in urban spaces is an important issue in space sciences. Quality of life is ephasized in the evaluations of various disciplines on urban spaces. The inadequacy of rational planning tools for the solution of urban problems have greater role on the rise of the subject. Subjective measurement of quality of life of people living in urban spaces is useful toolbox on the inclusion of residents' perceptions about the city for the new planning approaches such as participatory, advocacy, transactive and bargaining models. Simultaneously to ongoing technological and social changes throughout the history, the leisure time and leisure activities have positive effect on the life satisfaction of people. Positive evaluations of residents about the life experience in the city is higher in the cities which offer facilities that fit to leisure needs of people in terms of places' quality and quantity. The goal of a city with happy, healthy, creative, indulgent, democratic, social and inclusive individuals can be achieved by meeting the various leisure needs of individuals. Therefore, people's leisure experience is key to sustainable and contemporary cities with high quality of urban living. In this study, the relationship between quality of urbal life and leisure spaces in İstanbul is investigated. The model of leisure and quality of life which include objective and subjective dimensions is developed. Besides the objective analysis such as distribution, accessibility and services area of leisure spaces, residents' leisure perception, leisure participation, leisure satisfaction and leisure constraints are explored via subjective household survey. Objective and subjective analysis on leisure variables have associated with the urban quality of life variables in a purpose of describing which subjects about leisure acitivities have strong relationship with leisure in which level and how? The study has six chapters. The research question, research frame, methodology and study approach is defined in introduction section along with the contribution of the study to existing literature and to planning practices in İstanbul. In the second and third chapters, the literature on quality of life and leisure has explained in historical content as the theoretical grounds of the study. Literature on different approaches, indicator types, measurement methods and theoretical models to quality of life have presented. Different case studies from Turkey and around the world in terms of spatial level, indicator type, methodoloy and research results have compiled by systematical approach. Similar approach to leisure and relationship with quality of life have also adopted in chapter three. In the early parts of this section, the meaning and content of the leisure have explained historically and theoretically. Additionally, different classifications of leisure activity types in urban studies have illustrated. The term of recreation has also defined with its relation to leisure in this part. Finally, the relationship between lesiure and quality of life and the studies focusing on this relationship has described with the emphasis on leisure benefits and leisure needs. These case studies shows that there is a clear path between quality of life in cities and leisure leisure settings of both residents and cities. In the light of the literature review in chapter two and three, the methodology of this study that is on the relationship between leisure time activities and quality of urban life in İstanbul city have represented in chapter four. Research design of the leisure and quality of life model model with the research units, indicators types, spatial levels, measurement methods and data resources have expressed. The research model includes subjective perception of households as well as objective leisure indicators about İstanbul city. In the subjective part of the study, along with personal characteristics and demographics, questions on perception and satisfaction level of different settings of leisure spaces, leisure participation and satisfaction with the different life domains and settings of urban environment have been asked to households. For the objective analysis, statistical and geographical data on leisure spaces such as open and green spaces, sports activities, cultural activities, dining and drinking places and shops have been collected from different governmental and private institutions. A leisure database have been created by editing and integrating these different data resources. Finally, objective data gathering process has completed with the expert opinion survey for the different settings of certain urban spaces in İstanbul. Fifth chapter contains the results of the analysis. According to data type, the analysis suggested in the theoretical model have divided into objective and subjective planes. Objective analysis of the study leaned on the secondary datas and observations. These type of analysis compares different urban spaces spatially and statistically by catchment area of activities and measurement of geographical distribution of leisure spaces. Lastly, the perception of urban space of junior urban planners and architects is also mapped by spatial interpolation techniques. By using the household survey data, the results of geographical and statistical analysis to prove the relationship between leisure and quality of life have reported in the subjective part of the research. Before the explaination of this relationship, dimension reduction techniques such as factor analysis have implemented to represent leisure perception, leisure participation, leisure constraints and leisure satisfaction in the model. Thus the role of leisure on quality of life could be identified in a larger relational network of variables. Additionally, differences in the various spatial levels and socio-economical statuses of households in terms of these dimensinally reducted structures and relations have also presented. Results have interpreted in the light of existing literature on leisure and quality of life as well as distinctive features of urban spaces in İstanbul. In the discussion section of the study, the brief review of the study is given: Leisure satisfaction have significant effect on quality of urban life, while perception of leisure spaces, participation levels of leisure time activities and leisure constraints have relations with leisure satisfaction. It has proved that the level and content of these effects varied by the type of the leisure activity, service area and accessibility of the leisure spaces, different spatial features of different urban spaces in the metropolitan area and socio demographical features of households. In urban spaces which are richer in terms of leisure activities, quality of urban life is relatively higher than the poorer urban spaces in terms of leisure spaces. Leisure participation is increasing in settlements with the denser leisure facilities while perception of leisure is positive in places with higher leisure participation rates. Leisure satisfaction is also in highest level in these denser, positively percepted and highly participated leisure spaces. Thus, the satisfaction with the quality of urban life have positively effected by the leisure satisfaction of the individuals in these settlements. With its wholistic and systematic approach and methodology, It is believed that this study have significant contribution to the existing leisure and quality of life literatures. On the other hand, by explaining the differences in leisure supply and evaluations of households, the results of the study have potential to be integrated to urban policy and decision making processes as leisure inputs.