Investigation of the association between perceivedwalkability and stress management among Z generationcollege students during pandemic through case ofistanbul

Walkability is ensuring that pedestrians reach certain points comfortably and safely in the built environment. It is necessary to create walkable areas so that users can adapt appropriately to the urban space habitats and not be isolated from their homes. Stress, on the other hand, is a concept that causes negative effects on individuals and affects their interactions with other individuals. In this context, the main purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the physical environmental components that affect the walking habits of individuals and the mental health of individuals (in this study, the stress factor is focused) and to examine these relationships at the neighborhood scale. Generation Z, who can be considered relatively more active compared to other age groups, started to spend more time on the neighborhood scale and have become isolated in their homes during the coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, they were targeted in this study. Within this aim, the perceieved walkability of the neighborhoods where the Z generation university students live and the stress management processes of the individuals were measured and analyzed comparatively in this study. A survey questionnaire was used as a data collection tool in the study. Two separate measurement tools were chosen to measure perceived walkability and stress management whose validity and reliability have been tested and approved before. Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale to measure walkability and Perceived Stress Scale to measure stress management were chosen as measurement tools. In this study, a request to participate in the survey was sent to all universities in Istanbul, Turkey. According to the analysis of the participants' responses, statistically significant relationships were found between the dependent variable, the stress level, and the independent variable, perceived walkability. At the same time, statistically significant relationships were found between the control variable, gender, and dependent and independent variables. In line with the results, design and planning proposals that can contribute to urban studies have been presented based on the physical elements that may affect the walkability factor in neighborhoods.