Transformation of shopping street into social behavior spaces: Analysis of appropriation behavior with environmental charecteristics

Open urban spaces play an important role in the formation of a diverse relationships among individuals. Various researchers indicated that spaces, which are voids limited by appropriation behavior, are transformed into places where various activities are conducted, and it is one of the important factors for building a strong social interaction among people. However, the previous studies did not set well-defined criteria about the properties that urban open spaces should possess for the appropriation behavior could be conducted. The present study aimed to determine the criteria that could be used for the assessment of shopping street open spaces where appropriation behavior is realized and to explain the correlation between appropriation behavior and social behavior. For this purpose, a research model was developed based on the concepts of human-space interaction, Micro-scale environmental features, appropriation behavior, space-place and social behavior. Trabzon Kunduracılar Street open spaces that exhibits variations in Micro-scale properties were selected as the study area. The research method included four stages of observation of behavior, spatial analysis and survey studies. The research model constructed in the study demonstrated that the Micro-scale perceptual/physical/social characteristics affected the appropriation behavior. It was found that especially social characteristics affected appropriation behavior at a higher level. Furthermore, it was determined that the spaces where appropriation behavior was diverse were transformed into different social behavior spaces simultaneously, and this phenomenon increased the variety of activities, affected the time individuals spent in these spaces and strengthened social behavior.