The significance and recreational potential of the bosphorus woods within the inner-city green area system; İstanbul's east side woods: Abarahampaşa, Hidiv, Fethipaşa, Mihrabat woods

This study aims to emphasize both the lost of the fragile natural values of the woods of Bosphorus in the near future and the usage of Bosphorus woods as parks which also have important historical, landscape and cultural values, because of the inadequacy of Istanbul?s green areas. For this purpose a literature survey on the concept of ?green areas? was completed. The position and socio-cultural properties of the Bosphorus were determined while identifying the function and features of Bosphorus woods within this context. After all these determinations, user profiles, usage purpose and types of some selected Anatolian side woods, namely Abrahampasa, Hidiv, Mihrabat and Fetipasa, were evaluated with the help of a number of (100) questionnaires. Consequently, destroying open-space areas in urban sites that have high historical, cultural and landscape values is also an environmental problem. For this reason, the approaches of the United Nations, the European Union and the European Council about this debate is being mentioned. More over, it is stated that the current open spaces in the Bosphorus region and Istanbul are not sufficient according to the standards and the groves are subject to intense recreational pressure as they serve to the whole city and as they also give additional recreational services (services that should be in an urban park). Therefore, in order to preserve the historic, cultural and landscape values of the groves that are in danger of being too densely used, the development of a usage system that is suitable to the characteristics of the groves is being proposed. Keywords : Istanbul, green structure in city, woods of Bosphorus.