Dinamik kent meydanları için tasarım değerlendirme kriterlerinin sağlanması: Eminönü meydanı incelemesi

Squares have very important role in people's lives. Urban squares keep public communications and participation alive and provide the terrain for social interaction. In addition, they have a significant function on city's transaction base. Urban squares not only fulfill people's political and cultural needs, but they also satisfy their physical and mental requirements. The development of science and technology, urbanization movement, industrialization of cities, and social and economic problems are salient factors threatening the urban squares. Due to the decrease in the number of places designed for people, the urban squares are of greater importance, nowadays. In the case of the designing or renewing the urban squares, attention should be paid to determine specific factors in the context of quality of the urban squares. The objective of the present study is to discover suitable designing evaluation criteria for dynamic urban squares to engage public attention and activate them for more uses. For this purpose, it is so important to explore the influence and characteristics of the urban squares and review the history of the urban squares in the world, both in the cities of the Eastern and Western countries. Protecting and producing sense of place, diversity and multi-functionality are the essential features in the urban squares design which should be taken into consideration in urban squares. In this study, Eminönü square is evaluated by site observation according to the classified design evaluation criteria including: Linkage & Form Sociability & Activities, Image & comfort and Management. In the study, strong and weak points of the Eminönü square are discussed and necessary suggestions are proposed. Results obtained through studies and the case study can pave the way for having a better and logical design of the future and contemporary urban square, a space where people will be willing to resort and have their social and daily activities.