The significance of urban parks as public spaces in terms of social life and placemaking - İzmir - Kültürpark case

Global changes and developments in terms of economics, physical and social characteristics have always affected cities, citizens and their habits of use throughout the history. The need for the open space which is rapidly increasing ever since the industrial period, has found its' spatial equivalent in different forms according to physical, political, economic and cultural dynamics of the period they are in. The growing population and the densed housing as the consequences of that growth, the stress of daily routine caused by urban pollution, technology and industrialization increased in parallel with the need of the of public open spaces. This study focuses on the meanings that urban open and green spaces have lost or gained in the historical process, by analyzing the existing urban open space uses in today's cities, by analyzing the needs, problems and deficiencies of the user, and trying to determine the future uses and values to be transferred to the future. For the purpose that is explained above Kültürpark, one of the most important symbols of the War of Independence was chosen as an example. Kültürpark is an area that has an important place in historical and collective memory. In this process, these changes of globalization have been witnessed and these changes have been reflected to the field in a significant extent. Kültürpark, which has existed with fair and park functions since its establishment, has caused different differences of opinion between users and institutions in Izmir city with the removal of fair function from the area. Within the scope of the study, both the spatial characteristics of Kültürpark's current usage situation were analyzed and a questionnaire was conducted to evaluate user perception ans user preferences. In addition, the discussions about the transformation of Kültürpark In addition, the discussions in the recent period about the transformation of Kültürpark, were examined according to the views of social actors and it is aimed to reveal the meanings of Kültürpark for different actors and how it is described in the future by them.