Challenge of design aesthetic dimension

The image-based and profit oriented urban approaches of the 21st century develop by annihilating, disturbing and negating the public common places of the cities. Under these circumstances it is obviously significant to bring to the agenda of the environmental design disciplines, the qualities of such spaces in order to enhance the functions and aesthetics of such spaces. Therefore this thesis embarks on social and aesthetic issues of the urban plazas. It studies diligently the successful plazas and squares from all over the world and determines the criteria for designing successful plazas and urban squares based on investigations and researches of valuable scholars. In this respect aesthetics is underlined as also a functional element which deserves special attention. At the second step the paradigms determined as a valuable set of criteria in investigating the present examples are adopted to study the Sultanahmet Square. Here in addition to the criteria for intense use and aesthetics, the elements and components of the plaza are also investigated. Therefore this thesis dwelled upon both the social and the aesthetic aspects of Sultanahmet square. The empirical research run in the case study clearly demonstrated that as well as the historical heritage of the Sultanahmet Plaza, the aesthetics of the elements and components are also important. Key words : Plaza, Pupose area, Aestetic, Design