A model proposal for user participation in architectural design process

Urban space, which is the most distinctive and basic element of the environment we live in, is a socially and culturally multidimensional matter that employs vital merits and traces of daily life with its physical reality. Architecture is the most distinctive space of practice in development of urban spaces in means of designing and producing, which is reformed and redefined each time with social interactions and transformations. This thesis discusses about exercise of architecture as an active practice that gives form to urban space, possibilities of new design approaches especially in public space by determining the changes in its organisational structure, and struggles to create suggestions by studying contemporary paradigms. It is necessary to witness that pluralist, participatory and democratic regime demands being developed in today's world find their counterparts in architecture and suggest new methods and approaches by discussing these demands on a sensitive and scientific basis, without losing the control of professional knowledge and experience. Consequently, this thesis puts forward a participatory design approach model in architectural design process. The background / conceptual frame that is set up to create the model are grounded on two basic works: the first one is; "Evaluation of User Participatory Design Practice Process" in which all architectural design practices that favour participation in developing of the urban space are evaluated and the processes are analysed; the second one is "A Framework for Analysing" which is created by evaluating the examples of human environment focused approaches and applications which have been realised in environment design researches area. Both of the titles to be mentioned are critical works in which concrete participatory applications are analysed and grounded on conceptual base. This work leans on this conceptual framework and background to develop common outputs as a result of comparative evaluations and consequently suggests a "User Participatory Design Model". It is foreseen that this model is going to contribute to the creation of urban spaces that are qualified and sustainable in means of user-space harmony and to the use of public spaces. Keywords: Participatory design, public space, user-environment interactions, design model