RESEARCH ON THE EFFECTS OF TRABZON KAHRAMANMARAŞ STREET PLACENESS AND PLACE EXPERIENCE ON THE SENSE OF PLACE


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Özcelep M., Özkan D. G.

INTERNATIONAL REFEREED JOURNAL OF DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE, no.32, pp.21-37, 2024 (Peer-Reviewed Journal)

Abstract

 The rapid urbanization of cities and recent issues such as the pandemic have underscored the importance of these urban open places as experiential realms. The aim of this study is to elucidate the effects of the environmental characteristics provided by streets within the scope of urban open places on the formation of place experience and sense of place. Kahramanmaraş Street, which holds significant historical and cultural importance for the city of Trabzon by bridging the past and present, was chosen as the research area. To this end, surveys including the Environmental Characteristics Assessment Scale and the Sense of Place Assessment Scale were conducted with 211 participants.  It has been revealed that environmental characteristics are explained in three factors: functional, social, and perceptual, while sense of place is explained in three factors: place dependence, place identity, and place attachment. When examining the factors influencing sense of place, it is observed that functional, social, and perceptual characteristics, along with length of residence factors, have been added to the model.  The research results revealed that the most effective factor in the sense of place is the social features offered by the place. Among the environmental factors, the high interaction of social features with the sense of place shows the importance of features such as providing the opportunity to participate in informal activities offered by the environment and enabling various activities. Therefore, when designing open spaces, features that facilitate communal use should be considered. These results of the research provide information about which environmental features create a sense of place in the transformation of streets with historical and cultural value for cities.