A Framework to Promote Publicness in Urban Open Spaces

Abstract

Urban public spaces are places where people, socialize, daily life activities take place, and are accessible to everyone. Urban space harbors public life. Today, the meaning of publicity is changing in the new centers of developing cities, and it is important to sustain public life in these areas. This study aims at determining the necessary framework for the formation of public open spaces and the provision of public use in urban open spaces. The examining and strenghtening of public open spaces are possible by reviewing daily life activities. The focus of this study is to use the studies on urban space as a tool for the improvement of public space, to examine the design approaches that develop appropriate design criteria, and to reveal formation of public space and the spaces that have potential for public life. Thus, publicness, public life and public use have led to the literature for this study. Approaches that deal with the environment, people and space relations have been adopted while the concept of publicness concept was discussed. In this context, parameters that provide formation of public open spaces in order to ensure public life and improve communication among urban residents have been proposed. These parameters, which reveal the characteristics and potentials of public space, can guide us through the design of new urban spaces or the renewal of existing urban spaces.

Keywords

• urban open spaces
• public life
• public use
• urban public space

Thanks

The author thank to the advisor of the doctoral thesis, Prof.Dr. Selahattin Önür for his patience, valuable suggestions, guidance and criticism in the realization of this study.

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