INVESTIGATION of NİĞDE CITY PARKS in TERMS of LANDSCAPE DESIGN CRITERIA

Abstract

Cities face big environmental problems as a result of rapid construction and reduction of green areas. In order to minimize such environmental problems, there should be a planned urbanization policy. The most important issue to be considered in this plan is that urban open and green areas. People are longing for nature because of urbanization. While green spaces minimize people's aspirations to nature, they also decrease the negative aspects of urbanization. In addition, urban open and green areas contribute not only ecologically but also economically. Parks are the most important open and green area that makes the cities where we live in attractive and livable, bring image to cities, increase participation in recreational activities, and provide the balance between aesthetics, function and ecology criteria’s. The contribution of city parks to the environment where we live in, starts with a good planning process. Parks should be built in accordance with the ecological conditions of the region with a good spatial analysis. After a good planning, the design process that will meet the people needs of the region, should be started. Following a good planning and design process, it is possible to increase the contribution of parks to the cities with planned maintenance works. In this study; 3 city parks located in the central district of Niğde were examined within the scope of the study. The aim of the study is that some of the parks that provide services on a city scale within the borders of the province of Niğde, to examine whether it is suitable according to landscape design criteria. For this purpose, their suitability for landscape design criteria was analyzed under some headings such as their locations and accessibility levels, plant designs, and urban furniture elements. In the study, firstly, landscape design criteria were determined in order to evaluate the parks. According to the determined criteria, positive or negative properties of the parks have been determined in terms of landscape design. The current state of the parks was analyzed. Collection of data was provided by observations and interviews with parks users. In order to examine the study areas in detail, study trips and observations were made, photographs were taken and evaluated in the area. In line with the determined aims and criteria, Niğde city parks, which have developed rapidly in recent years, it has been determined to what extent the features such as size, reinforcement elements, accessibility and security meet the landscape design criteria. Finally, it was determined that there are deficiencies in terms of some criteria determined within the scope of landscape design of parks.