A Comparison of the Qualifications of Urban Public Open Spaces and the Evaluation of their Activities: A Pilot Study in Ankara, Turkey

ABSTRACT In daily life, people’s interaction in urban areas with urban environments are a result of the quality of the urban public space. The diversity and intensity of urban space activities in public open spaces correlate with the quality of that space. In addition to the physical and environmental characteristics of urban space, indicators such as intensity and diversity of urban space activities and socio-economic status of active users provide important data when measuring spatial quality. This paper outlines the importance of the relation between urban public open space quality and urban space activity. Three public open spaces (Anıt Park, Adnan Ötüken Park, and Eser Park), designed as green bands in garden city planning in Ankara, Turkey were selected as the study area. In the study, the relationships between the spatial qualities of the three selected public open spaces and urban space activities were revealed as per the analysis carried out. The study uses the mixed method approach, which includes the determination and use of qualitative and quantitative data. Following the theoretical discussion, the study investigates the relation between urban public open space quality and urban space activity. Throughout the field study, analysis of public open spaces was performed based on sound spatial quality measurement criteria. Survey results were evaluated according to Gehl’s urban space activity approach for public open spaces. Study results draw attention to the relationship between space quality in public open areas and urban space activities are dependent on physical space dimensions, the social and common content.