Use of Coastal Areas During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of the Asian Side of Istanbul

Abstract Throughout history, pandemics have always shaped cities; many health issues have been reflected in architecture and urban planning. Today, the world faces a public health crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected people economically, socially, psychologically, and physically; changed people's daily lives and habits. The pandemic has increased the need for public and open/green spaces where people can spend their time safely and without the risk of contamination. The study aims to examine the use of coastal areas, which is one of the public spaces that people often prefer to use during the COVID-19 pandemic process; at the same time, it offers urban planning and solution suggestions to local and central governments to reorganize, develop and ensure the continuity of coastal areas due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this context, the Caddebostan - Kartal coastal area, which is an uninterrupted coastal band of the Anatolian side of Istanbul, serves various socio-cultural groups and has intense use, especially during the pandemic process, and has been determined as the study area. To determine user preferences in the study area, a survey was conducted with 952 people. The results of the survey study were evaluated with the SPSS program. Then, on-site observations were made and evaluated together with the survey study, and design criteria and suggestions were presented in response to the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic and different global epidemics that may arise. Emphasizing the importance of green and open spaces for COVID-19 and future pandemics, this study supports the continuity of decisions taken for current and future pandemic situations.