The Importance and Functionality of Urban Furniture; Case of Bilecik City, Turkey

ABSTRACT Comprising an essential part of the urban components within the urban texture, the furniture elements connect urban life with communal living in addition to meeting the ever-growing need of usage. It is of vital importance in terms of ensuring the safety, comfort of the users, meeting aesthetical value principles, while also ensuring the functionality and practical affordability of the space. In this study, the urban furniture elements are described in the beginning, while also being classified based on the significance, properties and usage types. Moreover, examples of urban furniture are given on a global scale. The furniture elements that are used the most in the streets and boulevards of Bilecik City Center as the research area are identified, as well as analyzing their ergonomic and aesthetical characteristics & functionality from the viewpoint of users. In this context, each elements and furniture such as floor covering, boundary elements, water elements, bus stops, sales units, seating units, lighting elements, signs and informing boards, artistic aojects and other elements are analyzed, thus being deeply analyzed within the framework of element diversity, functionality and design criteria. Examining the condition of the existing furniture elements, along with its suitability for the historical texture of Bilecik in line with the data collected throughout the study, various suggestions have been developed within the scope of creating unique urban spaces.