The purpose of this study was to investigate patterns and factors related to 6- to 12-year-old children’s and their parents’ green space use behaviours in Çayyolu neighbourhood of Ankara, Turkey. Data were collected through draw and write surveys and questionnaire surveys at selected schools, and direct observations in eight parks in the neighbourhood. A total of 418 children and 383 of their parents participated in the surveys. In all, 498 recordings were made during on-site observations. Findings suggest that there is an interaction between park visiting patterns of parents and their children. Taking children to parks was a major motivation for – particularly female (p < 0.05) – parents to go outdoors. Most children (75%) used only gardens of their houses or housing complexes. There was a positive association between parents’ and children’s duration of visit (p = 0.00). Principal component analysis revealed three factors (52% of the total variance) effecting parents’ influence on their children’s use of green spaces; benefits of spending time outdoors, safety concerns and design characteristics. Results indicate that environmental design is not solely a factor in use of green spaces; understanding and promoting children’s use of green spaces should involve a holistic approach that includes social, cultural and physical aspects of the environment.

This paper aims to assess the perceived recreational ecosystem services (RES) of Gölcük Nature Park (Isparta) – a legally protected area- in order to evaluate its operational potential in relation to current management practices. To identify the perceived and preferred RES, an in-situ questionnaire survey was carried out. The long- term development plan for the site was used as secondary data to assess the management and development conflicts with perceived recreation provision. Descriptive statistics, t-test and one-way ANOVA test and bivariate calculations were used to analyze the data. The geomorphological structure of Gölcük Nature Park was found to constitute a significant resource for its perceived RES provision and sensory experience. Age and frequency of visit had any influence on neither perceived RES provision nor visitor preferences. On the other hand, while gender and education level were found influential on the appreciation of the RES to some degree, income and education level were found as determining factors in the context of visitors’ preferred activities. Based on our findings, we concluded that the perceived RES and the long-term development plan goals do not overlap at all since visitor characteristics and socio-spatial data were ignored during analysis and synthesis. Novel frameworks that integrate natural and social sciences need to be developed and authorities need to be receptive and adaptive to implement such approaches. In this regard, ES concept might be useful to identify strategies on conservation and recreational use.

This study aimed to evaluate and spatially represent university students’ perception of cultural ecosystem services in the urban public space of Ankara, Turkey in relation to the ‘landsenses ecology’ framework. A questionnaire survey was administered to randomly selected students studying landscape architecture at Ankara University via the Google Forms electronic survey. For mapping, the Urban Atlas Project 2018 data were used to show the connection between CES and the land-use types. A hot-spot map was created for spatial assessment of CES using Kernel density estimation. Within the study area, the students marked 87 favourite places. The city centre (Kızılay) was marked as the most significant place to visit by the students. Yet, the majority (63%) of the participants marked an urban green space as their favourite place. Spending time with family and friends was the most selected activity in the rankings with a mean score of 4.90 (SD = 4.10). The hot-spot map indicated that grey infrastructure areas generate CES values as well. Within the perspective of landsenses ecology – where psychological and cultural perception is emphasized – understanding and identifying these values and their specific localizations can be useful in urban landscape management, especially to encourage young people’s involvement in daily urban space.

Antakya tarımsal potansiyel, ticaret yolları üzerinde bulunması ve zengin su kaynaklarına sahip olması ile birlikte birçok medeniyete ev sahipliği yapmış bir kent konumundadır. Birçok kültüre ev sahipliği yapması kente kimlik katan alanlar oluşmasını sağlamıştır. Ancak kentte yaşanan kentsel büyümeye bağlı hızlı değişim, tarihi dokuyu zedelemekte, ona farklı işlevler yükleyerek kimliğinin giderek bozulmasına neden olmaktadır. Bu çalışmada tarihi kimliği bulunan alanlar Antakya, Gazipaşa Caddesi örneği üzerinden ele alınmıştır. Tarihi dokuda süreç içerisinde meydana gelen değişimlerin boyutlarının ortaya konulması hedeflenmiştir. Alanın mevcut durumunu ortaya koymak ve öneriler geliştirmek adına fotoğraflar çekilmiş, sorun analizi, GZFT analizi, kent imgesi analizi yapılmış ve anket uygulanmıştır. Bu doğrultuda kent kimliğini tehdit eden ve kent kimliğine katkıda bulunan unsurlar belirlenmiştir. Elde edilen bulgularla birlikte kimliğin korunup geleceğe aktarılmasına ilişkin olarak tarihi doku ile uyumlu donatılara, yapılara ve yapısal düzenlemelere ilişkin öneriler geliştirilmiştir. Öneriler sonucunda korumanın çok paydaşlı ve çok disiplinli bir sürece ihtiyacı olduğu belirlenmiştir.

This paper aims to provide a critical overview of the management of Ankara’s streams in the historical context of the city’s urbanization process and focuses on one particular example Bentderesi (Bent stream). Prior to Ankara’s declaration as a capital city and during the early periods of the young Republic of Turkey, the streams and creeks of the city were the significant destinations for public recreation and they were also used for freshwater supply and fishing. However, ironically, these streams had caused the most damage to their surroundings due to floods several times. For instance, in 1957, the flood along the Hatip Stream affected many areas along its bed, including Mamak, Saimekadın, Gülveren, Bentderesi, Dışkapı, Kazıkiçi vegetable gardens and Akköprü which led to many casualties and serious physical damage. At the same time, some of these streams had been highly polluted and literally had become open sewers. These all led to a drastic change in the urban landscape of Ankara; many streams and creeks were channelized and paved over. Bentderesi was one of them. Actually, Bentderesi (meaning barraged creek) is part of the Hatip Stream. It takes this name near the old settlement area, the Ankara Citadel. According to the literature, Bentderesi name comes from the dam structures on the creek built in Roman times. Unfortunately, the ruins had not been protected or conserved and are invisible today. Currently, vehicle traffic flows along “Bentderesi Street” which was built overtop the channelized river. Although the first plans for the newly established capital made use of Bentderesi and its surroundings as green spaces for leisure and ecological benefits, it became a slum area after it had been channelized. Today, Ankara is facing with water supply problems and the global climate change scenarios do not seem promising as well. Furthermore, there has been a rise in floods occurring in the urban fabric due to the increased impermeable paved surfaces overtop the creek and streams and their beds. Restoring and re-discovering the lost stream landscapes of the city would be a major, but at the same time an incredibly exciting challenge for Ankara and its urban landscape in terms of both ecological and social sustainability. In this regard, this paper will address to the conflicts between policies and the need for conservation of water surfaces of Ankara within the specific example of Bentderesi.