The Black Sea coasts of Turkey have important examples of geological heritage with coastal cliffs in terms of geological formations and features. The Güzelcehisar Basalt Columns (GBCs) formation and its coast have been chosen as a research area in this article in terms of its basalt columns, rare coastal geological diversity and coastal geotourism potential. This paper presents the results of a visitor survey undertaken at the GBCs formation and its coast, located in the rural coastal part of Bartın province in the Western Black Sea Region of Turkey. This survey was conducted in 2020 to assess the tourism shoulder season visitors to the Güzelcehisar village. With the survey, its aim was to determine the awareness of the visitors on geoconservation and geodiversity and to evaluate the understanding of geological heritage and geotourism. In addition, it was desired to set visitor expectations to improve the geotourism experience. It was found that visitors had a high level of understanding and awareness of the terms “geodiversity”, “geoheritage”, “geotourism” and “geoconservation”. However, this survey also shows that there is less emphasis on the need to protect the geodiversity in Güzelcehisar. Guided walking is preferred in order to improve visitor understanding and improve experiences. These survey findings contain guiding explanations for studies that could provide a wider interpretation of the perceptions, experiences and expectations of visitors regarding the sustainable development of areas with similar coastal geotourism potential in Turkey.

Tr en Yüzyıllar boyunca birçok medeniyete ev sahipliği yapmış olan Anadolu sahip olduğu peyzaj çeşitliliği ile günümüzde kültürel peyzajlar açısından önemli örneklere sahiptir. Bu örnekler içerisinde ülkemizde Batı Karadeniz Bölgesi’ndeki kültürel turizm tur güzergahında yer alan araştırma alanları olarak seçilen Bartın, Amasra ve Safranbolu kentleri kendilerine özgü kültürel peyzaj karakterleri ile dikkat çekmektedir. Günümüzdeki hızlı kentleşme, kültürel peyzajlar üzerinde baskılar oluşturmaktadır ve beraberinde değişimi getirmektedir. Bu kapsamda, seçilen alanlarda kentsel kültürel peyzaj karakterindeki değişim algısı Bartın Üniversitesi Peyzaj Mimarlığı Bölümü 3. ve 4. sınıf lisans öğrencileri ile lisansüstü öğrencilerine anket uygulanarak ortaya konulmuştur. Anket sonuçlarına göre öğrencilerinin seçilen kentler bütününde kültürel peyzajlardaki karakter değişimindeki farkındalıklarının yüksek olduğu ortaya çıkmıştır. Gerek bakımsızlık gerek peyzaj onarım çalışmalarının eksikliği gerekse tarihi dokuyla uyumsuz planlamalar ve tasarımlar açısından kentsel kültürel peyzaj karakterinin geçmişten günümüze olumsuz bir değişim süreci sergilediği katılımcı değerlendirmeleri sonucunda elde edilmiştir. Anket sonucunda, katılımcılar genel olarak Bartın Çayı’nın Bartın Kenti için önemli bir karakter ögesi olduğunu ama sel ve taşkın riski açısından Bartın Çayı ve çevresinin yeniden planlanması gerektiğini ve tarihi Bartın evlerinin mevcut haliyle terkedilmiş bir görünüme sahip olduğunu ifade etmişlerdir. Amasra içinse Amasra’nın tarihi arkeolojik antik liman karakterini yansıttığı ve kentin yarımada özelliğinin görsel ve estetik çeşitlilik sunduğu ifade edilirken, kentsel sit alanı içerisindeki yeni yapıların geleneksel konut dokusu ile uyumlu olmadığı katılımcılar tarafından ortaya konulan sonuçlar arasındadır. Son olarak Safranbolu için Safranbolu evlerinin Safranbolu Kenti için önemli bir karakter ögesi olduğunu, safranın Safranbolu için karakteristik bir bitki olduğunu ve geleneksel kent dokusunun mevcut haliyle kente kültürel ve estetik bir görünüm kazandırdığını ifade ederken, kent dokusundaki mevcut açık ve yeşil alanların nitelik ve nicelik yönünden yeterli olmadığını belirtmişlerdir. Üniversite öğrencilerinin algıları ve tercihleri göz önünde bulundurulduğunda, kent kimliğine ve karakterine uygun gelecekte yapılacak planlama ve tasarım çalışmalarının kentsel kültürel peyzajların miras alanı olarak sürdürülebilirliği açısından önem taşıdığı söylenebilmektedir. Sonuçta, çalışma, Bartın, Amasra ve Safranbolu için yapı ölçeğinden kent ölçeğine kadarki kentsel tasarım stratejilerinin geliştirilmesi açısından önemli bir yol gösterici özelliğe sahiptir. Anatolia had hosted many civilizations. It has important examples of cultural landscape diversity. Of them, the cities of Bartın, Amasra and Safranbolu were selected as research areas because of the character of their unique cultural landscapes, and because they are located on the cultural tourism itineraries in Turkey’s Western Black Sea Region. Today's rapid urbanization pits pressure on cultural landscapes. Perceptions of changes in the character of the urban cultural landscape in the selected cities were determined by administering a questionnaire to Bartın University’s Department of Landscape Architecture third year, fourth year and postgraduate students. The participants stated that the Bartın River was an important element of Bartın’s character, but that the Bartın River and its environment need to be re-planned for flood risk, and that the historical Bartın houses have a desolate view. The participants revealed that Amasra showed historical and archaeological antique dock characteristics and had visual variety due to its location on a peninsula. However, they said that new buildings in an urban protected area are not compatible with the traditional ones. Finally, their opinions about Safranbolu were presented by the participants as Safranbolu houses were important elements of Safranbolu’s character, that saffron was a characteristic plant of Safranbolu and that the current state of the traditional urban pattern gave the city a cultural distinctiveness and an aesthetic appearance. However, they stated that there was not enough open green space in the urban pattern. The perceptions and preferences of university students indicate that the planning and design work appropriate to the urban identity and character are important for the sustainability of urban...

The innovative approach of integrating play and interaction into urban spaces aims to transform cityscapes into dynamic, engaging and inclusive spaces that both increase the quality of life of citizens and attract tourists. Playable cities encourage social interaction, creativity and physical activity by combining interactive and/or participatory activities, digital games, etc. Playable cities, which also include smart technologies and environmentally sensitive design, increase the quality of life of citizens and support urban ecology and urban resilience. This approach, in addition to being compatible with broader urban planning goals, plays an effective role in ensuring that individuals communicate with each other and cultural characteristics to continue. As cities continue to grow and expand over the years, the integration of fun designs and/or elements into public spaces provides the opportunity to make cities more livable and enjoyable for everyone. It also makes it possible to redefine urban experience in different ways and to align technological innovation with social well-being and environmental sustainability. In this context, the study aims to provide urban and landscape designers with a comprehensive understanding of playable cities and playful urban spaces. It aims to examine playable cities from the perspectives of playable urban design, playable urban furniture, landscape architecture, urban identity, tourism and social sustainability and to summarize their relationships. In addition, the study examines some examples to visualize the playability of urban designs and urban elements while analyzing them. It is thought that this comprehensive approach will form an important basis for future design studies to design user-centered, environmentally and climate-compatible urban landscapes.

Landscape architects, who guide planning and design decisions by understanding the socio-cultural expectations, functional needs, and social behaviors of the community, create ideal spaces for people by integrating natural, social, cultural, and aesthetic factors with a holistic design approach in urban public areas. Public open green spaces are important urban areas that have a positive impact on people’s physical, mental, and emotional health. In this context, the concept of personal space, its impact on individuals, and related perception studies have been examined. In landscape design, criteria that affect individuals’ personal space distances and personal space perceptions have been identified, providing a basis for sustainable landscape design projects in public open and green spaces.

The concept of urban design is a set of planning and design principles that shape the aesthetic quality and physical order of urban spaces. It also ensures that cities are sustainable, effective and livable. The key to creating livable and healthy cities is to determine the principles aimed at increasing the quality of urban space and to make these principles measurable. This study aims to identify the criteria used to evaluate urban spatial quality, examine how these criteria are applied in cities from different countries, and assess the overall quality of urban life. Within the scope of the research, the concept of “Quality of Urban Life” (QoUL) was addressed and QoUL was evaluated in the selected cities. The urban spatial quality criteria were determined based on a literature review and integrated into the evaluation form. At the conclusion of the study, a comparative analysis was conducted between cities in terms of QoUL criteria and a general framework was presented regarding the spatial quality of cities. Ultimately, this research contributes to the development of objective measurement methods for urban quality assessment and offers a guiding framework to enhance the livability of cities.

This study examines the role of water management in the context of sustainability and energy efficiency in urban areas. It emphasizes the necessity of effective water management strategies to preserve the urban water cycle, ensure energy savings, and support ecosystem integrity. The study explores sustainable water management principles and green infrastructure applications within a theoretical framework, analyzing innovative design solutions such as rainwater harvesting, greywater reuse, and permeable surfaces. Selected successful case studies at both national and international levels are evaluated in terms of their integration into urban space design. Ultimately, this study proposes a roadmap for designing energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable urban spaces by introducing policies and technological solutions that promote the efficient use of water resources in cities.