Bir kamusal mekan olarak meydanın çocuk gözüyle değerlendirilmesi: Türkiye, Isparta ili, Hükümet Meydanı örneği
Evaluation of the square as a public space by child: The case of Isparta Government Square, Turkey
Yazar: ÖZNUR SAKA KOCAMAN
Danışman: DOÇ. DR. HATİCE AYATAÇ
İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi / Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü / Kentsel Tasarım Ana Bilim Dalı / Kentsel Tasarım Bilim Dalı
Derece: Yüksek Lisans, 2018
Konu: Mimarlık = Architecture ; Şehircilik ve Bölge Planlama = Urban and Regional Planning

Özet:
Günümüzde çocuklar kentlerde gelişimlerini sürdürürken pek çok olumsuzlukla karşılaşmaktadır. Kalabalık, güvenilir ve temiz olmayan çevreler, çocukların gelişimini desteklememekte, ihtiyaçlarını karşılamamakta, dolayısıyla çocuklar kamusal mekanlardan uzaklaşarak evlerine hapsolmaktadır. Bu noktada çocuk hakları bahsetmiştir ki, her çocuk yaşamalı, gelişmeli, korunmalı ve kararlara katılmalıdır. Çocuğun sahip olduğu hakları gözeterek, çocuğun gelişimini destekleyen, çocuk için güvenilir ve sağlıklı bir çevre sunan, çocuğun temel ihtiyaçlarını karşılayan kamusal mekanlar günümüz çocuğunun en önemli gereksinimlerindendir. Meydan ise içinde pek çok aktiviteyi barındırabilen en önemli kamusal mekanlardandır. Kamusal mekan olarak meydanı, en önemli kullanıcısı olması beklenen çocuk gözüyle değerlendirmek ve incelemek, çocukların gelişimine ve toplumların geleceğine katkı sağlayacaktır. Meydanların çocukların beklenti ve istekleri doğrultusunda tasarlanması, tüm kentlilere dost ve yaşanabilir kamusal mekanları sunacaktır. Dolayısıyla çocuk gözüyle meydanları değerlendirmek ve meydanı yerinde sorgulamak çalışmada öncelikli olarak amaçlanmıştır.  Bu bağlamda, çalışmada kamusal mekan olarak meydanlar, çocuk dostu kentler kapsamında araştırılmış ve kamusal mekanın parametreleri ortaya konmuş ve de dünyadan çocuk dostu meydan örnekleri incelenmiştir. Sonrasında, Türkiye' nin yaşanabilirlik sıralamasında (2016 yılı) ilk sırada yer alan kenti Isparta'daki Hükümet meydanı, çalışma alanı olarak seçilmiş ve çocukların değerlendirmesi esasıyla, haritalarla analiz edilerek çocukla bağlantı kuran mekanlar belirlenmiştir. Çocuk gözüyle Hükümet Meydanını incelemek için hazırlanan bu haritalar, çalışma alanının modellenmesiyle oluşturulan resim ile birleştirilmiş ve meydan çevresindeki okullardan odak grup olarak seçilen 7-10 ve 11-14 yaş gruplarındaki toplam 100 çocuk ile anket çalışması yapılmıştır. Anket, çocukların sosyo ekonomik profilleri, okul dışındaki aktiviteleri, diğer kişilerle iletişimleri ve Hükümet Meydanıyla ilgili değerlendirmeleri ortaya koymaya yarayacak 20 soruyu kapsamaktadır. Çocukların ankette verdiği cevaplar, çocuk dostu kamusal mekan parametrelerine göre analiz edilerek Hükümet Meydanının çocuk dostu olup olmadığı araştırılmıştır. Bununla birlikte, ankette verilen harita ve model resmin üzerine çocukların yaptıkları ve yapmak istedikleri aktiviteleri yazmaları ile elde edilen bulgular haritalara aktarılarak analiz edilmiştir. Sonuç olarak bu çalışmada kamusal mekan olarak meydanın çocuk için önemi vurgulanmış, çocuk dostu kamusal mekanın parametreleri ortaya çıkarılmış ve Hükümet meydanı, çocuk kullanıcısı gözünden yerinde sorgulanarak, Hükümet Meydanının çocuk dostu olup olmadığı araştırılmış, çocukların meydanda yaptıkları ve yapmak istedikleri aktiviteler tespit edilmiştir.  Ortaya çıkan bulgular genel bir değerlendirmeye alınmış ve çocuk dostu bir kamusal mekan olarak meydan ile ilgili öneriler geliştirilmiştir.

Abstract:
Today, children are faced with many negativities while they are developing in urban areas. Crowded, unreliable and polluted environments do not support the development of children, can not meet their needs, so children are confined to their homes away from public spaces. At this point, children's rights are mentioned, every child should be living, developing, protected and participating in decisions. Taking into account the rights the child has, the public spaces that support the child's development, provide a safe and healthy environment for the child and meet the basic needs of the child are the most important requirements of today's children.
The most important urban spaces that support children's needs and meet their needs are public spaces such as streets, parks and squares. In recent years, there have been practices and studies about the importance of public spaces for children to be livable and child-friendly in recent years. These studies and practices are on the scale of the city as well as on the city scale.
The square is one of the most important public spaces where many activities can be enjoyed. Evaluating and examining the public as the public space, the child expected to be the most important user, will contribute to the development of children and the future of society. Designing squares in line with children's expectations and wishes will present friendly and livable public spaces to all urbanites. Therefore, the child is primarily aimed at studying squares and questioning the square at the spot.
In other words, the primary purpose of the research is to evaluate and examine the plaza as a public space, whether it is the most important user of the plaza as well as the present social, spatial and social importance of the plaza. This, together with the evaluation of the plaza, will ensure that attention is paid to children of different age groups and genders as well as children with disabilities. Also within the framework of the main objectives; as a public space, to question the plaza with the child's user, and in this context, to examine the most livable city of our country, Isparta and the government square.
This work; table work, map work and focus group work. In the table study, which is the first step of the study; literature survey, methodological research and spatial and social analyzes for Isparta, which was selected for the field study. In the literature research, concepts of child, childhood, child needs, public space, child friendly city, child friendly public space, square and child friendly square were evaluated as key words. The public squares were researched within the context of child-friendly cities and the parameters of the public space were revealed and examples of children-friendly squares from the world were examined.

The second step is the mapping exercise; In the light of the information obtained in the first step, Isparta Government Square and its surroundings have been analyzed by being child-centered, and the places that have established interest with children have been mapped. The map which will allow the design of the Government Square after the child's eyes is prepared by modeling and combining the work area.
In the third step, a survey was conducted with focus groups at educational institutions located in the vicinity of Government Square. The focus groups were divided into 7-10 and 11-14 age groups and a questionnaire consisting of closed-ended questionnaire was applied in the schools of the children, in the schools of the children, under the guidance of the guidance teachers and with the knowledge of the students. The findings of the questionnaire were analyzed by transferring them to the maps.
Children's answers to the questionnaire were analyzed according to child-friendly public space parameters to investigate whether the Government Square was child-friendly. However, the model given in the questionnaire was analyzed on the map map by transferring the findings of the children's activities and the activities they wanted to make.
In this study, which is based on the necessity of carrying some parameters in order to be friends with children in public spaces emphasizing necessity for children, these parameters emerged from the literature study are physical environment, health, diversity, accessibility, socialization, security and consistency. The challenge, which is a child-friendly public space, should be sufficient for these parameters. It is envisaged that this competence will be looked at and questioned from the child's eyes, to reach more real results about the public space and the situation of the plaza.
Within the scope of the parameters, it is a child friendly public space; It is a comfortable place where children can meet their needs easily, they can reach easily, they are safe, they are away from physical disabilities such as falling and injuries, they are engaging, teaching, have various activities and can share with other children.
In the examples described in the literature study, common features of child-friendly public spaces; it is a place where people can not enter vehicles, can be trusted, various activities are done, and are focused on everyone and especially children. These common features seen in the examined examples are easily accessible and used by everyone, the characteristics seen in Isparta Government Square. The diversity parameter, one of the child-friendly parameters, was found inadequate in the Government Square when it was emphasized and considered in most cases. It has been found that there are no different kinds of playgrounds for children such as water playgrounds, playgrounds made of natural materials, and children want to see these variations in the square.
When we look at the results of children's activities in the public space, the public space has time to play for the group of 7-10 years, to walk around and go to the park, for the group of 11-14 age to walk around, to bike, to skate and skateboard. However, the results of the child's public space expectation show that the children in the 7-10 age group want to play in the public playground and sit and spend time in the green areas besides going to the park. The 11-14 age group also wants to do more than sit in a green space, in addition to activities like other age groups, in a public space.
If a generalization is made for the 7-10 and 11-14 age group as a public space that emerges as an activity, a center for exploration and learning, the Government Square tells children that they first walk around and walk, attend ceremonies, festivals, concerts, meetings or rallies, bicycle swings, skate slides. They are also more active in the square than they can passively do. However, the results showed that children are in a challenge to perform activities they can passively do, such as sitting in green areas, sitting on benches, taking photos, watching other people, playing with phone / tablet, and connecting to the Internet. Especially, most children have the highest expectation and want to do is to be green areas and to use these areas.
When assessed in the light of the results of the child's eye evaluations, the Government Square is generally known and generally child-friendly.
However, it is used by both age groups to walk or walk, but the 11-14 age group provides more opportunities for children to use, is easily accessible by both age groups, is clean, safe and spacious, and can not be used for a variety of activities, and both age groups are inadequate and unavailable in terms of green areas, and are inadequate for both age groups to live in. 7-10 age group water by children, ball etc. playgrounds and places to go to the park are inadequate in terms of space, 11-14 age group is inadequate in terms of being a space where children can spend time with other people and socialize. While the Government Square is comfortable enough by the 11-14 age group, it is seen by both age groups as a place where you can be interested in street animals and participate in ceremonies, festivals, concerts, meetings or rallies. In addition, Government Square is rarely used by 11-14 age group to play with phone or tablet, but it is frequently used by 11-14 year old boys.
With this thesis, child friendly public space parameters are revealed, child friendly square features are examined and the government square is evaluated with child's eye. The results of the thesis are presented with the suggestions developed in relation to the Government Square by combining with the wishes and expectations of the children; child-friendly designs will emerge when considering the physical environment, health, diversity, accessibility, socialization, safety and comfort parameters while designing squares. In addition, there should be green spaces that children can actively use on the square, seating areas where they can share with other people, and other people can watch, and the challenge is to create a living space where children can use different, diverse activities, ball etc. playgrounds that contain playable areas and that are made of natural materials that support physical, mental, social development. However, considering the physical comfort and safety of the children's ground material, the internet access should be provided especially for children in late childhood and adolescence by taking into account the relationship between today's children and technology and the internet, and the roads reaching the square should be secured and children should be provided with access alone opportunity.
Designers and municipalities, who play an active role in the design of public spaces, should give importance to the ideas of children, their ideas and wishes are questionable and they should decide with their children in their designs
Within the context of child friendly public space parameters; providing livable and child-friendly spaces for children will support a livable and healthy city for all. This will be possible when children participate in the design process and design is done from the perspective of the child.