Design related fields are quite intricate and it is hard to define strict boundaries in between these
disciplines which cause the necessity of collaboration. Especially during professional careers, ...designers
work in multidisciplinary environments where they need to develop responses collaboratively. However,
undergraduate design education is being criticized for missing to fulfill this need. The aim of this paper
is to discuss the role and benefits of multidisciplinary design education with the example of the course
named “An Introduction to Contemporary Architectural Landscaping”. As the methodology of the
paper, through deconstruction of the 3 parted course structure and analysis of student works, this paper
analyses the role of a multidisciplinary education on students’ learning experiences. First two parts of
the course focus on technical aspects of landscape architecture discipline, and cultural, physiological
and psychological effects of landscape projects for users. Last part of the course focus on creating a
platform for students to work in collaboration with other students to gain practical experience in design
field where they develop a landscape architecture project on sites from their near environments. There
are three main findings of the study. Firstly, inclusion of students from different disciplines in the same
course increases the success rate via cross-learning experiences. Secondly, during design education,
having the chance of participation to courses from different disciplines help to broaden students’
perspectives on problem solving during design phase. Finally, projects in environments that students
experience in their everyday life increase their success rates. Results of the study that is based on the
outcomes of the course that is conducted with the students of two different design departments indicate
that this course structure and projects that are designed can be a guide for other design courses to develop
a multidisciplinary course structure to include students from different disciplines, enrich their learning
experiences and success after graduation
Urban children prefer playgrounds near home spaces due to physical and parental limitations on outdoor play. To increase the play value and use of playgrounds, it is essential to take a comprehensive ...design approach that considers the playground's design and surrounding environment. Using the play value calculation tool designed by Woolley and Lowe, and making site location analyses, this study aims to evaluate the relationship between physical and environmental characteristics of playgrounds with land use decisions through an analysis of the numbers of users and play value of playgrounds in neighbourhood parks in Balçova, İzmir (Turkey).
Neighborhood parks are significant green public spaces located in close social and geographical proximity to homes to maintain individual and public health. However, some people do not use the ...nearest parks, but those with other socio-spatial attributes that make them feel more “familiar”. This study argues that with their facilities, amenities and design, and the surrounding land uses, neighborhood parks do not only accommodate, but also define, regulate, and originate social relations among users. Thus, the design and planning of urban public spaces play a role in the emergence and maintenance of supportive and conflictual relations that lead to familiarity. The study answers two research questions: How do the park attributes shape and mediate the interpersonal relations among the park users? How do gender differences influence the parochial realms in parks? Data was collected through field observations and in-depth interviews with 33 female users of two neighborhood parks in a populous district of Izmir (Turkey). Results state that women’s park visits were related to their gendered roles and responsibilities. Yet their responses point to challenges emerging from physical and social attributes of parks and park surroundings which lead to negotiations to protect their individual or group’s privacy (parochial realm) in neighborhood parks. Mainly, perceived threats to women’s parochial realm are men unaccompanied by child(ren), and exposure to the male gaze. The study highlights the importance of investigating these attributes of neighborhood parks for developing research and public policies to improve women’s presence and perceived safety in public settings.
Neighborhood parks as important public open green spaces are supposed to provide certain opportunities of improving physical and mental health, socializing with others and developing public ...expression and identity in neighborhoods. However, on the contrary to ideal definitions of public open green spaces as open and accessible to all groups of the society, in real life this “access” is not guaranteed for all, mainly due to unequal distribution of resources. Especially certain groups of the society experience urban inequalities due to unequal distribution of resources. Women is one those groups who experience urban inequalities. The aim of this thesis is to produce a comprehensive research method that adopts a need-based approach to understand underlying causes of different user groups’ park needs and uses by looking at the different experiences of women in neighborhood parks based on their park perceptions as an example. Therefore, I conducted a case study in the neighborhood parks in Balçova, İzmir, Turkey with "mixed method" as a combination of both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods. I realized detailed observations, questionnaires, structured and un-structured interviews with Balçova residents in neighborhood parks and community houses. As a result, this study contributes to the scientific literature with the produced comprehensive research method, park improvement suggestions that consider the differences in the needs and uses of neighborhood parks and a raised awareness regarding the park needs of women, especially the ones who are bound to neighborhood space with limited social and leisure activity opportunities.
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