EVALUATING EFFECTS OF AN URBAN REGENERATION: THE CASE OF ESPARK

Abstract

Aim: This research aims to present a study on the evaluation of the transformation of cities in different dimensions of urban design. The most important contribution of the research is to reveal the change that an idle factory area, which has been left out of use, has built up after a new project has been built in the city. It is very important that the old industrial areas in the idle state remaining in the city centers can become a new identity item from the socio-cultural, economic and physical aspects in order to restore and revitalize the city and to protect its place in the memory of the city. At this point, it is emphasized that the urban transformation projects are evaluated with respect to the dimensions of urban design in order to produce projects that retain the identity and past traces. Method: The study consisted of two steps; literature and field research. Through the literature review, theories about the dimensions of urban design have been synthesized from different sources. The morphological, perceptual, social, visual, functional and temporal dimensions of urban design were evaluated from a holistic viewpoint in order to examine the information process obtained from this synthesis and the change after the transformation. Indicators identified in these evaluations; Before and after the transformation, the plan studies were evaluated with the questionnaire survey conducted with the users of Espark and data obtained from the field survey, Eskisehir Metropolitan and Tepebaşı municipalities and Eskişehir Conservation Board Regional Directorate. The survey was conducted face-to-face with 100 people living in Eskisehir for at least 10 years, thinking that they could benefit from the information about the oldness of the converted area. In the questionnaire study, 9 basic questions and 55 evaluation criteria were given on 5 Likert scale under 5 headings in order to evaluate the effects of the project on temporal, visual, social, perceptual and identity change. The hypothetical model for the change that is generated by the transformation can be evaluated holistically from the dimensions of the urban design has also been tested by field research. Findings: In the factories located in Eskişehir city center; the lack of factories today and the fact that projects constructed in the field due to the processing of the old ruined factories have also affected the change in the character of urban development. Evaluated from the perspective of 6 dimensions of urban design, the Espark project revealed the social, visual, morphological, perceptual, functional and temporal dimensions of the findings obtained by analyzing the survey results in the SPSS program. Result: An analytical study on the effects of the urban design and the evaluation of the effects of the projects so that the transforming and changing old industrial district protects the memory of the city and preserves its place in the urban space, the changes in the urban spatial formation process, the urban identity effect, economic vitality, spatial quality, social and spatial harmonization . This study produced experiential outputs for the identification of problems and solutions for discussing the effects of space in a conceptual and transitional manner in terms of synthesizing theories for the dimensions of urban design.