How do I see the neighbourhood I live in Reading the drawings of children from Kasımpaşa, Istanbul

Abstract

Children constitute a significant part of users in urban spaces, so, children’s picturing their ideas on the cities they live in, as users of the urban space and interpreting these drawings create an important source both for the today’s urban designers and educators. The drawings of children are not only some visual outputs, but are also covered by the everyday life, like a fabric. Insufficient studies on the children’s relation with the urban space and their circle are the reason for the focus of this study. Although reading drawings is, in fact, a psychological subject, as they contain perception of the space and are related with the outer world, they are particularly of interest for the environmental psychologists and designers creating the environment (such as architects and urban planners). Based on what the drawings show, what the human-focused design needs and does not need shall be interpreted in scope of this study. In this study, the drawings by 7th grade students of the environment, their memorized perception of the city, chaos and unhealthy aspects of the city, is interpreted.