Abstract
As a solution to the rapid urbanization problem, green roof applications in urban centers have gained popularity. This study aims to investigate the green roof awareness of the casual users of Zorlu Center located in Besiktas, Istanbul. The social perception of the green roof, which is defined as an urban balcony, -by its architect, located in an intensively used area, has been handled as a case study. Perception enables people to critique, interpret, distinguish, and analyze their environment according to their core values to adapt to the environment. In this study, the perception has been associated with socio-demographic characteristics such as age, education, and attitudes. A field survey, designed to measure the impact of the green roof, was conducted with the 100 users of Zorlu Center. The most significant result of this study is that most of the participants are aware of the need to develop green roofs in Istanbul. This study shows that the commercial environment in the urban area, which has green elements such as the green roof, helps to renew and revitalize the city. It has been found that the green roof application of Zorlu Center attracted the users from the settlements in its close vicinity. The people came to Zorlu Center, especially to this green area, for leisure time activities. The green roof application of Zorlu Center has positively affected the users in terms of physical and mental health. Also, it has been found that green roof applications have a contribution to sustainable urban development, especially in high-density city centers, considering the positive effects on the city silhouette and urban quality of life. Keywords: Green roofs, shopping centers, perception, urban sustainability DOI: 10.7176/DCS/10-4-08 Publication date: April 30 th 2020
Highlights
Due to the employment opportunities in the cities with the Industrial Revolution, there has been an intense migration from rural to urban areas (Qian et al, 2020)
Urbanization, which has been realized within the framework of the principles of sustainable urban development, has been becoming a crucial requirement for the physical and mental health of future generations (Alcock et al, 2014)
The increasing number of buildings in proportion with the population causes a decrease in open green areas, especially in urban centers, and an increase in problems such as traffic and infrastructure (Newman, 2016)
Summary
Due to the employment opportunities in the cities with the Industrial Revolution, there has been an intense migration from rural to urban areas (Qian et al, 2020). The study aims to investigate the perception of green roof applications as a tool for sustainable urban development Within this scope; a questionnaire was designed to investigate (1) the awareness and the perception of the green roofs for the different age groups, (2) the awareness of the contribution of green areas to the urban life quality and (3) to determine the awareness of the advantages. In terms of social benefits, green roofs provide significant open space and have a positive effect on human health (Dunnett & Kingsbury, 2004) These systems formed by plants; depending on the types of plants to be used in the roof and the characteristics of the sub-system elements required for the plants to live optimally, they can be divided into 2 groups as extensively and intensively. It was determined that participants with higher education levels were more conscious about the benefits of the green roof than aesthetic value
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