Berfin Şenik

A growing interest exists in robust tools to evaluate urban environmental performance. This study introduces a Green City Index framework, designed to assess and compare the sustainability of urban districts. Istanbul, with its significant population density and economic influence, serves as the pilot city in Türkiye. The study included (i) examining existing city indices, (ii) identifying indicators for environmental quality (EQ), community welfare, and DS, (iii) collecting and producing relevant data, and (iv) establishing the Green City Index using the Analytic Hierarchy Process. The highest‐scoring district in Istanbul achieved only 59 out of 100, indicating that no district's environmental performance is sufficiently strong. Even in well‐managed districts, EQ was lacking. A significant relationship between the total index and other subcategories was observed. Recognizing index development as dynamic, this Green City Index provides decision‐makers with a tool for strategic urban management, helping them assess and improve sustainability efforts in line with long‐term goals.

The importance of vulnerability analysis in disaster management is increasingly recognized, especially in megacities like Istanbul. This study focuses on conducting an in-depth analysis of the vulnerabilities of Istanbul's districts to various disasters such as earthquakes, landslides, floods, tsunamis, and sea-level rise. The evaluation considered three key factors: exposure, which refers to the shocks and stresses that a district may experience and the frequency and extent of potential losses; sensitivity, which indicates how the district responds to these shocks; and adaptive capacity, which reflects the district’s ability to withstand and recover from such impacts. According to these key factors, indicators were identified, relevant data were collected and generated, and the Analytic Hierarchy Process method was applied for weighting. The study reveals that districts located in the southern belt, particularly those with dense urbanization and coastal areas, exhibit higher levels of vulnerability. Among Istanbul's 39 districts, 13 districts, including Gungoren, Bahcelievler, and Zeytinburnu, were classified as highly vulnerable. Additionally, 14 districts were moderately vulnerable, 9 had low vulnerability, and 3, including Silivri, Catalca, and Sile, had very low vulnerability. An adaptive disaster risk reduction framework was proposed for the districts. These findings are intended to assist local governments in more effectively planning disaster management and risk reduction strategies. The findings support Istanbul's resilience and offer valuable guidance for urban planning and disaster management, both locally and globally. Graphical abstract

Giriş ve Hedefler Dünyada yenilenebilir enerji, sürdürülebilirlik ve iklim değişikliği konularında algı ve farkındalık düzeyini araştıran çeşitli çalışmalar bulunmaktadır. Bu çalışma ile Düzce ve Zonguldak ilerinde seçilmiş ilköğretim öğrencilerine yönelik doğa ve çevre bilinci/farkındalığını belirlemek için yapılan sunum ve eğitimlerin etkilerinin araştırılması hedeflenmiştir. Yöntemler Araştırma, Düzce iline bağlı Gölyaka, Kaynaşlı ve Merkez ilçeleriyle Zonguldak iline bağlı Ereğli ilçesinde toplam 574 öğrenciden 416’sına ulaşılarak 6 okulda gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırma kapsamında ilköğretim öğrencilerine yönelik eğitim kitapçıkları ve doğa, çevre ve yenilenebilir enerji eğitim sunumları araştırmacılarca hazırlanmış ve yapılmıştır. Araştırmada, demografik bilgiler haricinde 3 bölüm ve toplam 37 sorudan oluşan anket kullanılmıştır. Anket öğrencilere hem çalışma kapsamında verilen eğitimden önce hem de eğitimden sonra uygulanmıştır. Öğrencilerin çevreye yönelik düşünce ve duyguları “Çocuklar İçin Yeni Ekolojik Paradigma Ölçeği” ile ölçülmüştür. Öğrencilerin çevreye yönelik davranışlarını belirlemek için “Çevresel Sorumluluk Ölçeğinden” yararlanılmıştır. Öğrencilerin yenilenebilir enerji kullanımına dönük tutumlarını belirlemek için de “Yenilenebilir Enerji Kullanımına Yönelik Niyet Ölçeğinden” yararlanılmıştır. Bulgular Öğrencilerin ağırlıklı olarak 4., 5. ve 6. Sınıftan oldukları görülmüştür. Çalışmada çevreye yönelik duygu ve düşüncelerin eğitim sonrasında pozitif yönde geliştiği tespit edilmiştir. Yenilenebilir enerji kullanımına dönük davranışların belirlenmesine yönelik kullanılan ölçek sonuçlarında eğitim sonrasında öğrencilerin daha yüksek oranda yenilenebilir enerji kullanma niyetinde oldukları belirlenmiştir. Sonuçlar Araştırma sonucunda yapılan eğitimlerle öğrencilerin çevreye dönük düşünce ve duygularında olumlu yönde gelişmeler gözlemlenmiş, bu da eğitimin doğaya ve çevreye duyarlılığı artırdığını göstermiştir. Ayrıca, doğanın hakları ve insan özgürlüğü gibi kavramların farkındalığında, eğitimin olumlu etkileri görülmüştür, bu da öğrencilerin çevresel bilinçlerinin derinleştiğini göstermektedir.

Open green spaces have significant contributions to the city, urban residents and ecosystem. However, these contributions could not be fully reflected on the urban space due to rapid urbanization. Furthermore, studies on this reflection have focused only on a specific function of open green spaces without a holistic approach. Also, there is no common framework for the definition, classification and standardization of open green spaces or a comprehensive analysis of these domains. The present study aimed to propose a guideline that included five criteria to serve as a baseline to plan open green space systems. In the study, open green spaces and the city were considered as a subsystem of the landscape. Thus, open green space objectives and strategies were proposed based on the landscape functions, urban character and urbanization level (urban density). Furthermore, the study reconsidered the definition and classification of open green spaces and recommended standards. These standards were categorized in two groups based on recreational standards and natural disasters. Thus, the open green spaces were analyzed based on qualitative, quantitative, connectivity and location selection criteria with a holistic approach and a multi-dimensional framework was developed based on ecological, recreational and disaster criteria.

The perceptual design quality of physical spaces has been increasingly studied in the literature in recent years. However, the studies in the field of landscape architecture are insufficient about how the design quality of urban parks built in different periods is perceived today. This study aims to compare urban parks that reflect modern and postmodern designs in terms of design quality criteria. In this context, 4 subjective design quality criteria (imageability, legibility, vitality, diversity) were evaluated for Prospect Park and Parc des Buttes-Chaumont modern period parks, and Millennium Park and Parc de la Villette postmodern period parks. Expert opinion was consulted in design criteria and selection of city parks. Analytic Hierarchy Process was used to compare modern and postmodern period parks and Expert Choice software was used. In this study, 4 urban parks were defined as alternatives and 4 design qualities were defined as criteria. The results revealed that the designs of the city parks reflect the postmodern design line that perceived with higher quality. Besides, the most prominent criterion among the design criteria was found as Imageability. This study makes a perceptual contribution to the comparison of the design quality of urban parks of different periods.