An evaluation of the relationship between everyday life rhythms and urban morphology: The square of Bursa Kent Meydani Shopping Center, Turkey

Abstract

The aim of this study is to search for the relationship between the morphological character of urban space and the rhythms of everyday life. Initially, behavioral maps are created by observing daily life rhythms, video recordings are taken on weekend and weekday, the snapshot technique, video recordings, and the pedestrian count analysis are used. In the second step, morphological analyses of the study area are prepared by using space syntax approach. Connectivity, local, and global integration values are obtained through creating axial map, and, in addition, visibility graph analysis (VGA) is performed. Bursa Kent Meydani Shopping Center (BKMSC) consists of a square and the shopping units surrounding it. This area was the main transportation point as Central Bus Station Complex until 2006. The area was selected within the scope of the study because its changing public use due to the functional transformation of the area plays a significant role in the identity of the Bursa. The behavioral maps obtained from the observational data give information about user mobility, various actions, and the activities' locations on weekends and weekdays. By correlating and comparing behavioral and space syntax maps analyses, the relationship between the rhythmic character and the morphological structure of the urban space is tested. The study presents original data by revealing the effects of the morphological elements of Bursa on the daily rhythms of the square of BKMSC. The case study is limited to the surveys conducted in 2 days and three different times of the day. The relationship between observational data and space syntax data shows that daily life rhythms are not independent of the morphological factors.