Yere Bağlanma Olgusunun Önemli Bir Bileşeni Olarak Yeşil Alanlar: Kuzguncuk Bostanı

Abstract

The phenomenon of place attachment refers to the emotional bonds people have with the places they live. This concept is a multidimensional and complex one as it includes variables such as feelings, understanding, perception and behavior patterns. Studies reveal that people feel more comfortable in places similar to the places they grew up in, and individuals' stress levels are mostly reduced in environments similar to their homes (Adevi and Grahn 2011). Lewicka (2011, p.223) states that although the studies on the place attachment should be include “people, processes and places”, the majority of the research focuses only on the psychological and sociological dimensions of the subject. In this framework, she underlines that a 'Place Theory' examining 'Place' has not yet been formed and there are few studies examining the relationships between place attachment and 'place' properties. This article aims to reveal the relationships between the existence of green areas and the phenomenon of place attachment, as part of a comprehensive research that investigates the place attachment theory and the characteristics of places. The study area is Kuzguncuk neighborhood, one of the old Bosphorus villages on the Asian side of Istanbul. The neighborhood is located between Beylerbeyi, another old Bosphorus village, in the north, and the historical city center of Üsküdar in the south. One of the most important urban image elements of the Kuzguncuk neighborhood is the vegetable garden (Bostan), formerly known as "Ilya's Garden". For Kuzguncuk residents, Bostan is both a frequently used green area and a place of collective memory of the neighborhood. For this reason, the Bostan area in the neighborhood, which started to become in attractive since the-mid 1980s, has been tried to be opened to development many times. However, this threat was eliminated each time with the efforts of the residents of the neighborhood. Within the scope of the research, the results of the survey conducted in Kuzguncuk in June 2016 with the participation of 400 people will be shared