AN INTEGRATED URBAN DESIGN AND SOCIAL MANAGEMENT MODEL: URBAN PUBLIC AREAS AS EXTERNAL GARDENS OF THE CITY

ABSTRACT

This paper represents an integrated urban design and social management model which transforms the maintenance of urban public green areas into an urban activity and encourages the students and other citizens to carry out activities by means of a shared, planned, scheduled and regionalist method within the cities. The aim of the study is to explore the potential of education regarding the sustainability of urban public green areas and the appropriation of urban green spaces to generate environmental consciousness. A model was formed for the integration of educational districts and a major green area which will be transformed to a large green park within the city in the case of Sakarya, Turkey. As a result, a “Green Area Management (GAM) Model” is presented in the name of “external gardens for the city” to connect the two major elements of society – educational districts and urban governance. Sustainability in terms of usage, appropriation and embedding of green areas in the consciousness of the society are among today’s biggest problems in cities. The proposed mutual sharing and the participative cooperation model (GAM Model) aim to address these problems.

Keywords: urban design, public green areas, sustainability, participative cooperation.