Evaluation of different wall design proposals based on user perception: the Izmit example in Türkiye

Surplus structures lead to wall problems in outdoor spaces. This makes people feel trapped between concrete masses. In this study, the walls in Izmit were examined. Activity areas in Izmit were determined as roadside, children's playground, sports area and resting area in which the wall is used intensively. The focal point was chosen as the visual quality of the walls in these areas. Visual quality is the user's appreciation or preference of the images of the walls before and after the design intervention. For each activity area, a total of 8 different wall examples of boundary and load-bearing walls were decided on, and design recommendations were developed using three different techniques of planting, constructiveness and planting–constructiveness. For each activity area, different intervention rates less (25–50%) or more (75–100%) were employed. Subsequently, the effect of these proposed designs on users and appropriate applications for different walls was revealed with the aid of a survey. In order to reveal the selection differences between the user group and the expert group, the survey was applied to 100 voluntary participants and an expert group of 10 landscape architects. As a result of the analysis, it was revealed that activity difference and the intervention rate were effective in the choice of intervention. Planting intervention design proposals were chosen for children’s playground and roadside while constructiveness and planting interventions were chosen for resting areas. Also, constructiveness interventions were chosen for sports areas. On the basis of the results, activity type in the areas where the walls are located was found to be effective on choices. It is important to choose the appropriate intervention technique in accordance with the user's preference for the activity. Overall, this study aims to emphasize the necessity and importance of correct interventions to walls in order to illustrate the city more liveable, healthy and comfortable, providing aesthetic value in a visual sense compatible with the city.