Abstract:

Parks, which are one of the indispensable elements of urban open green spaces, provide physical and mental relaxation of humans supporting their recreational needs. Moreover, parks which strengthen the image of cities and increase the quality of life, provide social and economic benefits. While the botanical parks in the parks serve as urban open green spaces that provide awareness to people by introducing plant diversity, they are in an important position both in terms of contributing to the urban ecosystem and creating opportunities for recreational activities. In this study, the recreational functions of Bakırköy Botanical Park, located in the Bakırköy district of Istanbul, which the most important metropolitan city of Turkey, were evaluated with user participation. Questionnaire method was used in the study. In the survey, users stated that they perceived Bakırköy Botanical Park as an urban park, and it was determined that mostly young people (26-35 years old) visited the park and spent 1-3 hours. It was observed that in terms of comfort and image, a park to get away from the crowd (78%) is important as well as the presence of children's playgrounds (66.80%). Although the park has some deficiencies in terms of equipment and maintenance, it has been seen that it cannot adequately fulfill its educational function. As a result, solutions have been proposed in the direction of the necessity of making the necessary arrangements for the Bakırköy Botanical Park to maintain both its recreational and educational functions well.

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