Learning experience infiltrates the lives of individuals by taking shape in parallel with many other developments such as technology, today’s conditions, media systems, and educational methods of the time. In parallel with this, learning cannot be thought of without time and place; it is essential to associate it with the context of the current time and lived moment. Alternative and informal learning modes – such as learning by doing, experience-based learning, playful learning, and Place-Based learning – have strong ties with the spatial organisation. The relationship between space and learning experience has turned into a situation that needs to unfold and be re-discussed. Especially learning in urban open spaces and the relationship of public pedagogies with public spaces need to be highlighted and unfolded. Learning about sustainability is essential to cultivate sustainable habits in citizens’ daily practices. Scarcity, destruction of natural areas, urbanisation problems, epidemics are not separate concepts. This study, in which informal learning about sustainability is discussed, also questions the informal teaching potentials of urban open spaces. The article also scans the potential of public spaces and informal learning experiences about sustainability. The study, which aims to emphasise the importance of programming public spaces to raise awareness about sustainability and small-scale interventions to be made in these areas, focuses primarily on a literature review on learning experiences about nature-human relationships. It then opens a discussion on small-scale interventions in public spaces and their potential to raise awareness of sustainability. Samples are selected in parallel with the characteristics clarified in parallel with the literature review and the selected public space interventions are examined. The common characteristics and keywords of these interventions, which focus on learning about sustainability in public spaces, are extracted. The study focuses on public pedagogies and raising awareness of sustainability in public spaces while aiming to create a common ground for future interventions. Secondly, it underlines the socio-ecological transformation potential of public spaces.

This article presents multiple pedagogical methods employed for urban planning students’ first-year basic design studio course during the rapid shift to an online environment in response to Covid-19. The aim is to critically discuss the conventional and innovative tools and techniques in design teaching during the online education system in the 2020–2021 academic year at Middle East Technical University City and Regional Planning Department. To do this, the basic design and planning studio course preparation itineraries, student projects and reflections are analysed to unveil the process of creating a non-linear and open (online) studio course. Although the central question in this study is how to prepare for an online design course, which is traditionally a hands-on experience in an active face-to-face studio environment, the outcomes of this article are noteworthy to evaluate from a broader perspective of basic design education for urban planners. The pedagogical strategies for a non-linear and open studio present significant lessons learned for a similar future experience. For this, the study discusses the outcomes as integrating conventional and digital tools, collaboration with students in preparing the course content, a flexible course program, and a process-based design. The results suggest combining new and conventional pedagogical approaches to adapt not only to an online education system but also to a possible revision of the course programs of design studios.

Topkapı Palace’s kitchen complex consists of the cooking units (kitchens), dorms, masjids, baths, storages, storerooms and cellars and is where the outer services (Birûn) served the inner ones (Enderûn). These units required water for drinking, cooking, cleaning and watering purposes. The water was supplied from Halkalı and Kırkçeşme. Water towers and wells then transmitted that to the kitchens’ fountains, alongside baths, ablutions and restrooms. If the Halkalı and Kırkçeşme water were insufficient, water from the city of Terkos was delivered to the palace, as well. Channels disposed of wastewater into the Marmara Sea. It has been determined that the findings obtained in the literature review do not review a holistic view of the whole study area. In order to fill the gaps, the new documents were provided from the Ottoman Archives of the Turkish Republic Presidency State Archives, archives from the Institute of Ekrem Hakkı Ayverdi, the National Library of France, and The Harvard Map Collection. To prove the accuracy of some of the new documents and to establish spatial relations, surface research and excavations are required within the study area. The aim of this article is to try to search for a context for the whole water supply of the palace kitchens by evaluating all available resources, spatial functions and connections.

Instrument sound directivity is of great importance when defining the sound source for research in architectural acoustics. When it comes to the topic of instrument directivity, whereas there are various studies on Western music instruments, only a few studies could be found on the directivity information of Eastern music instruments. For this reason, during architectural acoustic design processes in concert halls, rehearsal rooms, music studios and other Turkish music performance areas, there may be insufficient approaches in terms of defining the sound source. Directivity measurements of the qanun, oud, tanbur and clarinet, which are important instruments of Turkish music, were carried out within the scope of the study. These measurements for all octave band regions were carried out by designing a measurement setup with 20 microphone measurement points in the hemispherical area created in the semi-anechoic room at TÜBİTAK UME. The effect of the tonal spread characteristics of the instruments on the directivity was taken into account and a total of 143 measurements were carried out for all the note regions in the octave ranges of the relevant instruments. The directivity differences among the instruments and the acoustic propagation characteristics of different octave bands for each instrument are interpreted at the end of the study. The obtained values and results will make an important contribution to source modelling in architectural acoustic simulations of concert halls and concert hall stages; and in relation to this, in musician stage arrangements and all the other musical acoustics research.

Environmental colours can affect users in terms of performance, aesthetics, emotion, etc., and can play a role in their actions. Previous studies have shown that environmental colours are effective on user perception. This research aims to find out how wall colours can impact students in the learning environment by manipulating their attention, emotion, and behavioural reactions. An experiment was conducted with students aged 8–9 years in a real classroom painted in twelve colours. The students have taken the courses within a classroom having different wall colours (red, yellow, green, blue, purple, orange, green–yellow, blue–green, purple–blue, red–violet, white and grey) for twelve consecutive weeks during the experiment. In this process, various measurements and evaluations were conducted for each different colours regarding attention, emotion, and behaviours. The results show that learners’ attention notably increased in the red–purple and yellow wall colours and decreased in the orange, purple, red, and blue wall colours. The students mostly preferred green–yellow, blue–green, orange, purple, and blue wall colours, and the least preferred ones were grey, yellow, and red–purple colours. The red, orange, green, green–yellow, blue–green, blue, and purple wall colours were perceived as positive by students. From behavioural point of view, they were more active in red, orange, yellow, and blue–green, whereas they were calmer in purple, red–purple blue, and green. In the grey wall colour environment, students were observed as bored and distracted, and there was a slight decrease in their attention in the course.

A high degree of transparency is customary in modern building design, and horizontal or/and vertical fins are often employed for shading the building envelope. This study proposes a method to limit horizontal and vertical fin ranges according to current visual and thermal comfort standards. The study was carried out considering a module office room, which is assumed to be located in an office building, and one long wall is transparent. The minimum and maximum fit ranges were determined for four glazing types and seven directions the transparent wall faces (a total of 112 cases). The criteria suggested in the standard EN 17037 have been considered for visual comfort. In the first stage of providing thermal comfort, solar control was implemented to limit the fin range, that is, the annual shading need and solar gain were identified depending on the direction. Afterward, the adaptive comfort method recommended for naturally ventilated spaces in the ASHRAE 55-2017 standard was applied to evaluate the comfort conditions of the fit ranges. The detailed analysis revealed that the optimum direction regarding thermal and visual comfort is south, and the fin type in this direction is horizontal. Vertical fins in the west, east, northwest, and northeast directions provide positive outcomes. The performance of the horizontal and vertical fins is close to each other in the southwest and southeast directions. The results for the module office room can be used to take principle decisions for fit design.

The research presents a multi-criteria decision-making method that focuses on evaluating spatial performance by considering all areas without roads or structural elements as “urban surfaces”. In this context, the Seyyid Ömer neighbourhood in Istanbul’s Fatih district, as the study area, was discussed in detail in terms of physical, ecological, and social criteria and their sub-criteria. While the physical criteria include the size of each area and enclosure; the ecological criteria were studied with permeability rates and the normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) value, which measures unit area through the amount of chlorophyll. In addition, the type of property and land use in the urban context, which are the main factors for citizens’ interaction with open spaces, were included as sub-criteria under the main social criterion. The relationships between the identified criteria and the open space typologies in the neighbourhood were converted into an index using the analytical network process (ANP) to measure the urban surface performance. The developed index indicated that some urban voids stand out even more than the important ones and have greater potential than urban parks such as Çukur Bostan in terms of social and vegetation qualities. As a result of the research, a map of the importance level was created to illustrate the potential areas for improving the urban ecological performance. Then, various pocket parks such as Şelaleli Park and Skate Park and urban voids regarding their physical, ecological and social values were extracted as potential urban open spaces. With this structure, the research proposes a multi-criteria index that can be used to evaluate the potential of urban surfaces by putting them on a multi-dimensional and computable scale.

Erzurum’s historical urban texture has lost its layered structure over time, and its integrated structure with the city has deteriorated.
The present study aims to determine the physical characteristics of Erzurum’s historical city centre and their influence on pedestrian movements in order to quantify spatial legibility. The present study employs the Space Syntax technique. Developed by Hiller & Hanson (1984), this method serves as an approach for analysing the complex structure of cities, and it has been applied in a variety of disciplines.
All types of maps and aerial photographs, related publications, theses, the conservation plan dated 6.8.1986, and the open-source software DepthmapX were used as primary materials in the present study. Field observations, expert evaluations, and field and numerical data were used as secondary materials.
The present study focuses on Erzurum’s historical city centre, which is protected as a first and third-degree archaeological site. The study area was divided into four regions for examination. Region I involves the Erzurum Castle and its surroundings; Region II involves the Twin Minaret Madrasa and its surroundings; Region III involves the Yakutiye Municipality building and its surroundings; Region IV involves the Yakutiye Madrasa and its surroundings.
The Photoshop program was used to visualise the suggestions presented at the conclusion stage. The present study can be categorised as applied research because of this characteristic. Over time, historical cities evolve and develop a layered structure. The relevance of historical textures is recognised in planned cities, and the historical texture is conserved. The city of Erzurum, which was selected as the study area, is one of the cities where the historical urban environment and street texture could not be preserved. The historical city centre, which is a first- and third-degree protected area connected to the city’s busiest street, has become isolated over time, the area has become run-down with the gradual withdrawal of the historical city’s inhabitants, and the lack of responsibility and abandonment has resulted in security issues. The relationship between spatial accessibility and this scenario was investigated in the present study. The findings of the analysis and methodology are represented graphically. An axial map of the study area was first constructed, followed by a spatial legibility graph. According to the graphic results, the accessibility value in Regions I and IV are better as a result of the arrangements made in the form of city squares, whereas the accessibility value in Regions II and III is rather low. In order for the space to achieve a permeable structure, access points are defined and depicted on maps. In the conclusion section of the present study, the beneficial aspects of the relationship between accessibility and landscaping as found in the field studies were analysed, and field suggestions were included. The historical street texture of Erzurum has almost completely vanished in the area, according to investigations. In terms of legibility, it has been decided that the urban landscape studies conducted in Regions I and IV are more applicable. The historical urban texture of Regions II and III has been assessed to be complex, lacking a substantial level of comfort, and also insufficient in terms of security due to the isolation brought on by this turmoil, resulting in poor walkability.
The importance of accessibility in historical urban textures, as well as its implications for spatial use, have been evaluated in the pres-ent study. The use of digital software is critical in the planning of historical urban textures, which are becoming more relevant around the world and in our country. The present study, which was conducted in Erzurum’s historical city centre, is unique in regional terms. In terms of urban memory, historical urban textures are extremely important. The approaches that represent the spirit of the space, integrate with the traditional texture and respect the urban stratification, as well as the aesthetic value they offer to the city, emerge as the unifying element of city squares. The feasibility of recent urban transformation works in and around Erzurum Castle within the context of the layered structure was assessed in the present study. This distinguishes the study in regional terms.
Point proposals that have been expanded in terms of the coherence of the study area, which has a significant resource value in terms of preserving the remaining pieces of history, make the study distinctive in another respect.