Browsing by Author "Erkip, F."

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Open Access
Attitudes of design students toward computer usage in design
(Springer Netherlands, 2006-01) Pektaş, S. T.; Erkip, F.
The success of efforts to integrate technology with design education is largely affected by the attitudes of students toward technology. This paper presents the findings of a research on the attitudes of design students toward the use of computers in design and its correlates. Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools are the most widely used computer applications in design. An instrument was developed and applied for the first time to relate computer attitude to design field through CAD. Interior architecture undergraduates of Bilkent University participated in the survey. As a result, students' attitudes toward the use of computers in design were found to be positive. A significant gender difference in attitudes toward computers was observed with males having more positive attitudes than females. The results also revealed that students' attitude toward computer usage in design was highly related to their general attitude toward computers, but it was not correlated with their perception of instructors' attitude toward the use of computers in design. © Springer 2006.
Open Access
Community and neighborhood relations in Ankara: an urban-suburban contrast
(Elsevier, 2010-04) Erkip, F.
This paper focuses on community and neighbourhood relations of two high-income districts in Ankara. A suburban and a more traditional urban community are contrasted via a field survey that focuses on attitudes toward certain community values and toward other citizens. The findings indicate that residents in both settings express similar values towards community and neighbourhood relations. Their attitude toward other districts of the city is also similar, indicating an increasing and widespread exclusion of the poor. The varied implications of this investigation, including the nature of the gated community, are explored.
Open Access
Discrimination against teenagers in the mall environment: a case from Ankara, Turkey
(Libra Publishers, 2009-02) Mugan, G.; Erkip, F.
Teenagers spend much of their leisure time at shopping malls which is a result of factors such as parental constraint due to the incivility of the streets, financial dependence, and limited financial resources. Migros, a shopping mall in Ankara was chosen as the sit for this research wiht the main purpose of studying discrimination patterns against teenagers in the mall environment. The research was carried out through observation and in-depth interviews with 104 teenagers. Results indicate that, although they have some complaints, most of the teenagers do not perceive discrimination in the mall, unlike their foreign counterparts.
Open Access
Global transformations versus local dynamics in Istanbul
(Elsevier, 2000-10) Erkip, F.
Istanbul, as the greatest metropolis of Turkey and one of the great cities of the world, has been rapidly transforming in recent years. This paper analyzes various aspects of this transformation to lead to an understanding of an appropriate strategy for metropolitan governance. Recent politicial developments indicate an apparent fragmentation of Istanbul citizens into segments with different expectations and life-styles that make new strategies of governance urgent and vital, yet harder. Istanbul is an arena waiting for the invasion of different citizen groups with different ethnic, religious and communal backgrounds. Although Turkish urban policy has never been welfare-oriented, market and outward orientation has never been so dominant. Policy issues seem to help the articulation with the world economy and to make Istanbul more attractive for foreign capital. Urban politics and government cover only a limited area of urban dynamics in Istanbul. A new approach to governance requires a strategic change in the state of mind of elected municipal officials towards the integration of various communities into governing practices, regardless of their bases of formation. Recent developments give clues about the governance potential in Turkish metropolises. Istanbul, with its urgent problems, may constitute a case study for other cities in Turkey.
Open Access
Increasing the effectiveness of time-use survey with qualitative methods: the analysis of time-space interaction
(Routledge, 2010-03) Erkip, F.; Mugana, G.
Time-use surveys have been rich data sources in many countries for a long time. Turkey was among the countries that realized the potential of time-use surveys quite late and completed the first national survey in 2006. Despite its importance for a wide range of issues and applications, the first survey has flaws in design, which reduce its effectiveness and reliability. This is mostly due to disregarding cultural factors while tracking the methodology of European examples. This study aims to propose more appropriate methods of gathering time-use data in the Turkish context through a field survey in Ankara, the capital city. A mixed methodology that combines quantitative and qualitative methods effectively was applied and used to enrich data. The influence of space use was stressed and leisure activities were utilized to exemplify the use and benefits of mixed methods. © 2010 Interdisciplinary Centre for Comparative Research in the Social Sciences and ICCR Foundation.
Open Access
Invasion of personal space under the condition of short-term crowding: a case study on an Automatic Teller Machine
(Academic Press, 1999-06) Kaya, N.; Erkip, F.
This study is an investigation of the effects of short-term crowding on the invasion of personal space. The analysis was carried out by means of research designed for automatic teller machine (ATM) users in Ankara. The activity, withdrawing money from an ATM, requires certain levels of privacy which may vary with the personal characteristics of the individuals. Among these, sex of the user is considered an important factor. Also, situational variables such as density conditions have an effect on interpersonal distance. The survey was carried out through participant observation and short interviews with the users under two - low and high - density conditions. It was found that personal space was invaded more under high density conditions and when the space was perceived as narrower. However, this did not cause a significant difference in the privacy requirements of the users as they mostly preferred a private space under both density conditions. Sex did not appear to be a dominating factor in this choice although people of opposite sexes tended to keep longer distances between them. The only difference was the females' approach to males which was more distant than males approach to females. Utilizing the findings of this research, appropriate design solutions for an indoor ATM hall were proposed.
Open Access
Leisure in the Turkish context: a preliminary account
(Routledge, 2009) Erkip, F.
The literature on leisure has been dominated by Western examples until recently. Some recent accounts of non-Western cases provide a different and richer context for understanding leisure. This study is an attempt to reveal the nature and development of leisure in the Turkish context. The historical background of leisure in Turkish society is briefly presented as an aid to understanding the current situation better. The findings of recent research on time use by Turkish people are also presented with a particular focus on leisure patterns. The data were collected through a field survey in Ankara, the capital city. The results indicate that leisure patterns vary along with settlement type and socio-demographic characteristics.
Open Access
Retail development in Turkey: an account after two decades of shopping malls in the urban scene
(Elsevier, 2015) Erkip, F.; Ozuduru, B. H.
The social, economic and environmental impacts of large-scale retail outlets on existing retail and urban systems have been extensively discussed in the planning literature. This article documents the last two decades of transformation in Turkey's retail sector, which have been characterized by a more organized development of the sector than traditionally existed. We begin our analysis with the late 1980s and early 1990s, when more-liberal and outward-looking policies began to emerge in Turkish economic policy. Changes in the economy and related legislation prepared a base for the subsequent transformations of that decade, culminating, especially in large cities, in the development of shopping malls as alternative retail spaces to traditional markets and stores on a shopping street. We believe that the Turkish case reveals specific aspects of resistance, adaptation and change, and thus needs a detailed account. After providing a general picture of retailing and its transformation in Turkey, we provide empirical evidence from Ankara, the capital city, through which all important dynamics of retailing are exemplified. To this end, we ask the following questions: What are the evolving processes behind the existing location patterns of shopping centres in Ankara? What is the extent of the change in definition of the new public realm? How do street retailers survive? Who are the actors and what are their approaches towards retail planning in Turkey? The answers to these questions may provide implications for urban policy and retail planning in Turkey. The case may also be interesting for countries experiencing similar patterns of change and development, that is, where the globalization process in retailing and consumption-related sites began later than in other countries and observed fast-paced development. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.
Open Access
Retail planning and urban resilience-an introduction to the special issue
(Elsevier, 2014) Salgueiro, T. B.; Erkip, F.
Open Access
Retailers' resilience strategies and their impacts on urban spaces in Turkey
(Elsevier, 2014) Erkip, F.; Kizilgun, O.; Mugan, G.
Recent developments in the retail sector in Turkey have created a dynamic environment, with different resilience strategies of actors forming the sector providing a new context in which to discuss urban transformation. The developments have contributed to the public's awareness regarding multifaceted problems in the retail sector, many of which have a negative impact on urban space. Retailers, citizens and governing bodies variously contribute to this issue with different perceptions of and strategies on how to adapt to the changes. How these dynamics work and influence urban space in the Turkish context is the main focus of this research. A field survey in Ankara revealed that the resilience strategies of traditional retailers are reactive rather than proactive. This situation provides them with the flexibility to adapt themselves more quickly to the changes in the sector. However, as there is no holistic retail policy in Turkey, reactive strategies also result in unplanned use of urban space.
Open Access
The rise of the shopping mall in Turkey: the use and appeal of a mall in Ankara
(Elsevier, 2005-03) Erkip, F.
The shopping mall as the site of contemporary consumption has long been attracting the attention of various researchers analyzing socio-spatial dynamics in different cultures. It is the focus of this study of recent transformations in Turkish metropolises, due to its primary influence on urban life. As an initial attempt to understand the Turkish situation, a field survey was carried out in Bilkent Shopping Center, a newly built shopping mall in a high-income suburban area of the capital city, Ankara. Some long-lasting assumptions about Western consumption trends and shopping mall development were tested to provide clues for dynamics in a developing country. In addition to statistical analyses of data obtained from structured interviews, various observations were used to enrich the survey. Although shopping mall development seems to be a part of a global trend, there exist socio-cultural influences creating local patterns in the use of the mall. These patterns differ with user characteristics, such as gender, age and occupation, as well as the time of visit. This paper suggests that shopping mall development poses a number of policy issues for planning bodies and these issues need to be addressed with an awareness of the local context.
Open Access
The role of retailing in urban sustainability: the Turkish case
(SAGE, 2013-07) Erkip, F.; Kizilgun, O.; Mugan, G.
Consumption-oriented urban life has increased the role of the retail sector in the viability of the urban core and sustainability of cities. The current organization of retailing creates a centre/periphery dichotomy that challenges urban sustainability in many countries. Turkey is a country with a vivid retail environment, having traditional, small-scale retailing as well as shopping centres in large and medium-sized cities. Although some efforts at policy-making have been made by state institutions and the non-profit organizations of various actors in the sector, there is no comprehensive retail policy in Turkey. This situation has led to negative consequences for the traditional segments of the sector and for cities’ spatial organization. It also threatens the sustainability of urban life, which is nourished by a variety of actors in the sector. Thus, it is imperative to control the development of retail investments through a holistic approach, considering how they might affect all actors and citizens.
Open Access
Satisfaction in a dormitory building: the effects of floor height on the perception of room size and crowding
(SAGE, 2001-01) Kaya, N.; Erkip, F.
This article examines the effects of floor height on the perception of room size and crowding as an important aspect of satisfaction with a dormitory building. The analysis was carried out by means of a survey research designed for dormitory residents at Bilkent University, Ankara. Two 5-story dormitory buildings, one housing men and the other women, in which all rooms are of identical size and have equal density, were chosen for the survey. The highest (fifth) and the lowest (ground) floor were included in this research with a sample of an equal number of male and female students for each. As predicted, residents on the highest floor perceive their rooms as larger and feel less crowded than residents of the lowest floor. Overall, when the room is perceived as larger and the feeling of privacy in a room increases, the satisfaction with a dormitory room also increases.
Open Access
The shopping mall as an emergent public space in Turkey
(SAGE, 2003) Erkip, F.
The shopping mall as a part of the recent transformations in Turkish urban lifestyle is the focus of this research. Characteristics of the Turkish way of using shopping malls, and their social and spatial consequences, are investigated and analyzed through a case study in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. The field survey was carried out in Bilkent Shopping Center, a newly built shopping mall in a suburban area which was also established recently as a high-income housing settlement. This shopping mall is an appropriate example of spatial transformations under the influence of global forces, which may also give clues about changes in urban lifestyle. A field survey was carried out through user surveys, and various observations are used to enrich the analysis. The results indicate that the shopping mall as a postmodern site matched the changing shopping and consumption requirements of Turkish urban citizens. The development of the shopping mall turns out to be timely for the Turkish urban citizen searching for modernity through new identity components in consumption patterns. Some benefit from this development more than others, for example, working women, indicating the process of feminization of the flaneur. However, these sites simultaneously produce a new arena of negotiation and conflict as well, creating new forms of exclusion-particularly for the urban poor. Although malls appear more public and democratic than the streets for the time being, the potential for segregation is implicit in their private character.
Open Access
Spatial factors affecting wayfinding and orientation: A case study in a shopping mall
(SAGE, 2000) Dogu, U.; Erkip, F.
Although wayfinding and orientation in complex buildings is an important criterion for environmental behavior, research on the subject remains limited and the issue is not considered sufficiently during the design process. This article examines the factors that affect wayfinding behavior of individuals in a shopping mall and explains how their behaviors are influenced by factors such as building configuration, visual accessibility, circulation systems, and signage. The case study conducted in a mall in Turkey draws a sample profile of Turkish society from a wayfinding point of view. The relation between wayfinding behavior and shopping activity is discussed. The results show that people did not find the signage system sufficient. Although they found the mall an easy setting from the wayfinding point of view, they still required better solutions to find specific destinations such as telephone booths, restrooms, or stores located in parts of the building that were not visually accessible.
Open Access
Urban design—or lack thereof—as policy: the renewal of Bursa Doğanbey district
(Springer, 2017) Batuman, B.; Erkip, F.
The role of urban design in urban policy making has been extensively discussed in recent years due to the insufficiency of existing applications in the complex structure of global urbanization. This paper aims at addressing the role of urban design as a policy instrument in urban politics through a case in one of the metropolitan cities of Turkey, Bursa. The case presented in the article reflects the emergence of a non-space in a city with a rich historic and cultural heritage. Lack of control and accountability, lack of communication between actors in the process and power coalitions are the main reasons of this process that caused the huge misfit between TOKI Doganbey settlement and the overall context. This settlement harmed Bursa’s identity tremendously and caused a lot of turmoil since none of the parties involved is content with the end product. We try to elaborate on the process and the role of various actors in shaping it. Turkey does not have a rich urban design experience although successful projects are seen in high-income housing settlements. We conclude that it is timely to start with a new approach to the discipline to prevent such failures with large impacts on the urban form and life. The need for a holistic approach seems imperative to establish the core of a new urban design discipline involving socio-spatial concerns. © 2017, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.