Integration of shopping malls with pedestrian environment : an analysis of Akköprü Migros and Karum shopping malls

Abstract

In this study, importance of integrated pedestrian environment for urban realm within the context of shopping malls and pedestrian malls is examined. The main concern is rooted in the socio-spatial relationship between indoor and outdoor space. Pedestrian malls and shopping malls are analyzed as the formations that create link between the interior and exterior spaces throughout the study, because integrated pedestrian environment is important for defining the characteristics of the city. In this context, a field survey was carried out in an urban and a suburban shopping mall, to understand their differences in creating an integrated pedestrian environment and propose a model which combines the benefits of open and closed malls. Evaluating an integrated pedestrian environment which has advantages in terms of users’ expectations and city image states the significance of relationship between spatial configuration and social life.