Sketch: Journal of City and Regional Planning (Nov 2020)
A Review about the Problem of Vehicle Dependency in the Konya City Center
Abstract
Vehicle dependency is a great problem for city center, especially sustaining urban morphology and pedestrian accessibility. So, city centers should be handled with pedestrian-oriented transportation policies and to develop different tools for decreasing the pressure of vehicles. In this way, the most important tool is to support public transport systems for the accessible city center. Otherwise, some consequences cause difficulties for pedestrian accessibility and the effective use of public spaces. The city of Konya has experienced the problem of vehicle dependency from the 1960s. This problem has been tried to solve by different transportation policies and tools such as developing public transport systems, designing alternative roads around the city center, encouraging bicycle use and pedestrianization. However, in 2010, the road arrangement was contradictory with efforts to decrease vehicle dependency in the city center. The arrangement aiming to solve traffic congestion focused on improving the road infrastructure and linearizing the road form, which was previously safer for pedestrians. As a result, pedestrian and bicycle accidents are increased and occurring segregation between public spaces. Within the scope of the study, the transportation criteria that should be taken into consideration in the planning of the city centers have been put forward and then urban transport decisions affecting the Konya's city center are explained in general items. The main subject of the study is an example of the problem of vehicle dependency in Konya city center. The study aims to examine the process of a road arrangement and to present the conflicts between urban transport decisions and road arrangement. The case study shows that despite the principles and planning decisions adopted by the institution, the political and bureaucratic structure can be effective in handling city center with the vehicle-oriented transportation approach.
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