Effects Of Urban Parks On Urban Ecology: A Case Study On The City Of Eskisehir

Abstract

Fast population increase, dense housing and defective urban planning, which are the main environmental problems, cause destruction of urban ecologic balance. Urban open green area systems have substantial functions such as balancing defective relationship between humans and nature and improvement of urban living conditions. Parks are components of open green area system having vital contributions for the habitability of cities, protection of ecological environment, urban aesthetics, education and recreation. Parks have multiple functions within the urban texture and are recreation areas enabling urban relaxation and entertainment. The most extensive recreation units serving the entire city and satisfying the needs of relaxation, entertainment and social activities of individuals are defined as ‘Urban Parks’. Urban parks are significant habitats affect not only human living quality but also enable protection and development of wild life. In this research, urban park, one of the urban ecosystem services in the city local factors of urban ecology urban parks and their environmental impacts (air filtering, noise filtering, microclimate stabilization, as a green infrastructure, social and psychological services,) are evaulated in the example of city of Eskisehir in Turkey. Characteristics of urban parks, which are the living texture of cities and have various functions, are discussed and their place and significance within urban ecology are emphasized. As a result, suggestions are developed for approaching sustainability principal with the ecological foundation in order to improve urban living quality and forming more habitable cities.

Keywords

• urban ecology
• urban park
• eskisehir
• kent ekolojisi
• kent parkı
• eskişehir