The Comparison of the Outdoors of Middle and High Income Group Mass Housing in The Context of Environmental Psychology

Abstract

Mass housing projects, which started to develop in Turkey since 1980’s, continue to be produced rapidly through private entrepreneurs, cooperatives and government agencies today. Similar repetitions of mass housing projects create monotonous cities that weaken individuals’ perception of direction. Exterior spaces in Ankara, produced by settlements that dissociate users based on income groups, are analyzed within perception and environmental psychology context. Lynch’s “images of the city” and “mental mapping method” which is based on these images is important for analysis. Also, Gestalt basic design and composition principles, urban elements and design approaches -Sanoff’s visual research methods- and factors which play a role in individuals perception of space are also selected as methods to analyze the cases. Consequently, in mass housing projects for higher income groups the composition of different functions, public spaces and landscape areas are considered important. Whereas in mass housing projects for middle-income groups since the primary concern is sheltering, typical projects are executed and a unitary design approaches stay weak. It has been observed that by taking design criteria into consideration for design basis, it is possible to reduce the groupings based on income groups, influence positively the perception and psychology , and will support the formation of qualified cities.

Keywords

• Environmental Psychology
• Urban Design
• Mass Housing
• Mental Mapping
• Space and Perception