Democratizing the City Space through Smart Mobility and Public Space Design: The Case of Izmir, Turkey

Keywords: Smart mobility, public space, Izmir, infrastructure
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Saturday
Session Start / End Time: 2/26/2022 02:00 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/26/2022 03:20 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 66

Abstract

Urban social life is constructed around public and private spaces as well as different modes of urban transport that provide mobility and access between these spaces. As the recent pandemics have powerfully accentuated the fact that urban residents from different backgrounds should share public spaces and their amenities by being respectful to each other’s personal spaces, there has been an increased awareness in terms of providing democratic access to public spaces. In relation to this, this study will examine how public space design should be reconsidered in integration to increasing smart mobility alternatives to provide a more democratic and equal access to public spaces. Public spaces and their relationship with various modes of transport have been widely discussed in literature especially under the concept of transit-oriented development. This paper argues that pandemic has elevated these discussions to another level since local governments and citizens have realized that access to quality public spaces for all residents is of crucial importance for the health and well-being of the public during times of crisis. The city of Izmir, Turkey will be utilized as a case study to research on the innovative ways of bringing together current and prospective smart mobility developments e.g., ride sharing, car sharing, new biking systems, integration of mobility modes to provide democratic access to public amenities. Izmir has recently launched new modes of transportation that links large green open areas and squares as encouraging residents to have a better access to different parts of the city.