Changing the image of cities through the eyes of its users : A comparison of two neighbourhoods in close proximity in Istanbul

Increasing concern for the future of cities and for the well-being of their citizens has led in recent years to a greater emphasis on the study of cities from different perspectives. Central to this development has been the growth of research into the relationship between people and their everyday urban environments. Understanding the nature of person–environment relationship is a core part of planning activities. The social, political and economic changes taking place in cities reflect the image of cities. The changes affect the urban environment and have the capacity to transform social and cultural environments. This study aims to investigate how the users of urban environments evaluate changes in two different areas in Istanbul, namely Kozyatağı and Ataşehir, which both have different patterns of development. Although they have common characteristics, Ataşehir has been experiencing a process of planned change and Kozyatağı has been going through a less planned but parcel-based urban transformation process. As for the methodology of this research, quantitative data was collected to reach individuals’ subjective evaluations of their environment, by using face-to-face and Internet questionnaires utilising Likert-type questions. The survey questionnaire was administered to 387 individuals, after a pilot study was conducted in the research area to check the appropriateness of the research methods and questions. The collected data related to the demographic profile of the respondents and their preferences was analysed with SPSS software through descriptive and chi-square analysis. According to the findings of the study, respondents from the planned area Ataşehir care more about their existing environment. Any attempt towards amending the existing plan, in particular new building constructions and new policies, were found to be not welcome, whereas respondents from the organically developed area Kozyatağı seemed to care less about the ongoing changes. Moreover, demographic indicators such as education level, income level and length of stay were found to have an impact on their responses. The results of this study indicated that besides the demographic indicators, satisfaction or dissatisfaction with ongoing changes in the immediate environment depended on the users’ reasons and preference for choosing these areas in which to live or work.