**4. Conclusions**

Rapid urbanization and the expansion of Istanbul have caused continual restructuring and changes in land-use at the expense of green areas. Although recent housing projects fulfill

An Evaluation of Distribution and Quantity of Parks in Istanbul 251

Further research is suggested by increasing the number of variables as in (Herzele and Wiedemann, 2003), by using time-series analysis, by making lost-benefit an analysis suitable to the socio-economic conditions of Istanbul and by taking into consideration different types of green areas for the development of a more comprehensive ecological system for the

Finally, developing an understanding of the dynamic spatial patterns of green areas and their interactions with urban environment can improve our ability to assess and create future planning scenarios by combining appropriate spatial models, such as the Cellular Automata model, which gives the opportunity to investigate internal impact of different

The results of the study can be especially useful for the recent metropolitan planning process of Istanbul and for the restructuring of squatter areas by increasing green areas per person as in (Jim & Chen, 2006). Moreover, previous studies illustrate that creating parks in undeveloped areas before they are subject to development pressures will reduce

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leapfrogging development (Turner, 2005).

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necessary green area requirements, this only helps to increase a small amount of the unit park area ratio at the metropolitan level. The spatial distribution of green areas varies according to the different characteristics of districts. Yet gaining an understanding of the changes in green areas has been hindered by a lack of systematic analysis. The purpose of this paper is to provide some insights into the spatial distribution of green areas in Istanbul and changes that have occurred overtime. The relationships between the characteristics of districts and provision of parks have been investigated to understand how the interaction between socio-economic and planning forces vary overtime and space in different districts. This study can provide a comprehensive background for the planning of a green area framework and it pinpoints the need for the development of new park areas. The major originality of the research lies in the attempt to span a bridge between legislative requirements of green area and planning practice under the pressure of real estate pressures.

While the historical Central Business District (CBD) has the highest unit park area ratio due to the palace gardens and the use of the Hippodrome square as a public park, squatter areas in the periphery have very low unit park area ratios since they are not planned developments according to legislative requirements.

According to the results of the study, population, distance to the Central Business District (CBD) and planning ratio of the districts have an effect on the unit park ratio per person of the districts. However, despite prior expectations, no relationships between income per capita and the unit park area ratio of the districts were determined. This can be explained by the fact that high density construction is being used to respond to the higher demand for higher income neighborhoods.

Population rates and distance to the Central Business District (CBD) have a negative effect which means that as the population and distance to the Central Business District (CBD), increase, unit park area decreases. This phenomenon is due to the large numbers of squatter settlements in these areas. On the other hand, there is a positive relationship between the unit park area of the districts and the planning ratio, as it is expected. This means that as the ratio of planned areas in the districts increases, so will unit park area per person. Thus, it is necessary to improve the existing unit park area ratio, especially in the peripheral districts and to support the restructuring of squatter areas in the periphery by improving urban planning standards. The analysis as it is developed here enables the calculation of necessary green areas by linking it to demographic data.

Thus, the analysis illustrates that wide discrepancies exist among the districts with respect to unit park area ratios. This situation should be corrected during the ongoing restructuring process of squatter areas.

The model and results presented here have important implications for the development of planning policies. They can be useful for landscape and urban planners. Developing and understanding the dynamic spatial patterns of green areas can improve our ability to assess and create future planning scenarios by combining appropriate spatial models.

There is a widespread public support for green area provision at the metropolitan level with the condition that the land and budget are available in the districts of local level. At the same time, efforts to limit urban expansion should also be considered in the case of Istanbul. Further research is suggested by increasing the number of variables as in (Herzele and Wiedemann, 2003), by using time-series analysis, by making lost-benefit an analysis suitable to the socio-economic conditions of Istanbul and by taking into consideration different types of green areas for the development of a more comprehensive ecological system for the Istanbul Metropolitan Area as in (Jim and Chen, 2003).

Finally, developing an understanding of the dynamic spatial patterns of green areas and their interactions with urban environment can improve our ability to assess and create future planning scenarios by combining appropriate spatial models, such as the Cellular Automata model, which gives the opportunity to investigate internal impact of different land uses.

The results of the study can be especially useful for the recent metropolitan planning process of Istanbul and for the restructuring of squatter areas by increasing green areas per person as in (Jim & Chen, 2006). Moreover, previous studies illustrate that creating parks in undeveloped areas before they are subject to development pressures will reduce leapfrogging development (Turner, 2005).
