Application of the Space Syntax method in accessibility studies, Antalya city case

Abstract

Accessibility is an expression of the space and the quality of the city. Ensuring the free circulation of people withdisabilities in urban areas is related to the development of community standards and the accessibility of transportationsystems. Therefore, the physical environment and transportation systems should be arranged as accessible. The lifequality of disabled people is related to the environment in which they carry out their daily activities. New methods canbe used to ensure accessibility along with the developing technological opportunities and fast and accurate solutionscan be obtained. Therefore, scientific studies as in all other fields should be open to new methods. It is essential toadapt to this process for occupations in the field of physical planning such as urban design, architecture and landscapearchitecture. The space syntax method specializes in the study and design of urban development, in particular, thedesign of pedestrian connections and public spaces. The method makes direct observations on pedestrian and vehiclemovements and uses computer programs designed to predict how the new recommendations will have effects onsuch issues. The space syntax works to define the complex physical structures of cities and provides objectiveand consistent results using mathematical methods in which the spatial system is represented. In this study, thecurrent situation of street accessibility in Antalya city has been examined by using the space syntax method. Asa result, it was revealed that 2 of the 31 axes found in Antalya city center had very low accessibility scores, 17 ofthem had several problems on accessibility, but accessibility could be achieved with various improvements, and 12axes had high accessibility scores. At the end of the study new proposals have been revealed to the problem areas.