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What is the outfit? What kind of our needs does it meet? First of all, it is necessary to explain this. To summarize, the outfit is a cover that protects us from external factors, which can vary according to time and place, and is ripped off when it comes. What is important for us is a piece that sometimes has aesthetic value, sometimes sees our need, or it is reasonable to have both.. This also means that sometimes the outfit that fits on us can be out of fashion. When we think that it is not suitable for the era, we can discard the old one, exchange it for a new one, or go to narrow it down to a plentiful tailor. Alright; the outfit may mean that, but ‘what does this have to do with urban planning?’
The Outfit of The City
In Urban Planning, the role of the city planner is to sew an outfit for the city. Each city may have a number of needs specific to its own body, aesthetic requirements, problematic areas of the city or the situation in which the city is located may not keep up with the era. So what does the city planner do in this case? Even if these problems or problems are not within the scope of these situations (aesthetics of the city, the areas of equipment it needs…) He/She must first determine the result of his analysis. Just as a doctor should make the right diagnosis for his patient, no matter how important it is for the treatment process, cities should also be subject to such diagnoses while the City Planner is trying to determine it with his analysis. It is possible that there will be long-term, medium-term and short-term planning decisions when choosing the right outfit for the city, that is, when making planning decisions. Again, we can evaluate this by the following parameters when choosing the clothes I mentioned at the beginning:
- A coat is an essential need, we need it in the long run
- Or trousers are a piece that should be in everyone’s wardrobe. These are the essential needs that must be.
- On the other hand, pieces such as scarves and brooches that complement the outfit have aesthetic meaning, although they are not essential.
Such concepts are also relevant for the urban planner. If we need to express this through a more concrete concept: One of the most necessary requirements of our cities today is to be compatible with nature. In order for humanity to ensure a sustainable life cycle, it must cause minimal damage to the environment in which it lives. In addition, in the public spaces of the city (square, park, recreation…), people need to be in touch with each other. These areas should also carry aesthetic function to the city.
The exclusivity of a wardrobe is identical to the parts found there. If we give an example of this: having fabric pants when there are jeans in the wardrobe, having a skirt when there are fabric pants, having a summer outfit next to a winter outfit gives a more exclusive impression. When we think about it for our cities, it shows that the more different public spaces there are in the city, the more exclusive wardrobe that city has, if we can maintain or build it. We can summarize this with the following: preservation of historical sites, diversity in transportation, identification and renovation of a decrepit place, just like dismantling the outfit…
- Just as we want the contents of our wardrobe to be exclusive and original, our cities need such places to have an exclusive wardrobe. These spaces can be increased:
- Squares
- Green Spaces
- Reinforcement Areas(worship area, educational area, trade…)
- Administrative Organizations
Although some theories are not on it: to say that man is just a world of technology, I can express that the requirement of four rooms and a hall in four walls of space remains a little surreal. Because even any of our shares on social media today reveal the importance of the place we are in. If we explain this with a simple example, it reflects the quality and aesthetics of a space with a shared video or photo. So, while this is the role of the city planner, what kind of requirements do we have as residents of the city? Is there a park where the child plays games? Do we have problems accessing the family health center or hospital? Can we feel that the historical places are integrated with the city? Are there enough transportation opportunities or are we stuck in traffic?
Why should our needs consist of only one room? Don’t we need places where we can run and dance on the street? Why should these public spaces, which we call outdoor spaces, become spaces that only require us to get home as soon as possible? When we think of the city as such, the outfit that is sewn in accordance with the city makes that city meaningful. The role of the city planner is to sew the right outfit for the city. I wonder what outfit do we want to see our cities in? What is the harmony we are looking for in this outfit? The answers to these questions are parallel to the answers to the question of how the city should be dressed.
