THE EFFECT OF PUBLIC LIGHTING ON THE PEDESTRIAN'S SENSE OF SAFETY IN THE CITY PARKS CASE STUDY: DÜNYA BARIŞ PARK, BEŞİKTAŞ, ISTANBUL

Abstract

People seek out parks because they provide contact with the natural environment and a social 
environment which offers opportunities for meeting with friends, watching others and being 
seen all of which help to establish a feeling of comfort and security. The design of a park can 
have a direct impact on people’s perceptions of safety and their willingness to use a space. 
The physical characteristics which park users associate with high-risk environments include: 
Poor lighting, Confusing layout, Physical and aural isolation, Poor visibility, No access to 
help, Areas of concealment, Poor maintenance, Vandalism, Presence of “undesirables. In this 
paper we are going to focus on lighting and the effect of that in the safety of dunya Baris Park 
near besiktas, Istanbul, turkey. The single most requested physical design modification to 
improve safety is usually an increase in lighting. Lighting is a key factor because it can 
clarify the layout of a park by emphasizing walkways, focal points, gathering places and 
building entrances. When planned as a coordinated system, lighting improves the night time 
legibility, use and enjoyment of a site. Different methodologies have made in this case, like 
Experimental Study Area, site observations, to understand qualitative variables and also, 
make questionnaires about user satisfaction in this park to reach both qualitative and 
quantitative variables, In order to know the effect of public lighting on the pedestrian's sense 
of safety in the city parks.