Defining a strategical framework for urban pedestrianization projects: assessment of walkability in 3 urban squares in Istanbul

There has been a growing interest in the transformation of major urban squares in Istanbul in recent years. This heightened trend in the urban renewal of prominent areas within the city has led to multiple pedestrianization projects aimed to revitalize urban cores in terms of infrastructure and pedestrian activity. Despite their strategic schemes, these proposed projects lack an objective methodology to implement systematically at various scales. This paper focuses on the walkability of 3 historical urban squares in Istanbul by analyzing their street configuration and land use compositions and comparing it with the levels of pedestrian movement. The main objective of this study is to determine the existing relationship between space allocation and pedestrian activity and to assess the efficiency of proposed pedestrianization projects developed by local authorities for these areas. Overall, the analyses presented in this study emphasize the importance of measures of street connectivity in walkability studies. It is shown that street network configuration; measured using both metric and directional connectivity measures at the road-segment scale is strongly associated with pedestrian movement when controlling for land use compositions at the parcel-level. Based on the spatial analysis and statistical models produced for the research area, a pedestrian-oriented strategical framework that takes into account the existing spatial configuration, parcel-based land-use compositions, as well as pedestrian movement distributions within the areas is proposed for the study areas and their surroundings. With its systematic methodology, efficient spatial models, and strategical approach, this study is anticipated to be used as a unique design framework for prospective urban design and pedestrianization projects for Istanbul.