Determining the suitability level of urban markets to the urban planning and design criteria: case of Bilecik, Turkey

Abstract

Despite the increasing number of shopping centers day by day, the urban markets, whose visitors and popularities continue to increase, are the facts of urban life that have been left behind in terms of making even ordinary analyses on their historical positions and socio-economic stances. Urban markets are intense areas of socialization apart from all their important features. In this context, the quality and quantity of times spent in these areas should be configured in the best possible manner. The main subject of this study is the evaluation of the urban markets (district bazaar/street market), which is a subject worth to be examined in historical, architectural, economic, environmental, scientific and sociological aspects, specifically in Bilecik (Turkey), with regard to urban planning and design criteria. In the study, it is aimed to examine the study areas comparatively in line with the surveys that contain general questions that will determine the planning and design preferences applied to the users in two marketplaces in different parts of the city in Bilecik and the observation studies made in the market places. The gathered data were analyzed using normal statistical methods of the SPSS program. A set of urban market items were defined using the factor analysis in order for designating the main and underlying factors.