Measuring and Understanding Urban Parks’ Contribution to Quality of Life in Istanbul

Abstract

Quality of Life (QoL), as a multidimensional concept, covers different domains of urban life. Urban parks, which are important components of urban green areas, are considered as one of the determinants of QoL. This study focuses on urban parks and aims to measure the effect of different aspects of urban parks in shaping QoL. With this aim, different aspects of urban parks domain are formulated within the framework of other domains; residential environment, social relations, health and physical activity. The study considers QoL as a holistic life experience and considers it a process occurring through the interaction of different domain attributes. The study, which is carried out through survey based research held in Istanbul’s residential areas, concludes that urban parks contribute to QoL through their different functions at city and residential environment scales. Understanding the relationships between urban parks and health, physical activity, social relation domains within the framework of QoL, gives insights for policies that contribute to improving QoL in cities.