Social Justice for Children in Public Space: Investigating Public Open and Green Spaces in Kad？k？y and Sultanbeyli Cases [Megaron]

The trivet of sustainability is economic, ecologic and social aspects. The foundations of social sustainability are equal share of resources, providing people equal responsibilities and rights. From this angle, providing the foundations of social sustainability in urban areas for children is planning fair spatial distribution of different urban spaces and providing equal access for different space to children from different socio-economic backgrounds. Within this context survey questionnaires were undertaken with 768 pupils from diverse age groups in 12 primary and secondary schools in Kad？k？y and Sultanbeyli districts of Istanbul, where socioeconomic development levels are considerably different. In addition, using digital mapping techniques and GIS, field size of those designed parks were calculated and compared in both districts. Moreover, park in both districts, which were reported by children in surveys, were also compared by their spatial qualities. Emerging results show that spatial distribution and field sizes of those parks in low socio economic statu areas were not fair according to social justice principles and children’s accessibility to those areas were lower; whereas, in high socio economic statue areas more fair spatial distribution of designed parks and higher levels of accessibility to those areas were identified