Physical Space Quality of Urban Squares: Istanbul Taksim Square and its Surrounding Area

Urban squares are the focal points shaped by the influence of the period and the place they are exist from the past to nowadays. The squares that have undergone transformation and change over time have become both a mirror and a memory of the cities. Each period, they have affected the spatial quality of the city by making many contributions in terms of socio-cultural, functional and visual aspects for the city and its users. In this sense, the aim of the study was to determine the quality of the physical space of Taksim Square and its near surroundings in city of Istanbul with anticipating that “physical space constructions of urban squares will be effective in determining the quality of urban space". For this purpose, parameters related to physical quality were determined in Taksim Square and its vicinity. Spatial analysis was carried out by making field determinations within the framework of the determined parameters