Abstract
The Social Impacts of Pedestrianization on Tourist Public Space Usage Case Study: Nicosia Walled City, North Cyprus
Pedestrianization can contribute to restoring the values of historic cities and also create great potential for the development of tourist usage in public spaces. The pedestrianization of the historic city centres can bring many social, economic and physical benefits by offering diverse opportunities for various tourist-oriented uses. Nicosia Walled City is the last divided capital in Europe and hosts two separate states today. A buffer zone creates the border between Northern and Southern Nicosia. In 2008, a gate was opened between the two parts of Nicosia Walled City called Lokmacı Gate. The opening of the gate has an important role in both the development of tourism potential and the revitalization of the historical part of the City. Nicosia Walled City is a significant historic urban corner that the pedestrianization project was implemented after the opening of the Lokmacı Gate. The public spaces, which began to deteriorate and lose their characteristics before the opening of the Lokmacı Gate, have started to transform into important public spaces with the opening of the Gate. Pedestrianization can help to vitalize the historic city center through tourism facilities that are applied by the collaboration of the local and governmental authorities. This study is aimed to examine the social impacts of pedestrianization on tourist public space usage. On-site observations were carried out to determine the types of tourist activities and usage in the Northern part of the Nicosia Walled City. According to the findings, the recommendations were given in the final section of the paper.
Keywords
Pedestrianization, public space, tourist uses, historic urban corner, Nicosia Walled City
