Abstract
An Evaluation on the Role and Importance of Urban Square with Human-Space Interaction with Servqual Technique
City squares, which are public spaces where the people living in the city come together for many purposes such as social and cultural, also contribute significantly to urban life and quality of life. Squares have an important representation power in the memory of the city, thanks to their functions and features. For this reason, it becomes an important requirement to determine the physical order, environmental relations, and satisfaction levels of people that determine the representation power of the squares. The study offers a new perspective on public spaces with the GAP analysis to compare the expectations and satisfaction levels of the participants within the framework of the scoring system. In this context, Konak and Gündoğdu squares, which stand out based on the historical and culturally important space set up in the city of Izmir, are discussed. To determine user expectations and satisfaction levels, an evaluation scale consisting of 26 sub-criteria was developed within the framework of accessibility, planning design, and access parameters. A questionnaire was applied to 967 users and evaluated with the scoring system of the criteria. Evaluation results were analyzed comparatively with GAP analysis, one of the SERVQUAL evaluation tools. As a result of the analysis, it has been determined that Konak and Gündoğdu squares have high-performance levels despite the low expectation levels of the people. In terms of satisfaction, it was concluded that Konak Square was more prominent, although both squares received close scores.
Keywords
GAP analysis, urban identity, urban component, user expectation, user satisfaction
