Rethinking Urban Public Space in the Context of Generational Change

The place that is designed for humans at the core has a dynamic structure, especially within the urban public space, and is converted over time. However, although the architectural space is designed in line with the wishes and needs of a certain number of people, urban public space is designed to meet the common expectations of the society, and social preferences come to the forefront. One of the important variables that affect preferences is the generations. With this viewpoint, the aim of the present study was to discuss the expectations of X, Y and Z generations, who live together in our present time, and the extent and changes in these expectations (if any), and the reasons for this change from a comparative perspective. The study was based on testing the hypothesis that there are differences in the expectations of generations from public space and the way they use it. The field study was conducted in Giresun, and a total of 90 questionnaires were conducted with 30 people who represented each of the X, Y and Z generations. By comparing the data obtained in the questionnaires, the preferences of generations were determined and their causality was analyzed. In this way, a discussion medium was created to form new perspectives and suggestions that would affect design decisions for urban public space.