SPACE PERCEPTION AND AWARENESS: THE CASE OF KUCUKCEKMECE LAKE

Abstract

Water and its resources form habitat for many creatures, especially humans, and constitute areas of great importance to the ecosystem. In the globalized world, the surroundings of water and its resources constitutes important social areas of cities. Istanbul, one of the important metropolitan cities of Turkey, is constantly growing in population, increasing the need for various social areas. Küçükçekmece Lake, located in the west of Istanbul, attracts attention in various aspects such as visual appeal, recreation activities and continues to exist as one of the social places in the city. However, this area is changing as a result of various activities. This change causes negative effects on the natural environment. The pressure on the ecosystem threatens the future of the Küçükçekmecelake. In this study, it is aimed to determine people's awareness of the lake and its surroundings and to get their views on the subject. Because in order to eliminate environmental problems and take measures, people's awareness of this issue is an important factor. Data were collected by survey method in the study. The survey was applied to 270 people using the easy sample method. The data were analyzed with IBM SPSS Statistics 20 software. Frequency, mean, standard deviation and percentage distributions techniques were used to analyze the data. According to the information obtained from the survey results, the vast majority of participants use the area for social activities such as recreation, running, and walking. It is noted by participants that the strongest aspect of the area is coastal walking, and the weakest aspect is pollution. Participants who agree that the lake is not healthy, feel uncomfortable that the water is dirty. Given that the lake and its surroundings are used for recreational purposes, the opportunities to be provided should not only be limited to picnicking and hiking but also opportunities for other activities such as fishing, water sports, skateboarding, canoeing and camping should be created. The responsibility of local governments and the public is great for a more livable environment and an area where people can carry out activities that improve the quality of life.