Perceptions of Landscape Quality in the Historic City Center of Konya, Türkiye: A Multi-Site User Satisfaction Analysis

This study aims to assess user satisfaction regarding the landscape design of public spaces in historic city centers. The design of these spaces, particularly within the context of historic city centers, plays a pivotal role in preserving local identity and fostering harmonious living environments. The existing literature generally focuses on single areas or broader concepts, whereas this research stands out with its comparative examination of four different public spaces in the historic city center of Konya, filling a critical gap in user-oriented evaluations of landscape design in such environments. To provide a comprehensive user experience analysis, the study systematically determined user perceptions and satisfaction levels in terms of perceptual, visual, and functional criteria related to landscape design through a survey administered to 400 participants. Survey data were analyzed using statistical tests to examine demographic and usage impacts. The findings clearly reveal users' assessments of landscape design in these areas, highlighting specific features that need improvement. Users expressed high satisfaction with plants' added visual appeal but voiced dissatisfaction with traffic density, noise pollution, pedestrian road occupation, and accessibility issues (e.g., disabled ramps, tactile surfaces). Satisfaction levels towards landscape design varied significantly due to age, employment status, and frequency/duration of usage. The study, based on user feedback, identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the landscape design in these areas and provides recommendations and practical insights for improving the design and management of these urban landscapes. This approach offers a valuable practical application to the existing literature from a user-oriented perspective.