Application of the Space Syntax method in accessibility studies, Antalya city case

Accessibility is an expression of the space and the quality of the city. Ensuring the free circulation of people with disabilities in urban areas is related to the development of community standards and the accessibility of transportation systems. Therefore, the physical environment and transportation systems should be arranged as accessible. The life quality of disabled people is related to the environment in which they carry out their daily activities. New methods can be used to ensure accessibility along with the developing technological opportunities and fast and accurate solutions can be obtained. Therefore, scientific studies as in all other fields should be open to new methods. It is essential to adapt to this process for occupations in the field of physical planning such as urban design, architecture and landscape architecture. The space syntax method specializes in the study and design of urban development, in particular, the design of pedestrian connections and public spaces. The method makes direct observations on pedestrian and vehicle movements and uses computer programs designed to predict how the new recommendations will have effects on such issues. The space syntax works to define the complex physical structures of cities and provides objective and consistent results using mathematical methods in which the spatial system is represented. In this study, the current situation of street accessibility in Antalya city has been examined by using the space syntax method. As a result, it was revealed that 2 of the 31 axes found in Antalya city center had very low accessibility scores, 17 of them had several problems on accessibility, but accessibility could be achieved with various improvements, and 12 axes had high accessibility scores. At the end of the study new proposals have been revealed to the problem areas.