Analysis of Pavements for Disabled Pedestrians in Metropolitan Cities: Case of Sişli District in Istanbul - Tapa blanda

Rapid increase in population and urbanization paves the way for cities to grow in an unplanned way and causes many different problems such as traffic jam, pollution, lack of infrastructure and insufficient transportation network. Unplanned construction of houses at different locations prevents cities from having a good transportation network with a satisfactory number of roads and streets built at certain standards. As observed in settlement areas particularly in cities with squatter houses forming the majority, one of the most significant elements reflecting the negative effects of unplanned settlement is pavements. Disabled people using wheelchair are among the most affected from the problems arising in cities exposed to rapid population increase and unplanned settlement. Disabled people are rarely seen in streets in which there are pavements that are not suitable for them. One of the settlement areas in which this negative situation is experienced is undoubtedly Istanbul, the most populated city in Turkey. This study aims at identifying to what extend the pavements in Sişli district is convenient for disabled pedestrians who use wheelchairs.

Ozan Arif KESİK has completed his MA degree in Department of Geography at Fatih Universty, Istanbul, Turkey. He is doing his PhD on Geographic Information Technology in Istanbul Technical University. He studies GIS in general and its use in urban geography in particular.