Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
METU JOURNAL OF THE FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE = ODTÜ MIMARLIK FAKÜLTESI DERGIS, cilt.42, sa.2, ss.105-132, 2026 (AHCI, Scopus)
Urban areas are
increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, with heatwaves posing
one of the most significant threats, particularly in Mediterranean cities like
Istanbul. Urban resilience strategies often emphasize open and green spaces
(OGS) due to their capacity to mitigate urban heat and supporting thermal
comfort. However, in the Turkish Spatial Plans Construction Regulation, the
term open and green spaces remains legally ambiguous and functionally
inconsistent, encompassing a wide range of land uses with differing ecological
and thermal characteristics.
This study
investigates the climatic performance of various land uses legally grouped under
the same OGS category; such as parks, recreation areas, groves, botanical
gardens, fairgrounds, stadiums, and city squares within the city of Istanbul.
Using Landsat 8 imagery and spatial analysis tools, surface temperature data
and vegetation indices (NDVI) were analyzed for 12 selected locations. ANOVA
and Tamhane’s post-hoc tests were applied to evaluate temperature differences
among land use types, while regression analysis explored the relationship
between NDVI and thermal behavior.
The findings reveal that spaces with dense vegetation (e.g., parks and
groves) exhibit a consistent cooling effect within a 300-meter buffer zone,
whereas impervious surfaces like fairgrounds and paved squares demonstrate significantly
higher surface temperatures. These results demonstrate that grouping
ecologically and thermally distinct land uses under a single legal definition
undermines climate-sensitive planning. This study contributes empirical
evidence for integrating functional climate performance into zoning regulations
to support urban heat resilience.