Analysis of Plant Material in Roadside Landscapes: the Trabzon Case Yol Peyzajlarında Bitkisel Materyalin Incelenmesi: Trabzon Örneği
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DOI: 10.5152/forestist.2020.19027 Forestist 2020, 70(1): 28-35 Original Article Analysis of plant material in roadside landscapes: The Trabzon case Yol peyzajlarında bitkisel materyalin incelenmesi: Trabzon örneği Emine Tarakçı Eren , Tuğba Düzenli , Elif Merve Alpak Department of Landscape Architecture, Karadeniz Technical University, Faculty of Forestry, Trabzon, Turkey ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to determine the species used in road planting in Trabzon, Turkey, and to reveal the opinion of the city population on this subject. The research method was designed in two stages. During the first stage, the three most important routes in the city of Trabzon were examined, and the plant species used in roadside spaces and traffic islands were determined. In the second stage, a survey was conducted with the users to reveal their opinions about roadside landscapes. A total of 109 plant taxa/76 genera in the first route, 83 plant taxa/64 genera in the second route, and 73 plant taxa/56 genera in the third route were identified. Consequently, a total of 118 plant taxa/81 genera were determined in all three areas. In the survey, a total of 18 questions were asked, and the degree of their implementation in these areas was investigated. In conclusion, the analysis of the required benefits for the three routes demonstrated that there were no significant differences between them. It can be said that the focus of the study was to deter- mine whether there were significant differences between the identified three routes based on the planting design benefits they offer. Keywords: Planting design, roadside planting, plant taxa, Trabzon, Turkey ÖZ Bu çalışmada amaç Trabzon kenti yol bitkilendirmesinde kullanılan türleri belirlemek ve bu konudaki kul- lanıcı görüşlerini ortaya çıkarmaktır. Bu çalışmanın araştırma yöntemi iki aşamalı kurgulanmıştır. Birinci kısımda Trabzon kentinde en önemli üç güzergah incelenerek, bu güzergahlardaki yol kenarı, orta refüj, adalar ve kavşaklarda kullanılan bitki türleri tespit edilmiş ve elde edilen veriler doğrultusunda baskın bitki türleri ortaya koyulmuştur. İkinci aşamada ise kullanıcıların yol peyzajları hakkındaki görüşlerini belirlemek için anket yapılarak anket sonuçları istatistik programı yardımıyla değerlendirilmiştir. 1. rotada 76 tür ve 109 bitki taksonu, 2. rotada 64 tür ve 83 bitki taksonu ve 3. rotada 56 tür 73 bitki taksonu tespit edildi. Sonuç olarak 3 alanda toplam, 81 tür ve 118 bitki taksonu belirlenmiştir. Ankette ise katılımcılara 18 soru sorularak Cite this paper as: (N=390) ve bu alanlardaki uygulamalarının derecesi araştırılmıştır. Sonuç olarak, Trabzon kentinde incelenen Tarakçı Eren, E., Düzenli, güzergâhlardaki bitkilendirme tasarımlarının sağlaması gereken faydaların üç güzergâh için değerlendiril- T., Alpak, E.M., 2020. mesi sonucunda üç yol arasında anlamlı bir farklılık olmadığı tespit edilmiştir. Çalışmanın vurgusunun, Analysis of Plant Material belirlenen üç rota arasındaki, dikim tasarım faydalarına dayanarak önemli farklılıklar olup olmadığını tespit in Roadside Landscapes: etmek olduğu söylenebilir. The Trabzon Case. Forestist 70(1): 28-35. Anahtar Kelimeler: Bitkilendirme tasarımı, yol peyzajı, bitki taksonu, Trabzon, Türkiye Corresponding author: INTRODUCTION Tuğba Düzenli e-mail: [email protected] Certain urban design theorists identified roads as one of the most important components of ur- Received Date: ban spaces (Dingcheng, 2006; Dunnett and Hitchmough, 2004; Li et al., 2007). In addition to pro- 02.08.2019 viding a means for pedestrian and vehicle traffic, roads also function as urban open green spaces. Accepted Date: 05.10.2019 Currently, due to the increasing building mass in urban areas, the areas occupied by open green Content of this journal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- spaces have shrunk. Thus, thanks to planting in roadside and traffic islands, urban green spaces NonCommercial 4.0 International Licence. are connected. One of the most important functions of roadside planting for urban aesthetics is 28 Tarakçı Eren et al. Plant material in roadsides Forestist 2020, 70(1): 28-35 the connection function (Coffin, 2007; Qiao-ling, 2002; Tarakci trees as living organisms to fulfill the functions expected from Eren and Acar, 2017; Tarakci Eren and Özbilen, 2017). them in spaces where they were planted (Jing and Zhicheng, 2009). To fulfill the expected functions and objectives, plan- The main function of wide boulevards and the roads that deter- ning and design principles for these trees should be observed mine the direction of urban development and define the urban to minimize the disadvantages in the growth environment. skeleton is to provide comfortable, reliable, and easy utilization The present study aimed to investigate the planting activities by the pedestrians and vehicles. Especially in planned cities, the in the Trabzon city on three arteries with the most intense traf- roads fulfill the task of connecting various urban occupancy forms fic based on urban roadside planting and the plant species (Söğüt, 2005; Tarakci Eren et al., 2018). Roadside plants play import- used in these spaces. Furthermore, the study aimed to de- ant roles in achieving certain standards. Trees and other plants on termine whether there were significant differences between the roads, which are used by the drivers only to pass through, are these three routes based on the planting design benefits they also effective in locating places due to the perception of their offer. functions and size that underlines and guides the routes. For pe- destrians, the roads also serve as business, shopping, and recre- MATERIALS AND METHODS ational spaces (Jing and Zhicheng, 2009; Qiao-ling, 2002). The study investigated the main transportation arteries in the The tree-lined urban roads and squares and the other green urban center of the Trabzon province in Turkey. In this con- elements that accompany the former constitute the open and text, (1) The Coast Road, (2) Trabzon–Akçaabat Highway, and green urban spaces (Tunay et al., 2008; Yılmaz and Aksoy, 2009). (3) Yavuz Selim Boulevard were investigated. In the first stage, The open and green spaces that the working urban people the study methods included on-site observations, analysis and could benefit during the day are limited. On the other hand, photographing the plants, and a survey was conducted in the streets, boulevards, and traffic islands are the most important second stage. In the first stage, the identified routes were visit- open and green spaces that urbanites could use or benefit from ed; the plants in traffic islands, intersections, and roadside spac- in daily life (Küçük and Gül, 2005). es were examined; and the plant species were determined. In the second stage, a questionnaire that included 18 statements Today, the most important reason for the failure of urban road- (Table 1) was developed and applied to 130 occupants in each side planting is not being familiar with the requirements of route. There was a total of 390 occupants. Table 1. Benefits Expected From Roadside Planting (Aklıbaşında and Erdoğan, 2016; Söğüt, 2005; Tarakci Eren et al., 2018) The Benefits of Roadside Planting Code Description Traffic safety f1 Signalization of the road f2 Prevention of light reflections f3 Separation of pedestrian and vehicle spaces f4 Facilitation of pedestrian activities Visual values f5 Removal of urban monotony by underlining main and auxiliary design elements using color, form, and texture and creation of space and balance Improvement of the psychology of urban population f6 Providing contact between the urbanites and nature f7 Reduction of stress f8 Providing energy of life and happiness f9 Creating a sense of safety in pedestrians Regulation of urban climate f10 Shading and reduction of high temperatures f11 Balancing the relative humidity f12 Preventing the wind corridor effect Reduction of environmental pollution f13 Screening visual pollution f14 Removal of traffic-induced pollution (Pb, NOx, Cd, Ni, etc.) f15 Reduction of air particles Contribution to urban development f16 Providing an urban infrastructure f17 Connectivity between urban spaces f18 Continuity between green spaces in particular 29 Tarakçı Eren et al. Plant material in roadsides Forestist 2020, 70(1): 28-35 RESULTS surrounded by building blocks. Seventy-three plant taxa in 56 genera were determined (Figure 3). Analysis of Plant Material The Coast Road is part of the Trabzon coastal development, lo- The roads analyzed in the study (Table 2) are important, both cated between the Kanuni Park (Turkish–Hungarian Friendship for the city of Trabzon, its residents, and intercity passengers. Park) and the Beşirli district in urban center. It is 9 km long with These roads also determine the direction of urban develop- an average width of 250 m, and it runs parallel to the Samsun– ment and physical growth. Thus, the planting designs in these Sarp highway. The Trabzon coastal development, which is a roads, which constitute the visible urban image, were analyzed reclaimed land to improve the coastal urban occupation, was built in 2007. The road has three lanes in each direction. The northern section of the road is limited by the Black Sea and hik- ing and bike trails and green spaces, and the south is limited by green spaces, residences, and commercial buildings. A total of 109 plant taxa in 76 genera were identified (Figure 1). The Trabzon–Akçaabat Highway is the oldest street in the city that provides both urban and intercity transportation. Only one section of this road was studied in the present study. This road has also been a reference for the physical development of the Trabzon city. The road connects the urban center of Trabzon and Akçaabat, and the distance between these settlements is 45 km. The line width varies between 4 m and 8 m, and there are two lanes on each direction. The highway runs in the east–west di- rection, and is surrounded by several functional spaces. A total of 83 plant taxa in 64 genera were identified (Figure 2). The road runs parallel to the Black Sea in southern Trabzon, and it is located between the Beşirli neigborhood Efendi Street and the Değirmendere Liman neighborhood.