Climate-Responsive Design Principles in Winter City Urban Public Open Spaces: A Case Study in Erzurum, Aziziye District

Livability is an important consideration when planning urban public open spaces. To increase urban livability and the potential for a variety of human activities—including necessary, optional, and social activities—in winter cities, climate-responsive urban public open spaces that encourage urban activities must be developed. Erzurum, a winter city, was selected as a case study to evaluate the relationships between climatic conditions and human outdoor activities in urban spaces. This study’s methodological contributions include naturalistic observations and a descriptive examination of urban public open spaces, with a focus on soft mobility within such spaces in a neighborhood area in Erzurum. This study consists of three stages. (1) The first part defines winter cities globally, focusing on livability-related, tangible, and climate-responsive interventions in urban public open spaces. (2) The second part of this study follows the winter observation method, utilizing photographs to investigate how seasonal factors affect various kinds of outdoor activities and pedestrian systems. These photographs are presented and classified based on five key categories: street and walkway design, building access points, parking configurations, material and lighting treatments, and vegetative strategies. (3) Finally, this study uses solution-oriented thinking to provide recommendations informing climate-responsive design principles for urban spaces in Erzurum.