Social Sustainability in Landscape Design Elements (Case study: Istanbul Technical University Maslak Campus)

Abstract

Social sustainability, first defined over 30 years ago, is widely accepted as an important conceptual framework. It ensures the sustainable improvement of society. Landscapes are one of the most effective parts of the cities for humanity, for spending leisure time and passing daily activities. The landscape is also one of the most important elements of social sustainability. The main purpose of this research is to find out if there is any relation between social sustainability and the landscape design elements. As a case study, we analyzed the Istanbul Technical University, Maslak Campus landscape design. In this article, we identified two main elements of social sustainability and discussed in detail: equitable access and the sustainability of the community itself. We utilized five main elements of landscape design (Line, Form, Texture, Color, and Visual Weight) as attributes of creating a cohesive design. Besides, we conducted observations of the student’s behavior in the landscape and interviews with the users. The results showed an effective relationship between social sustainability and landscape design elements in the ITU Maslak Campus design.