Residential satisfaction and quality of urban life: examining diverse housing environments

PurposeAs an important indicator of the quality of life of individuals, residential environments are continuing to evolve, due to the rapidly changing production–consumption relations. However, in this evolving process, the effect of the differentiated residential environments on the individuals' residential satisfaction remains unclear. This paper aims to measure the effects of the varying residential environments on the overall quality of urban life (QoUL) in Kayseri, one of the most developed cities in Central Anatolia.Design/methodology/approachIt is based on empirical data on the quality of life in the different residential environments of Kayseri. The research method used stratified purposeful sampling, and the household survey data were analyzed using factor analysis, multiple regression and ANOVA statistical methods.FindingsThe most influential factors on the overall QoUL of individuals living in different Kayseri residential neighborhoods were satisfaction with neighborhood and city-level urban services, neighborhood relations and belonging factor groups. The critical finding obtained in this study is that residential satisfaction in low-rise and compact form housing areas in Kayseri is higher compared to residential satisfaction in high-rise neighborhoods. This result reveals that the high-rise building typology that is dominant in Turkey's big cities should be seriously questioned, and urban development policies should be re-evaluated.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was designed to produce baseline data so that future changes in residential conditions as perceived by the residents of Kayseri could be monitored to support decisions for residential areas.Originality/valueComparative case studies, particularly on low-rise versus high-rise environments, are scarce. As a result, this research contributes to the field of comparative studies on residential environments.</div

Türkiye'de Enerji Potansiyelinin Doğru Kullanımı: Nükleer Enerji Yatırım Projelerinin Değerlendirilmesi

Enerji, kalkınma ve refahın en &ouml;nemli kaynakları arasında yer almaktadır. Bu nedenle d&uuml;nya &uuml;lkeleri, enerji kaynaklarının s&uuml;rd&uuml;r&uuml;lebilirliğini temin edecek politikalar ve &ouml;nlemler geliştirmektedirler. Bu kapsamda bir&ccedil;ok d&uuml;nya &uuml;lkesinde 1970&rsquo;li yıllardan itibaren y&uuml;kselen enerji ihtiyacının karşılanmasına y&ouml;nelik n&uuml;kleer santral yatırımları ger&ccedil;ekleştirilmiştir. Son d&ouml;nemde n&uuml;kleer santraller, 1980&rsquo;li yıllardan itibaren yaşanan kazalara bağlı olarak, gelişmiş &uuml;lkeler nezdindeki &ouml;nemini yitirmeye başlamıştır. Bu &ccedil;alışmada T&uuml;rkiye&rsquo;de mevcut enerji kaynaklarının &uuml;retimi ve t&uuml;ketimi &uuml;zerinden, son d&ouml;nem ulusal enerji politikasında dışa bağımlılığın alternatifi olarak g&ouml;r&uuml;len n&uuml;kleer enerji kaynaklarının gerekliliği tartışılmaktadır. &Ccedil;alışmanın temel varsayımı, enerjide verimli kullanımın, tasarrufun ve alternatif enerji kullanımına y&ouml;nelmenin sağlanması durumunda n&uuml;kleer enerji kaynaklarına ihtiya&ccedil; duyulmayacağıdır. T&uuml;rkiye&rsquo;de enerji kaynaklarının verimli kullanımı durumunda sağlanabilecek artı enerji miktarının saptanmasına y&ouml;nelik araştırmalardan faydalanılarak; gelişmiş d&uuml;nya &uuml;lkelerinde izlenen son d&ouml;nem enerji politikalarının T&uuml;rkiye&rsquo;de de izlenmesi durumunda elde edilebilecek enerji miktarının ulusal enerji ihtiyacını karşılama kapasitesi tartışılmaktadır. Bu kapsamda; n&uuml;kleer enerji kaynaklarının yararları ve taşıdığı riskler değerlendirilerek, enerji tasarrufu ve enerjinin verimli kullanımı, yenilenebilir kaynaklarla enerji &uuml;retimi, kayıp ve ka&ccedil;ak enerji miktarının OECD seviyesine d&uuml;ş&uuml;r&uuml;lmesine y&ouml;nelik politikalar saptanmış ve T&uuml;rkiye&rsquo;ye ilişkin enerji verileri incelenmiştir. Yapılan değerlendirmeler sonucunda, T&uuml;rkiye&rsquo;nin enerji politikasının n&uuml;kleer enerji santralleri kurulumu yerine, mevcut ve yenilenebilir enerji kaynaklarının taşıdığı potansiyelin verimli kullanımı, alternatif enerji kaynaklarından yararlanma ve enerji tasarrufu sağlanması y&ouml;n&uuml;nde olması gerektiği g&ouml;r&uuml;ş&uuml; benimsenmiştir.&nbsp;Suitable Usage of Energy Potential in Turkey: Evaluation of Nuclear Energy Investment Projects&nbsp;Energy is among the most important resources of development and prosperity. For this reason, the countries of the world are developing policies and measures to ensure the sustainability of energy resources. In this context, investments in nuclear power plants have been realized in many countries of the world to meet the rising energy demand since 1970&#39;s. Recently, nuclear power plants have begun to lose importance in developed countries due to the accidents that have occurred since the 1980s. In this study, emphasizing the existing energy resources production and consumption, the use of nuclear energy resources necessity seen as an alternative to the foreign dependency are discussed. The basic assumption of the study is in case of savings made and tendency to use alternative energies, there will be no need for nuclear energy resources. Taking into consideration the results of the investigations made on the quantity of surplus energy derived upon efficient use of energy resources in Turkey; the capacity of the yield value to compensate the national energy consumption demand is discussed if similar energy politics in Turkey are followed which the developed countries recently pursue. In this context, upon evaluating the benefits of nuclear energy resources and its risks, energy savings and efficient use of energy, energy production by renewable sources, politics are established for loss and leakages in energy to be reduced to OECD level and energy data of Turkey are scrutinized. Evaluations resulted that Turkey&rsquo;s energy politics should be based on efficient use of existing and renewable energy resources, making use of alternative energy resources and monitoring energy savings rather than installing nuclear power plants.</p

Investigation of Urban Design Approaches in Renewal Areas with Hybrid Decision Model

Generally, urban renewal practices in developing countries are formed by economic concerns and by ignoring the design dimension. As a result, these conditions create unqualified urban spaces in terms of livability. In this study, to analyze and evaluate this problem, a criterion framework and a hybrid spatial decision model are formed for improving the design quality of renewal projects. The authors defined 37 urban design criteria through literature research, expert opinions, and self-assessments. A multidisciplinary focus group was held and a paired comparison form was prepared to determine the criterion weights and suitability values with the used the fuzzy DEMATEL and weighted linear combination method. The values analyzed using ArcGIS 10.2 and the suitability values are shown on the map. As a result, it has been determined that even the highest valued among the examined renewal projects could not meet even 50% of the defined urban design quality standard. The results have emphasized that the urban renewal projects without area-specific and appropriate design solutions reveal that they cannot develop qualified places. Within the scope of realizing more qualified urban places, design criteria should also be taken into account in the project design processes. In future studies, this model can be used in determining the area-specific and appropriate design solution for spatial decision-makers.</jats:p

Göçmen Konutlarından Kentsel Dönüşüme: Kayseri Doğu Türkistan Konutları

Göç, doğal afetler ve yapılarda zamanla meydana gelen yıpranmalar, yapı alanlarında bozulmaya yok olmaya sebep olmaktadır. Bunun sonucu olarak yapı alanlarında kullanıcılar, yerel yönetimler ve hükümetler tarafından kentsel dönüşüm çalışmaları başlatılmaktadır. Kentsel dönüşüm çalışmaları, yıpranma gerçekleşen bir yapı yerine bir bölge üzerinden gerçekleştirilmektedir. Kentsel dönüşümün Türkiye’de ivme kazandığı kentlerden biri de Kayseri’dir. Kayseri kenti içerisinde pek çok kentsel dönüşüm gerçekleştirilmiştir. Gelecekte gerçekleştirilmesi muhtemel alan ise Hoca Ahmet Yesevi Mahallesi içerisinde bulunan ve Doğu Türkistan Konutları olarak bilinen alandır. Bu alan, tek veya iki katlı bahçeli konutlardan oluşmaktadır. Fakat konutların kullanıma bağlı eskimesi ve gelişen kent içerisinde rant gelirlerinin arttığı bir noktada olması bu alanı kentsel dönüşüm için cazip bir yere dönüştürmüştür. Kentsel dönüşüm çalışmaları ile hızla dönüşen ve rant kavramına yenik düşen kent dokularına örnek olan Kayseri Türkistan Evleri Mahallesi’nde uygulanan kentsel dönüşüm ile kentin fiziksel dokusunun sürdürülebilirliği kaybedilmektedir. Bu çalışmada, Kayseri kenti içerisinde Doğu Türkistan Konutları olarak bilinen alandaki mevcut dokunun durumu incelenmiş ve yapılması muhtemel kentsel dönüşüm için öneriler sunulmuştur. Çalışma ile alanın kentsel dönüşüm öncesi belgelenmesi ve kaybolan mimari değerlerin gelecek kuşaklara aktarılması hedeflenmektedir. Çalışmanın, bundan sonra konu üzerinde yapılacak çalışmalara katkı sağlaması umulmaktadırMigration, natural disasters and wear in structures that occur over time result in disruption and deterioration in structural areas. As a result, urban transformation works are started at structural areas by the users, local administrations and governments. Urban transformation works are carried out at a region instead of a structure where deterioration has occurred. Kayseri is one of the cities in Turkey where urban transformation has gained acceleration. Many urban transformation works have been carried out in the city of Kayseri. Whereas one of the areas where it is likely that future transformations will take place is the region known as Eastern Turkestan Residences located in the Hoca Ahmet Yesevi Quarter. This area is comprised of single or double storey residences with gardens. However, the fact that these residences have grown old due to use as well as the fact that they are located on an area in the city where unearned income possibilities have increased resulted in making this area an attractive spot for urban transformation. The sustainability of the physical texture of the city may be lost due to the urban transformation carried out at the Kayseri Turkestan Residences Quarter which is an example of the urban textures that have failed against the rapidly transforming city as well as the concept of unearned income. In this study, the current texture of the area in the city of Kayseri known as Eastern Turkestan Residences was examined and suggestions were made for the possible urban transformation. The objective of the study was to document the area prior to urban transformation and to pass the lost architectural values down to posterity. It is hoped that the study will contribute to future studies on the subject.&nbsp;</p

The longitudinal evolution of post-COVID-19 outcomes among hemodialysis patients in Turkey

Introduction: Hemodialysis (HD) patients have increased risk for short-term adverse outcomes of COVID-19. However, complications and survival at the post-COVID-19 period have not been published extensively.Methods: We conducted a national, multicenter observational study that included adult maintenance HD patients recovered from confirmed COVID-19. A control HD group without COVID-19 was selected from patients in the same center. We investigated the characteristics and outcomes in the follow-up of HD patients and compare them with the non-COVID-19 group.Results: A total of 1223 patients (635 patients in COVID-19 group, 588 patients in non-COVID-19 group) from 47 centers were included in the study. The patients' baseline and HD characteristics were almost similar. The 28th-day mortality and mortality between 28th day and 90th day were higher in the COVID-19 group than non-COVID-19 group (19 [3.0%] patients vs. none [0%]; 15 [2.4%] patients vs. 4 [0.7%] patients, respectively). The presence of respiratory symptoms, rehospitalization, need for home oxygen therapy, lower respiratory tract infection, and arteriovenous (AV) fistula thrombosis was significantly higher in the COVID-19 group in both the first 28 days and between 28 and 90 days. In the multivariable analysis, age (odds ratio [OR] [95% CI]: 1.029 [1.004-1.056]), group (COVID-19 group vs. non-COVID-19 group) (OR [95% CI]: 7.258 [2.538-20.751]), and vascular access type (tunneled catheter/AV fistula) (OR [95% CI]: 2.512 [1.249-5.051]) were found as independent parameters related to 90-day mortality.Conclusion: In the post-COVID-19 period, maintenance HD patients who have had COVID-19 have increased rehospitalization, respiratory problems, vascular access problems, and high mortality compared with the non-COVID-19 HD patients