Planting design in the pedestrian walk, the symbol of Kocaeli province

Abstract

Cities have open spaces which undergo many functional and physical changes and transformations. The railway in the Kocaeli city center that extends along a centre line was also transformed into a pedestrian walkway during the reconstruction period of the city after the massive earthquake in 1999. In this function transformation, the plant material around the railway, some of which have historic characteristics, was protected and the area was enriched with different woody plants along the pedestrian walk. In this study, the plant material on the pedestrian walk, which was present in the past and planted later on, was determined and 52 genera and 58 species belonging to 34 families were identified. Some suggestions have been made by also studying the aesthetic and functional characteristics of the plants used in the composition and their adaptation to urban conditions.