It is essential that public buildings, which have an important place in the whole city and are open to every one's use, designed with the concept of universal design. Universal design; It aims to make standard designs for all groups of people living in a society with different characteristics, regardless of their physiological characteristics, age, gender, social, economic, and educational level. The design and use of public buildings, which are sometimes the city's symbol, sometimes the space that the citizens add color to their lives, and sometimes the facilities where services are received, are essential for the city's identity and the citizens. In this article, the concepts and principles of universal design were defined; the importance of anthropometry and ergonomics in universal design and its historical development were also discussed. As a part of the city, the universal design approach principles have been studied to design accessible, navigable, and accessible buildings together with the city. The legislation having a significant role in shaping the buildings and physical environment has also been discussed and interpreted within this scope. With this study, it has been revealed that "approach to building" (urban level), "circulation within building" (building level), and "reaching services in spaces" (space level) criteria, which are the primary approach criteria of universal design, coincide with the approach introduced in transforming the "user system" into a "building system". Thus, a criteria-based building evaluation form was created to evaluate many public buildings' design following universal design principles. From this point of view, the most used public building of Northern Cyprus has been comprehensively studied. The building's internal organization and its immediate surroundings have been examined and suggestions made within the framework of universal design principles.

Sustainable urbanism involves a wide range of issues, starting with the building unit and leading up to the city scale under the discourse of sustainability, including the four main dimensions of environmental, economic, cultural, and social. Universal design (UD) can be suggested as one of the significant catalyzers of urban design parameters, which are among the basic elements of social sustainability. UD is significant in terms of providing solutions that meet the common needs of all individuals in built environments. There is a strong relationship between social sustainability and UD. Thus, adopting the concept of UD in the planning of urban spaces is crucial. Within this framework, via the relevant theoretical evaluation, a conceptual framework is constructed in order to explain universal design as a concept within the context of urban design parameters and social sustainability. Alongside discussing universal design as a term, urban design parameters and social sustainability are also discussed in order to explain the development of the theoretical model. Later, in the methodology section of the study, northern Nicosia has been chosen as the study area. A qualitative evaluation regarding the seven dimensions of universal design and a quantitative assessment based on the TSI standards, prepared including European directives/regulations, were applied to the chosen nine urban space items on the avenue. Based on the findings at Şht. Kemal Ünal Avenue, it can be concluded that urban spaces in northern Nicosia do not achieve a convenient environment for all individuals to the greatest extent possible. Further, in the discussion section of the study, several suggestions are presented for the improvement of streets, taking into account UD principles. These suggestions refer to the stops, sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, urban furniture, and equipment on the avenue. In sum, it is expected that the qualitative and quantitative analyses undertaken and the literature review, including a theoretical model, will contribute to the existing knowledge on the terminology of universal design in the context of social sustainability.

There is a need for research in the field of re-functionalization of cities and its overall contribution to the economic, social and cultural diversity of a city as well as the international application of projects. The area of Expo’ 98 city project in Portugal was chosen as an exemplar due to its design criteria, materials and functional arrangements. Parallel with the project Expo 98, an alternative project would be presented in the re-functioning process of Varosha in Cyprus which is an ongoing hot debate. This alternative will also contribute to the determination of the new regulation criteria in city spaces. Therefore, Varosha was re-organised with these criteria. In this study, observation and comparison were made through the theoretical information gathered from Expo’98 fair held in Portugal. As a result, new regulation criteria were determined in line with the proposed model. Thus, a new urban arrangement was offered for the city of Varosha.

Cyprus has hosted many cultures and civilizations for centuries. Thanks to these civilizations, architectural structures of different styles are seen together in Cyprus. Nicosia's walled city, which started with the Lusignan period and took its current form during the Venetian period, is home to some of these structures. Although very few of the ones that have survived are used in the function of the period in which they were built, most of them have been re-functionalized. In addition, while some of them are idle, some of them have been preserved and used. Despite the touristic interest and socio-cultural activities in the region, the unused buildings have brought various negativities to the urban structure.Over time, with the increasing interest of the individuals living in the city in the historical texture, the re-functioning and use of these structures have gained importance. In this context, Zahra Street, which is among the urban spaces with an important location and architectural structures bordering the Buffer Zone within the city wall of the divided capital Nicosia, was chosen as the study area. The use of the British Period residences here with the function of a cafe today has contributed socio-culturally to the city walled area of the developing city of Nicosia. Effective use has been achieved thanks to adaptive reuse in the region where traces of past life are found in contemporary living conditions. Thus, a more livable, safe and pleasant urban space has been obtained. This study, it is aimed to emphasize the importance of improvement in urban spaces when they are reused in accordance with the changing living conditions depending on human needs. A literature review was conducted on the subject and data were collected using qualitative and quantitative methods during the on-site inspection. The facades, entrance hall/service area, sitting areas, toilets and outdoor/courtyard sections were examined in the tables created for each building with the collected data. According to the research, it can be said that successful re-use was applied to the cafe function while it was a residential function.