Pedestrian Level Relationship between Building Forms and Streets Effects on the Condition of Comfort in Historical Context

Abstract

In urban design, the shape and form of the building and the layout of the buildings on the topography significantly influence the microclimatic comfort quality at the pedestrian level or in the public spaces all around the buildings by directing the winds to the streets and the designed open spaces. In this study, The Arabahmet region, one of the oldest historical settlements and cultural heritage of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, is located within the capital city of Nicosia, Cyprus, and the continuation of the Arabahmet doctrine under the control of the United Nations, which is now between the territories of Southern part of Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). This region has been a witness to many urban and periodical experiences over a wide period of time, covering many ages. This settlement is one of the settlement areas in which the Ottoman Empire and Republican periods, especially the Byzantine empire, and rarely seen the chance to see the official and civic influences on a city together. The overall aim of the study is to reveal the general potentials of the historic land of the Arabahmet region, which is about to become a depressed region due to different reasons, in many parameters, especially the physical comfort criteria.