"DETERMINATION OF THE BARRIERS? EFFECTS ON THE VISITORS: CASE OF BURSA ZOO "

Abstract

"Zoos are among the most important urban outdoor areas that allow urban people to establish a bond with nature since they enable visitors to get to know the animals with the facilities they contain. This effort of the zoos undertakes such missions of conciliating the society with nature, increasing the awareness towards nature and increasing the sense of and interest in protecting animals. However, zoos may achieve this mission with exhibition areas that can reflect the relations of animals in nature. Thus, they can prevent a further damage to nature and increase the awareness of protection by raising awareness among the young generations in order to be able to protect the natural life order. Zoos that are designed in such a way that they reflect the natural habitats of animals and allow their natural behaviors are quite necessary for ensuring this awareness. This quality is obtained with the exhibition area containing ?naturalness?, and it is supported by the ?sense of being a part of nature?, which is asked from the exhibition area to be given to the observer. Especially that the barriers used in the exhibition area are outside the field of view of the visitors strengthens the free animal image and supports the continuity in the plant tissue. Thus, a panoramic nature view is achieved among the exhibition areas. Different types of barriers in Bursa zoo were investigated in this study, and their effects on the users were evaluated. ?Barriers? were determined among the significant design elements in describing the habitat of animals, defining animals as ?free? and giving continuity to the concept naturalness. The effects of the barriers in Bursa Zoo on the visitors were assessed within the framework of the study and the effects of the type of barriers on the following were revealed: ? How animals are perceived, ? The naturalness of the exhibition area ? The duration that the visitors stay in the exhibition area. "