Dere Kenarı Avenue – Şahinbey / Gaziantep

This project presents an urban open-space design for the traffic island on Dere Kenarı Street and the small area opposite it, located near the historic district in Gaziantep city centre. The design offers a functional spatial arrangement that strengthens the urban identity of the street, ensures visual continuity, and meets users’ needs for short-term rest.

As the project area is located along a transportation corridor with intense vehicular and pedestrian activity, it was evaluated in terms of accessibility, sightlines, user circulation, and its visual relationship with the surrounding historic fabric. The locations of the traffic island and park area were analysed to establish a basis for design decisions that would both contribute to the urban skyline and support everyday use.

The design approach considers the traffic island and the park as two complementary public open spaces. Geometric planting arrangements highlighting the monument have been proposed for the traffic island, while the park opposite features seating areas, shade trees, and resting spaces designed at a human scale. At the centre of the park, a landscape feature composed of natural stone blocks of varying heights was designed as a focal point, creating a simple and balanced open-space composition that strengthens spatial perception.