Analysis of color impact in planting design: A case study of Ankara Milli Egemenlik Park

Abstract

During the vegetation period, plant parts are transformed into different shapes, sizes, and colors. Considering these physical changes of plants; various compositions are formed in order to contribute functional and aesthetic aspects to planting design studies. In planting design, the basic design principles and elements should be considered. Within the scope of this study; the concept of color which is one of the planting design elements was discussed and evaluated in terms of design. Color is one of the most influential factors in terms of visual perception among design elements. Each color has its psychological and visual impacts. This means that color schemes directly affect the users of the space and the intended impact of the space in designs to be realized. In this framework, an applied planting design was analyzed in this research. The "park" areas, which are significant among the urban open-green space system, were chosen as there is much interaction with people of all ages. In this context, Ankara Milli Egemenlik Park was determined as the study area due to its proximity to the city center and its vegetal richness in terms of color diversity. The vegetation in the vicinity was determined by field study and the "effective color" was defined monthly for each taxon. The obtained data were processed in ArcGIS 10.5, which is a GIS based software, and the color maps and spatial distributions of herbal existence of Ankara Milli Egemenlik Park were presented. On the other hand, the literature on the psychological impacts of color on people has been searched. In this respect, the color impact of herbal presence in the Milli Egemenlik Park in various seasonal periods was revealed by the way people perceive. Thus, the contradictory conditions in terms of color of the existing planting design have been identified. New suggestions and solutions for conflict areas have been developed. It is aimed that the method that emerges as a result of this study, guides to achieve the most effective design by providing a setup for the analysis of color which is one of the leading components in planting design.