Urban Furniture in Sustainable Historical Urban Texture Landscapes: Historical Squares In The Walled City Of Nicosia

Historical city textures are living history embodying public open spaces of former civilizations, their landscapes and traditional life cultures, carrying them to the present and giving them life. The squares, which form the public open spaces, have been important meeting centers in the social lives of people. City furniture are the important elements in these public open spaces, reflecting the identity of the city and improving quality of life. City furniture improve the reflection of cultural value in historical city textures and their usability. The walled city center, where the historical city texture of Nicosia lies, has a very rich historical texture with the cultural heritage of various civilizations in the history of Cyprus. Public open spaces within the texture, which have acquired the quality of squares with their functions throughout the social history of Nicosia, are still important social spaces for the people of the city. This study analyzed Asmaaltı and Selimiye Squares, two important spaces of the walled city, through examining the city furniture in terms of their material, shape, and functionality, and their conformity with the historical texture. Their deficiencies and nonconformities with the historical texture were identified accordingly. In consideration with such examples, city furniture in historical city textures were assessed for their conformity with the texture characteristics, architectural styles, social, cultural, and economical characteristics, and relevant recommendations are presented respectively.