Spatial impacts of university campuses on urban fabric: The case of Bursa Technical University, Turkiye

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to contribute to research on the interaction between universities and cities by examining how the urban fabric of Bursa Technical University, which has two inner-city campuses, influences and is influenced spatially and socially through space syntax analyses. Theory and Methods: The study uses space syntax parameters such as integration, synergy, and intelligibility in axial map analyses. Global integration is measured by assessing the topological relationships among all axial lines within the system. Synergy and intelligibility values are calculated by correlating local and global values. Results: The number of axial lines increased from 1,744 in 1999 to 1,981 in 2024 due to expropriation. The average axial line length decreased slightly. Mimar Sinan Boulevard exhibited high integration values. Global integration rose from 1.39 to 1.45, indicating improved accessibility and a shift towards an outward-oriented urban structure. Conclusion: Between 1999 and 2024, the campuses of Bursa Technical University have significantly influenced the transformation of the urban fabric. Within the four neighborhoods encompassing the Y & imath;ld & imath;r & imath;m Bayezid and Mimar Sinan Campuses, high residential density areas exhibited increased integration values. Public buildings outside residential areas showed higher integration at road connections but lower values within surrounding residential zones. Compared to the foreground fabric, changes in the background fabric were less significant, indicating the persistence of a privacy-oriented, inward-focused local structure.