Browsing by Author "Aktan, Selin"

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INTERACTION between CREATIVE CLUSTERS and the BUILT ENVIRONMENT: DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES VERSUS URBAN BUZZ
(WITPress, 2021) Selin Aktan; Aktan, Selin
Creative class supports the local urban development process with their social cultural and physical acts in the built environment while promoting the urban buzz. Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the involvement of digital technologies in creative industries is inevitable. The study compares the conventional working model and online working process to clarify how digital turn affects the interaction between creative clusters and the built environment in consideration of social sustainability. Firstly this paper looks at the social interactions in creative clusters and investigates how creative class engages with the physical environment in the office environment. It also takes a step further and focuses on how digital turn takes place in this pattern by applying a case study through online surveys in Izmir Turkey. It contains Architecture and Interior Design firms as a significant part of creative industries located in Izmir. The online survey was applied in order to get information about the space preferences of the creative clusters and figure out the major differences between conventional working model and online working model in terms of social sustainability. The findings of this study provide insight about impacts of digitalization on creative clusters in the urban environments. It is seen that environmental behaviors of the creative class have direct effects on the process of the local urban development. Using digital technologies for communication has eliminated the surprise factor and damaged the use of urban-buzz areas where creative class meet their social and cultural needs. This study suggests that during this adaptation period to the changing model precautions should be taken in the earlier stages for the city development. Finding alternative ways to cooperate with creative class should be developed to keep the urban buzz alive in terms of social and cultural activities. © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Citation - WoS: 8
Citation - Scopus: 10
Restorative Effects of Virtual Nature on the Emotional Well-being of Community-dwelling Older Adults
(GALENOS PUBL HOUSE, 2024) Kenan Eren Sansal; Ayse Candan Simsek; Selin Aktan; Fulya Ozbey; Ayca Paksoy; Ozbey, Fulya; Sımsek, Ayse Candan; Sansal, Kenan Eren; Aktan, Selin; Paksoy, Ayça
Objective: Given the loss of direct nature contact due to urbanisation and demonstrated psychological benefits of nature the question arises as to whether direct nature contact can be virtually substituted or supplemented in the elderly living in isolation from nature. Although a number of studies have demonstrated the restorative effects of virtual nature in old age their results are inconclusive and complicated by the novelty of virtual reality (VR) experience participants' nature connectedness and their previous nature contact. Therefore a study was conducted for increasing our limited understanding of the subject. Materials and Methods: Community-dwelling older adults living in highly urbanised areas of Turkey volunteered for the study. After excluding the ineligible volunteers and collecting information on sample characteristics 60 participants who were assigned to two study groups watched 6-minute 360 degrees videos of nature and urban settings on two separate occasions. On these occasions they reported on their affective states the restorativeness of the environments in those videos and their nature visit frequency. Results: VR experience was new and tolerable for the majority of the participants. Unlike the urban video the nature video significantly improved participants' affective states and was reported to be more restorative and favourable. Neither participants' nature connectedness nor their nature visit frequency which was found to be generally low did not have a moderating effect on the results. Conclusion: Virtual indirect contact with nature can be effectively used especially for those living in heavily urbanised areas to maintain or improve psychological well-being in old age.