A Mamdani-Based Fuzzy Logic Model for Evaluating the Design Quality of Urban Squares

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15320/ICONARP.2025.325

Keywords:

Fuzzy logic, Public space, Urban square

Abstract

Urban squares are essential elements defining public interactions, cultural manifestations, and urban social characteristics. The spaces function as central meeting areas where citizens participate in civic duties, connect and serve to maintain urban design unity. The evaluation process of design quality proves challenging because it combines the personal interpretation of many complex variables, which standard assessment techniques struggle to measure. The researchers present a Mamdani-based fuzzy logic model that evaluates urban square design quality through eight core parameters: imageability, meaning, legibility, time, enclosure, dominance, diversity, and comfort. Fuzzy logic is an approximation system that converts evaluative statements based on linguistic expressions into numerical arrangements, which excel at interpreting multi-faceted urban design evaluations. The model underwent calibration through evaluations from 1,044 architecture professionals, planners, and landscape architects, and it was used to analyze 20 internationally recognized urban squares with various spatial designs across different cultural settings. The quantitative model demonstrated its accuracy by matching expert-aggregated scores when measured against predictions, with a precision of ±1.5% pin predicting outcomes. All examined variables confirmed that enclosure and comfort are the key factors influencing perceptions of design quality. The model provides practical applications for urban planners, decision-makers, and educators through its ability to create a standardized evaluation process for current and future urban interventions. The framework offers a distinctive approach that integrates design thinking-oriented methods with evaluative measures, rendering it practical for contemporary urban design practice.

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Author Biographies

Pınar Özyılmaz Küçükyağcı, Gebze Technical University

Pınar ÖZYILMAZ KÜÇÜKYAĞCI received her PhD degree from ITU Urban and Regional Planning Program in 2020. She graduated from Ankara University Department of Landscape Architecture in 2004; and received master’s degree from Gebze Institute of Technology Department of Urban and Regional Planning in 2009. Currently she works at GTU, Department of Urban and Regional Planning as an assistant professor. Her research focuses on urban and landscape design.

Mehmet Ocakçı, Istanbul Arel University

Mehmet OCAKÇI completed his bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Istanbul Technical University, where he worked between 1987 and 2023. He has been continuing his academic and professional studies at Arel University since 2023, currently as the Dean of the Faculty of Architecture.

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Published

30-06-2025

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Özyılmaz Küçükyağcı, P., & Ocakçı, M. (2025). A Mamdani-Based Fuzzy Logic Model for Evaluating the Design Quality of Urban Squares. ICONARP International Journal of Architecture and Planning, 13(1), 286–312. https://doi.org/10.15320/ICONARP.2025.325

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