Contemplating the Void: Art Trap

Assist. Prof. Dr. Beril Özmen Mayer & Assist. Prof. Dr. Guita Farivarsadri

Eastern Mediterranean University, Faculty of Architecture

A Wetland Update
Famagusta is a small city in North Cyprus with a rich urban heritage. The city has undergone a rapid change in the last decades due to the establishment and growth of Eastern Mediterranean University. This unplanned, uncontrolled and fast development of the city has caused serious urban problems, amongst them lack of designed green urban spaces. At the moment, the potential offered by city’s rich natural resources has not been utilized to overcome this problem.
A wetland, at the present in the border of the city, consisting of a natural lake and a water reservoir built in the beginnings of the 20^th century offers a great possibility to be transformed into an urban park. Implementation of this project will not only lead to revitalization of a run-down wetland zone but also will allow interaction between people and the nature while providing citizens with recreational, sportive and educational facilities.
This paper aims at investigating the possibilities of transforming this area into an urban park. No doubt that realization of such a vast urban project is not possible without active participation of citizens and local authorities. Therefore, a participatory approach to design of this area is adopted to raise community awareness and improve active involvement of citizens.
The first steps for such a project have already been initiated by the authors. Although, the project is still in its preliminary stages, authors wish to share their experiences and discuss the possibilities for further development.

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