Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify the relationship between recreation preferences of residences, the perceived value of recreational areas and their actual use. In this study, a survey was applied to 270 participants in three different recreational areas. According to the results; outdoor recreation was very important for residences and the most important criteria for the selection of recreational areas were neutrality and cleanliness. It was found that there was a strong relationship between having information about recreational areas and visiting these places. On the other hand, any clear relationship between the use of recreational areas and preferences of them wasn’t found. Regarding the demographic variables, there was only significant relationship between giving importance to recreational events and age and education. On the other side, it was found that there was no significant relationship between frequency of visiting recreational areas and demographic variables. The traffic was identified as the most important reason of decreasing recreational sustainability.