The COVID-19 outbreak caused by the new type of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which was first reported in December 2019 and spread all over the world from Wuhan, China, has been a real threat to societies today, as an urbanization without a strategy prevails, with the existence of public areas that were created without a vision. In this study, the needs of people in their living spaces and the need for green spaces in cities in the process of fighting against epidemic diseases have been revealed by examining the literature and making observations in some of the cities of Turkey (Gaziantep, Aksaray, Bingöl). Findings obtained in the study can be summarized as follows:
- During the process, the experience of working from home has increased, and various arrangements have been made in the interiors of the houses to increase efficiency. There have been new demands regarding the number of rooms or opportunities to work independently. However, it has been observed that the expectations for flexible spaces that can transform according to need and that can have different functions in the same spaces have increased.
- In dense city centres, interest in terraces, balconies, and small common gardens that we did not care about nor used before the COVID-19 pandemic has increased, and outdoor spaces have begun to be prioritized in housing preferences.
- The process of spending most of the time at home has brought about the question of the physical conditions regarding indoor airflow, humidity, noise control, heat and daylight, and it has been observed that new expectations have emerged for physical environmental control in housing demands.
- Producing surfaces with material where viruses and bacteria cannot live, the development of details that can provide cleaning in surface compositions, and the consideration of solutions that prevent the spread of the virus in space use have been required.
- During the process, there has been a great increase in the use of secondary housing that is far from city centres.
-The issue of self-sufficient houses has started to be discussed more.
- It has been observed that there are some researchers who emphasize that travel restrictions and quarantine requirements reduced traffic and air pollution in cities, and there are also (Litman, 2020) optimistic approaches that argue that this process has contributed to protecting the nature.
- There has been an increase in walking, cycling, and using green spaces as a result of the curfews imposed.
- It has been observed that social distance can be maintained more easily in wide, open green areas, and small urban green areas are important places especially for children, the elderly, and those with limited mobility.
- With the pandemic, the importance of renewing the way we perceive, design, and use "healthy spaces" has been understood.
The COVID-19 pandemic is a reminder of the negative consequences of humanity's constant intervention in nature. In this process, there will be an opportunity for a sustainable future if economic recovery programs are implemented, and efforts to protect nature and to combat climate change are made (Rosenbloom & Markard, 2020). Considering the dimensions of humanity and technology today, all disciplines should create solutions by establishing relationships with each other in fighting against the epidemic and infectious diseases. In this context, architecture has a special importance as one of the disciplines that directly affect human life. Making a visionary design for the future will be possible with comprehensive, sustainable, and informed work on infectious and epidemic diseases. During this period of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to examine and transform the existing architectural structure stock and to construct the program for possible future infectious and epidemic disasters, as a product of "interdisciplinary cooperation," in multi-dimensional aspects. Studies should be made regarding the importance of natural air conditioning and ventilation indoors. However, in closed spaces that do not have this opportunity, the airflow must be organized correctly, the filters of ventilation systems must be changed frequently, and ventilation ducts must be cleaned frequently. Urban green spaces should be considered not only in terms of public health and as social investment, but also as a chance to re-balance our relationship with nature to protect ourselves against future pandemics (Rosenbloom & Markard, 2020). By investing in urban public green spaces, additional benefits (creating jobs and food, promoting biodiversity, reducing urban heat, carbon sequestration) can be achieved. Realizing these benefits requires an emphasis in the balance of decision-making to protect, develop, and provide more suitable green spaces designed with local communities.