DISCUSSION
According to the results, people tend to spend their
leisure time mostly indoors. Staying at home in their
leisure time is their first choice rather than going out, and
watching TV is stated as their favorite indoor activity.
People like to rest at home, which is very common for
middle class people and does not bring any extra
spending. If they prefer to go out in their leisure time,
shopping malls are their first choice. Here, an interesting
point is that going to a shopping mall is almost the same
ratio with visiting friends, which is a traditional leisure
time activity with a long cultural history. This shows that
going to a mall is getting to be a very common activity in
Turkish society, as in all other parts of the world.
Results show that, shopping malls are preferred due to
their multi-facility characteristics. Climate control is also
another factor that affects leisure place preferences. This
result is also supported by Lin’s (2009) study, which
states that the thermal environment in outdoor public spaces impacts the use. Ankara’s continental climate
with cold winters and dry, hot summers sometimes
makes it uncomfortable for people to spend time
outdoors.