It can be seen that, each of these issues is also
experienced in the Turkish case. The first urban public spaces of the
young Turkish Republic were “public gardens” and “urban
parks”, in the 1930 - 1940s. These spaces have an extra
importance since they exhibited the new forms of urban
life and life-styles in Ankara. In the early days of the
republic traditional forms of recreation were transformed
through these spaces. While, people used to go to
picnicking to the natural areas called “mesire” on the
environs of the city, they started to use newly planned
parks like Gençlik Park and Atatürk Forest Farm in the
center and Çubuk Dam in the northen part of the city.
Swimming and rowing in Gençlik Park, concerts in Kızılay
square and cafes along the Atatürk Boulevard were all
part of a conscious modernization policy