IELTS Essay: Şehir tasarımında estetik ve fonksiyonun önemi

Some people believe that functionality should be the priority in urban design, while others argue that beauty and aesthetics should take precedence over all else.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Önce iki tarafın da gerekçelerini sunup, sonrasında taraf tutmamız gerekiyor. Ama aynen bu yazıda benim de yaptığım gibi taraf tutmak ille de zorunlu değil.

Ele alınan fikirler: şehir tasarımı hayatı zorlaştırmamalı, vakit kaybettirmemeli, görselliği seven canlılarız, çevre mühendislerine yetki verilmesi tartışmayı sonlandırır.

It is argued by some people that urban architecture should prioritize functionality, but others believe that it should not matter as much as aesthetics do. Yet I think that neither should be ignored, with equal attention paid to both.

On the one hand, no citizen would like to live in a city that offers little convenience. Getting stuck in traffic jams for long, having to travel much for public services, not being able to rely on public transport consistently—such kind of challenges would simply deteriorate the quality of life for all, making it impossible to enjoy the perks of urban life. Thus, there seems to be much logic in demanding a city design that does its best to ease our already challenging lives. There is no point in having beautifully designed hospitals or schools, if it takes hours to get to them.

On the other hand, as highly visual creatures, people from all walks of life enjoy being surrounded by visually appealing things, whether it be a public building or a road that leads to home. Things of beauty have the potential to uplift our spirit, triggering some sort of biological mechanism embedded in us for ages. If we want to truly live like a human being, rather than a caveman solely focused on survival, it makes sense to desire a living environment sparked by artistic beauty.

In my opinion, there is no point in sacrificing one for the other. If desired, we have the power to transform cities into whatever we want them to be. Combining functionality with pleasing architectural ideas should be a breeze for environment engineers educated for the goal of creating more livable spaces. Given enough opportunities and funding, I have no doubt that they would be able to come up with awe-inspiring city plans that would satisfy all, as was the case in ancient cities like Ephesus, which does not cease to impress its visitors even after thousands of years.

In conclusion, not all people share the same opinion on what should be prioritized while building cities, but I believe that it is highly possible to ensure a functional city design that also incorporates a great level of aesthetics, especially if we co-operate with competent engineers.