Urbanisation and Urban Planning in Turkey

Abstract

Urban and regional planning, as an institution, differs significantly from country to country depending on the legal and institutional contexts of each state. The significance of urban and regional planning increased in Turkey in 1923 following the foundation of the Republic. Economic policies executed by the government have always had an effect on urbanisation in Turkey. In fact, different economic policies and models applied since 1923 defined the different periods of urbanisation in the country. These periods also define the changes in urban and regional planning. There are basically four different models of economic development applied starting from 1923. A centralised, state-dominated model was the first one, and it was implemented until the 1950s. Liberalisation, the second model, was adopted in the 1950s. Mechanisation in agriculture set off rural-to-urban migration, and the rate of urbanisation increased very rapidly. This period lasted until the 1980s when Turkey’s economy underwent radical changes with the introduction of the privatisation model within the context of globalisation. The fourth period, starting after the general elections of 2002, can be considered a continuation of the third one. Economic and political changes in this period have had substantial implications for cities.