Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND ECOLOGY, sa.2, ss.754-762, 2016 (SCI-Expanded)
The rapid course of urbanisation triggered by massive migration since the 1950s has resulted in the rapid development of small peripheral settlements. This pressure for land development has caused the loss of fertile agricultural land. The main tendency of urban planning regarded land development as obligatory for growth, while agricultural areas were deemed inappropriate for planned areas. The last two decades, however, witnessed the rise of ecological approaches in planning, the consideration of natural and ecological thresholds for land development plans and a focus on sustainable land use decisions based on proper balance of the use and protection of resources. New restrictions have been introduced to protect agricultural lands in planning decisions. Urla is an important coastal settlement under the pressure of rapid urbanisation and particularly secondary housing trends due to its proximity to Izmir. Fertile agricultural lands have recently been transformed into urban areas. Despite regulations against urban sprawl, urban plans fail to resist the increasing pressure. Secondary housing emerges as the major component of rapid urban sprawl. Coastal areas are increasingly dominated by the living spaces of higher income groups. This study intends to scrutinise the extent to which conservation-based urban planning decisions guide the ongoing spatial transformation of agricultural lands into residential areas.