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Solving the berth allocation problem (BAP) in ports is not trivial where the berth resources are limited and various sizes of vessels arrive with dramatically dissimilar loads. Especially in real scenarios, arriving vessels are accepted for a berth with the first come first served (FCFS) priority rule. This study proposes a decision support system coupled with a simulation optimization module based on the swarm-based Artificial Bee Colony optimization algorithm for solving the BAP. The proposed methodology was implemented for the Izmir port in Turkey. To investigate the influences of the vessel priorities on the BAP, four different experimental scenarios based on the single (SQM) and multiple queue models (MQM) were coupled with FCFS and proposed hybrid queue priority (HQP) rule. The results indicated that SQM scenarios were superior to MQM scenarios in a manner of minimizing the average vessel waiting times and the implementation of a dynamic berth allocation strategy for the MQM significantly decreases the vessel waiting times. Results of the SQM also imply that utilization of the HQP approach further minimizes the average vessel waiting times and increases the berth utilization and port throughput without yielding excessive waiting times for the larger vessels compared with the FCFS priority rule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this article is on the post-medieval archaeological heritage of İzmir, especially during the 19th century. The material selected consists of Armenian inscriptions from İzmir and its close environs, since there is a paucity of archaeological scholarship for the Armenian community of the Ottoman Empire. The paper is based on the survey of sixteen Armenian inscriptions across nine locations in and around İzmir, with discussion of the Armenian material culture of the Late Ottoman Period, as well as transcription and translation of these inscriptions, although a history of Armenia in general is outside the scope of the article. As Armenian grave markers can be taken as active interventions in social relations, this paper offers a potential for reconstructing the social complexities of late Ottoman İzmir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper discusses the intricate relation between aspects of social life and the antagonism of the administrative institutions in a particular locality. By using cases of divorce decisions as well as contested weddings among people from different confessions which, despite the fact that they took place in Izmir were reported to and investigated by the Greek-Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople, it aspires to shed light on those liminal aspects where locality and conviviality are transgressed in the name of tradition. Furthermore, the paper investigates the role of the clergy both in dealing with charity and the destitute, and as an institution, whose encounters with modernity triggers tensions and new perceptions of the relation between the church and its congregation, always bearing upon issues of morality and efficiency. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In Turkey, suburbia has become a subject of debates since the 1990s relative to the reconfiguration of urban environments due to transnational economic relations, formation of new upper income groups, social polarization and changing consumption habits. With the help of a case study in the city of Izmir, this paper examines the extent of suburbanization in Turkey in relation to the theoretical works about this subject. The studies have shown that the emergence of suburbia in Izmir goes back to the periods of integration to the capitalist economy during the seventeenth century. Meanwhile, the Anglo-Saxon type suburbia in Izmir has reemerged especially in the recent decades and along the motorways to the city. However, this paper claims that these areas are not fully established in the case of Izmir due to costs of suburban life and lack of social and infrastructural facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Turkey, poverty has been a main subject of debates since 1960s. It used to be a serious problem for both rural areas and the big cities that gained migration. In Turkey and world-wide since the 1980s, however, there have been more research interests in the concentrated urban poverty, especially along with the increase in levels of impoverishment around the world. With the help of a case study in Izmir (Turkey), this paper aims to examine the process of concentrated urban poverty from different points of view in the literature. This is a case study developed at the peripheries of the traditional city centre - or inner areas - of the city of Izmir, Turkey. The paper, first, discusses the parameters of concentrated poverty according to the literature. Then it introduces the study findings of the author, which point out the macro-scale, micro-scale and ecological dynamics that are important in the development of concentrated urban poverty. The macro-scale dynamics suggest that poverty in inner areas of the city are related to the unbalanced development trends within the country, such as the overgrowth of metropolitan cities, economic restructuring processes, migration trends and the development of informal economy. The ecological dynamics address to the housing and job location preferences and invasion-succession processes in the city, which emphasize that socio-economic characteristics of inner areas of the city are different from those of other city parts. Micro-scale dynamics are related to poors' ability of developing solidarity relations among themselves, which is also related to the spatial characteristics of inner areas of the city, according to this study's findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of the economic development of Izmir, and the give and take of centre-periphery negotiations, the central authority attempted to re-integrate Izmir into its administrative and political structure in the nineteenth century, in accordance with the centralising or modernising Tanzimat reforms. However, Tanzimat reforms did not disturb the social cohesion of Izmir, which the city reproduced, with its local character and some peculiar dynamics, over the centuries. This paper concerns the impact of modernising-and centralising-state regulations on the Greek community of Izmir and the relationship between local governance and Izmir Greeks. Some Ottoman-Turkish documents and Greek newspapers of the time are used as first hand sources. Within the given period on which this article is focused (1840-1866), Izmir was neither a province nor had a municipality. In the absence of modern urban administrative developments, Izmir Greeks constructed their own ways of communication with the central and local authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism has become an important sector in Turkey as a growing source of foreign exchange reserves and employment over the last two decades. After being one of the most important tourist destinations for decades, Izmir lost its relative importance after the 1990s. With its historical, cultural values and nature, Izmir still has a significant potential for tourism. Given the importance of this sector for Izmir, this paper investigates the factors affecting the international tourism demand in Izmir using the time series data between 1980 and 2005. The double logarithmic model is used in estimation. Real exchange rates, the GDP per capita of OECD countries, the GDP per capita of Izmir and the transportation public capital stock of Izmir are the variables used to explain Izmir's international tourist arrivals. The empirical results show that the prices and income of the tourist-generating country are the main determinants of the demand for tourism. Income and price elasticities are above 1. Local factors related to Izmir's level of development and the transportation public capital stock have no significant effect. Policy implications derivable from this study suggest that government should encourage alternative forms of tourism development besides mass tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]