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Today’s settlements are typically getting less and less green with residents craving more and more for the nature. On the one hand, individuals are becoming more and more tired with big city life, and on the other, social togetherness is getting weaker and weaker. Such problems that are faced on a global scale in today’s world are considered to be potential causes of greater problems in the future. With the hypothesis that building alternative sustainable living environments and increasing the number of such environments are critically important, the concept of Eco-Villages is gradually becoming popular today. Ecovillages are a type of intelligent settlements with ecological characteristics such as natural agriculture and livestock activities, thus producing their own nutrients, utilizing renewable energy systems, transforming their wastes and having a self-sufficient and collective social life. While there are successful examples of eco-villages throughout the world, the number of such examples in Turkey is rather limited. The present study analyzes certain Eco-Village initiatives in Turkey and proposes an alternative sustainable living model and its principles with reference to the question, “How can we achieve more successful Eco-Villages?”, based on survey data collected from 660 participants. The proposed Smart Eco-Village Settlement Model, systematizes the city-village relationship. Social structure, physical structure, and energy-related strategies are determined for the eco-village model, and it is aimed to reorganize the spatial, sociocultural, and productive structures between the city and the village with a three-stage settlement system to be established according to its characteristics. It contributes to the economy of the region and the country through various forms of production, ensures sustainable development, and offers an alternative way of living, ensuring the sustainability of the global economy.

The development of modern society in cities has recently led to rapid urbanization, which has significantly reduced the amount of green spaces (Furness & Greenwood, 1993). However, large green areas in a city (parks, cemeteries, golf courses, wetlands and forests) play a significant role in urban biodiversity and provide the necessary conditions for a great range of bird species to live (Blair, 2004). Due to the gradual decrease in the number of green areas, birds began migrating to natural places. As for those who struggle to survive within cities, they started to build their nests on power poles, thus causing power cuts and bird deaths in increasing numbers. According to these circumstances, birdhouses have become vital for the survival and well-being of birds. The aim of this study is to examine and render historical details of natural and artificial birdhouses trying to survive in cities and natural places, and to call attention to and raise awareness about the sustainability of birdhouses. In line with this objective, the significance of birdhouses in Turkey is emphasized, and solutions are introduced in order not to lose the longstanding design perspectives and practices.

The aim of this study is to answer the question of “why people prefer to live in gated communities in Istanbul?”. Qualitative research methods have been used to develop a conceptual model. Methodologies employed were in-depth interviews and interview forms, where the data were analyzed using content analysis. In-depth interviews employed 33 different household members in 9 different household types. The sample includes different housing types, security levels and income levels to determine the housing preferences in gated communities. The conceptual model is mainly based on household characteristics, project features of gated communities and opportunities offered by gated communities.

The retail sector has been greatly developing in Turkey, especially with the addition of foreign investments in the last few years, which has resulted in a considerable increase in the number of stores. This increase is also evident in the number of stores in sports retail, as is the case in other sub-sectors of retail. The aim of this study is to determine what decisions and criteria are taken into consideration in the sports retail sector regarding the selection of store locations. With this aim in mind, first a survey was conducted and given to customers, the most important component of retail. Second, in order to determine the sporting habits of customers, another survey study was done with users of sports centers, and the results of these two studies were considered together. The third survey study was done with the employees of sports retail stores to see if their points of view supported the results of the first two surveys. According to the results of the surveys, the most convenient locations for the sports retailers seem to be shopping malls because they provide various facilities, are easily accessible and provide a wide range of stores which have almost every product one would look for. And also like other retailers, sports retail stores prefer locations that are easily accessible and that can be reached by great numbers of people.

Physical and social structures of urban spaces may cause them to turn into crime areas or areas that can create fear of crime. Fear of crime is an important urban problem which affects the quality of life in cities as much as the crime cases themselves. Personal safety and the need for protection from crime have a considerably critical place among the issues to take into account during urban design and planning. The aim of the present study is to explain fear of crime as a problem which affects the life quality negatively in the city centers that turn into crime areas with urbanization and to determine the factors causing this situation. With this aim in mind, a questionnaire study has been carried out in Be?ikta? Sinanpa?a Neighborhood to evaluate the safety perception of the users and to identify the factors creating the perception of unsafety. In addition, the relationship between fear and space structure has been examined by using the space syntax method. As a result of the study, it is determined that the relationship between fear of crime and environmental factors is relatively stronger than the relationship between fear and demographic factors. Accessibility of the environment, in addition to the factors such as overpopulation in urban space, desolateness, inadequate lighting, and graffiti-like elements in the area, has been found to contribute negatively to the increase of fear of crime.

Conserving historic urban environments is currently one of the most universally urgent and challenging cultural heritage conservation issues. Conservation in this paper is seen as a term that covers a wide spectrum of issues that can be classified under three categories: historic urban fabric, traditional Kilis houses and lifestyle concerns. Kilis, which has been a home for many civilizations and cultures throughout history, is an outstanding settlement with its unique historic urban fabric and distinctive house plans. Situated in a transition climate zone, the city also shines for its traditional local cuisine and varied traditional handicrafts. This study aims to give a detailed description of the traditional urban fabric, streets, squares, residential plan types including commonly used architectural details, and the traditional materials in Kilis. The study also examines the lifestyle in Kilis with respect to the city’s potentialities. The recommendations regarding how to preserve and maintain the historic urban fabric, the traditional Kilis houses, and lifestyle characteristics are presented in the discussion and conclusion part.

Istanbul, the biggest city of Turkey with a population of 17 million people, is a city where both the negative and positive effects of urban life standards are intensely experienced. Along with problems such as migration from rural areas to urban areas, rapid population growth, unemployment and squatting, crime rates have recently been observed to go higher (Yirmibesoglu & Ergun, 2013). The old city center, Beyoglu was infamously known for its high crime rates and fear of crime, but today it seems that this image has changed and the fear of crime has decreased. Among the reasons for this decrease, we can mention the fact that Beyoglu has been through a gentrification process that some buildings have been restored, and that urban design implementations have been done in some streets. This study aimed to find out how fear of crime according to gender differed before and after the renovation process. With this aim in mind, field research and surveys were conducted in 2006 and 2010. The research problem, fear of crime and environmental safety in Beyoglu, was investigated based on certain variables such as the participants’ gender, occupation, duration of residence in Istanbul, the place of residence, age group, place of birth, and educational level; the participants were also asked about the frequency of their visits to Beyoglu and the reasons why they go to Beyoglu. The results of the study revealed the differences in fear of crime between men and women. It was found that Beyoglu district became safer after the renovations; yet, the rate of fear of walking alone, and therefore the fear of crime, was found to be higher among women than among men.

Beyoglu, which is one of two most important historical centers in the 17 million Istanbul, and where a gentrification process is being implemented since the 1980’s. This research is based on the differences in physical, demographical and economical characteristics of Istanbul’s districts, which show a rise in ratios of crime, especially in the city center such as the Beyoglu and Eminonu districts. In the Beyoglu central district which is economically better developed and with mixed land usage, differentiation in day/night population will be analyzed in order to determine how this could affect increase in crime. The crime survey is conducted in the Beyoglu district between 2006 and 2008. The questionnaire results provide an insight into the mapping of crime in Beyoglu streets. The purpose of the study with this questionnaire is also to analyze fear from crime in the Beyoglu streets. At the end of the research, crime prevention strategies are going to be improved and new suggestions will be presented for the streets where crime rates are high.

Beyoglu is one of the two historical centers of Istanbul and also the center of entertainment as well as shopping. This place has lived several rises and falls through the history, experienced a long urban decay period between 1950-1980 and not much used by Istanbul residents in that period. Folowing the gentrification period which started in 1980, the area started flourishing again and several investments were made. While the gentrifiers have invested in the area, municipality has developed an urban landscape thus Beyoglu once again became a center of attraction. Housing population has returned to the area while entertainment and shopping functions have prevailed. On the other hand, neighobourhoods where low income people migrated from rural areas live, has not changed much and a social status difference occurred in between. Studies in that area show that the crime ratio which was used to be very high, is now getting lower; however, the fear of crime is still prevailing. The purpose of this article is to examine the fear of crime between residents and visitors of the area. For this purpose, face-to-face interviews on site with 189 residents and 411 visitors (total 600 people) were carried out in 2014. The interpretations show that fear of crime changes based on certain criteria in both neighbourhoods and for the elimination of this fear, studies in the area only is not sufficient and the area must be evaluated with its vicinity.

Enaindvajseto stoletje je začetek nove dobe, v kateri bo treba k urbanemu razvoju na mednarodni in nacionalni ravni, k enakosti, kontinuiteti, sposobnosti ter administraciji s številnimi akterji in sistemi naselij pristopiti z novo etiko upravljanja naselij. Koncept trajnostnega razvoja je bil prvič predstavljen na konferenci o nacionalnem razvoju in okolju leta 1992 v Riu de Janeiru (znani tudi pod imenom »Earth Summit«), kjer so sprejeli akcijski načrt Agenda 21. Ta obsežni dokument določa dolžnosti vlad, nevladnih organizacij, lokalnih oblasti, organov Organizacije združenih narodov, razvojnih organizacij ter vseh oseb in ustanov, ki vplivajo na okolje. Na tej podlagi pričujoča raziskava ocenjuje rastočo potrebo po urbani preobrazbi v Turčiji na različnih ravneh v okviru lokalne agende 21, pri kateri lahko sodelujejo različni akterji. Prispevek se teh vprašanj ne loteva le s stališča države, temveč tudi s stališča vseh akterjev, ki so jim bile dodeljene dolžnosti. Preučuje filozofijo programa lokalne agende 21 in njegovo izvajanje v občini Harran ter tudi raven doseženih ciljev lokalne agende 21 v Turčiji in politike, povezane z obravnavanim primerom. V prispevek so vključeni predlogi, ki bodo vsem lokalnim oblastem v Turčiji omogočili, da bodo lahko pregledale svoje programe v okviru akcijskega načrta lokalna agenda 21 in tako sodelovale v procesu urbane preobrazbe, razvile lokalne politike trajnostnega razvoja ter pripravile kratkoročne in dolgoročne načrte za reševanje težav.

The twenty-first century is the beginning of an era in which urban development at the international and national levels, equality, continuity, capability, administration involving many actors and settlement systems need to be dealt with using new settlement administration ethics. The concept of sustainable development first came up at the National Development and Environment Conference held in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, when the action plan known as Agenda 21 was constituted at the Earth Summit. This is a comprehensive document assigning responsibility to governments, NGOs, local authorities, United Nations organisations, development organisations and all persons and institutions that have an impact on the environment. On this basis, this study evaluates the growing necessity of urban transformation in Turkey in various dimensions within the framework of Local Agenda 21, in which various actors can be involved. This paper approaches the issues not only from the point of view of the state, but also from the point of view of all actors to whom responsibility is assigned. It examines the philosophy of the Local Agenda 21 program and how it is being implemented in the Municipality of Harran, and it assesses the achievement level of Local Agenda 21 in Turkey and policies in the case reviewed. The paper includes proposals that will allow all local authorities in Turkey to examine their own programs within the framework of the Local Agenda 21 action program so that they can participate in the urban transformation process, develop local sustainable development policies and establish short-term and long-term strategic plans to solve problems.

As of 2007, there is no research evaluating the distribution of crime in Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul. However, Istanbul includes areas with diverse characteristics and accommodates people from many different origins within the country. The purpose of this piece, therefore, is to inform readers about patterns of crime in a city that has been a major focal point of urban migration since the 1950s. While there were a total of 18 districts in Istanbul before 1987, the number increased to 32 thereafter as a result of the population increase in the city’s smaller settlement areas. In the first stage of the study, the relationship between the distribution of crime and the physical and social structures observed in these 32 districts is evaluated. Patterns between the profile of each district and its respective crime rate are then established. Most of data were taken from the most recent census year, 2000, to serve a more detailed analysis. It is concluded that crime rates were higher in the district...

In recent studies on urban safety, close relationships between physical and demographic characteristics have been found in crime levels in cities. In many countries social, political and economic turmoil have been the main reasons for the increase in urban crime and violence in the last 50 years. In physically deprived environments, the most important factors that increase urban crime are socially isolated communities, economic discrimination and lack of equality in political citizenship rights. In developing countries, it is difficult to obtain data about crime and safety. For this reason, there are very few studies on crime compared to developed countries. In the research in this paper, the similarities and differences of crime ratios against property and persons in Istanbul are compared with those in other countries. For this purpose, the spatial distribution of crimes committed were analysed on a comparative basis between 1998–2002 in 32 districts displaying different characteristics in terms...

Many researchers and urban planners have made studies about security in city centers. One of the prerequisites for the continuous development of cities is to establish a safe environment. The deficiencies observed in the social equipment, infrastructure and the environmental conditions as well as social, economic, cultural and political structural characteristics of the society are factors that increase or decrease crime and criminality. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the differentiation, which has appeared during the stage of economic development, and the socio-cultural differentiation in the Istanbul metropolitan historical center. The study examines how physical characteristics of city centers and demographic characteristics of residential areas contribute to crime and how these characteristics affect reactions to crime in mixed commercial/residential areas. The data are collected to examine the relationship between crime rates and neighborhood structure in Istanbul old city center between 1993-1998. Information on physical characteristics includes type of land uses and demographic variables include age, education, average household size and income, percent change of occupancy. Key words: Crime, city center, social change, physical and demographical variable

Sustainable development, survivability, equal rights, civic engagement, enablement and governance are the main principles of our times, urban systems must be considered in view of these principles while wide range public participation has become a necessity. As a result of the ?National Development and Environment Conference, World Summit? held in Rio 1992 where concepts of sustainable development were recognized, the ?Local Agenda 21? action program has been developed. This program is a comprehensive document that puts responsibilities on Governments, non-governmental organizations, local governments, UN organizations, development institutions and all other institutions and individuals, which may have effects on the environment. The decisions taken at the Rio Summit impose upon all local governments, regardless of size, to prepare and implement their own programs along the concept/philosophy of ?Think Global, Act Local?. The aim of this paper is to establish and evaluate implementations of the Local Agenda 21 in Turkey, at different levels of local governments. The evaluation will not only aim at the governmental dimension but the roles played by all responsible parties will be taken into consideration. Sample implementations in Turkey will be scrutinized as to how many of the objectives and the policies of the Local Agenda 21 have been achieved. The results of the studies in this paper will provide, all local governments in Turkey, a means to evaluate their programs in the framework of Local Agenda 21, as well as setting forth supplementary suggestions for producing prioritized ?Local Sustainable development Policies? and for assisting them in devising short and long term strategic plans for solving problems. It will also be strongly emphasized that these plans must be implemented, with mechanisms allowing for multi-partner participations, and a method for this purpose will be suggested. Key Words: Local Agenda 21, Sustainable development, Enablement, Participation, Local governments.