A Preliminary Study On Defining Urban Resilience for Urban Planning: The Case of Sultanbeyli, Istanbul

A Preliminary Study On Defining Urban Resilience for Urban Planning

Abstract

This study aims to present the findings of a field research on “urban resilience” as well as offering an overview of some recent theoretical developments concerning the concept, which has recently enjoyed wide currency in the field of urban planning. First, it discusses the scope of resilience assessment from the social-ecological systemic viewpoint and then scrutinizes the contribution of social-ecological network analysis to the field of urban planning by employing this method in an empirical case. For the social-ecological network analyzing and resilience assessment, this study deals with the case of Sultanbeyli, Istanbul. It is a district which came into being in a haphazard fashion in the 1980s and which has grown very rapidly ever since due to informal housing and shanty settlements. The residents of Sultanbeyli are particularly vulnerable in terms of a number of socio[1]economic and spatial issues. Moreover, the whole area of the district lies within the Ömerli Basin, one of the largest fresh water sources for Istanbul. Unplanned growth of the district gives rise to very important environmental problems such as the shrinkage of the basin and water pollution. Thus, a resilience assessment analysis on Sultanbeyli bears on some vital issues concerning the entire city. The study comprises two main parts. First of all, a literature overview is presented regarding the current definitions and scope of urban resilience as well as the attempts to develop methods to assess it. Secondly, an empirical case is examined so as to shed light on resilience assessment by employing the method of social-ecological network analysis. It is found that the analysis of resilience assessment alongside with its method and instruments contributes to sustainable urban development and strategic urban planning. It is also argued that the method of social-ecological network analyzing is of great benefit to partner analysis, information flow, and participatory processes in urban planning.