Planning with complexity: The analysis of İzmir Uzundere urban transformation project through the advocacy coalition framework

2023-1-19
Demirel Şanlı, Şule
Today, cities are defined as dynamic, non-linear, open, and complex systems that can adapt themselves according to various situations and formations and develop continuously in this direction. Planning is about a world-changing from basic and direct interactions to highly complex situations towards the fuzzy middle between technical rationality and communicative rationality; hence, it has begun to be questioned in the presence of complexity theory. With intensifying neoliberal policies after 2000, Turkey’s urban development processes have significantly transformed, and urban transformation has become a powerful intervention tool in urban planning. As becoming a political intervention tool regarding space, it becomes possible to argue the main objectives of urban planning through urban transformation projects, as the goals of urban transformation overlap with urban planning. Hence, to discuss the planning processes and reevaluate them from a complexity theory perspective, urban transformation projects and their implementation process offer a rich ground. In this context, the thesis examines a process that is constantly reshaped by the internal and external factors that emerged in the planning process, as well as the coalitions created by diverse actors, by investigating the events that emerged in the planning and policy development processes, through the example of urban transformation project being implemented in İzmir Uzundere. The advocacy coalition framework can provide a theoretical guide for understanding the complexities in planning processes, as it enables and furthers the understanding of policy changes and coalition activities while helping to understand the non-linear, emergent, coevolutionary, and self-organized context of the complexity in planning. In this sense, the advocacy coalition framework outlines the research framework by incorporating the current planning discussions. Accordingly, the research suggests how the advocacy coalition framework can be adapted to bridge collaborative processes with studies of planning processes and complexity discussions. It is seen that internal and external effects and coalitions influence the planning process of an urban transformation project even when the authorities and planners try to simplify policy-making and planning. In spite of the fact that the authority did not anticipate the fuzzy and complex processes involved in planning and policy-making, it demonstrated an adaptive capacity and developed new strategies by acting in co-evolutions to respond to external and internal factors and unanticipated changes and challenges. Finally, in a world of change, complexity thinking is seen to promote advanced understandings and productive strategies for urban planning.

Suggestions

Urban transformation process: Ulus historcial city center planning project
Osmançavuşoğlu, Atanur; Günay, Baykan; Department of City and Regional Planning (2006)
This thesis, firstly, examines the main characteristics of comprehensive and strategic spatial planning and by comparing both planning understandings indicates that strategic spatial planning is thought as more suitable to the demands of both developing and developed countries in the contemporary era. Then, the main argument of the thesis is presented as Ulus Historical Center Conservation and Improvement Plan is an example of a strategic plan prepared for the purposes of conservation (development). In conf...
Defining in-betweenness as a new spatial form the case of Durana, Albania
Alimadhi, Enkela; Akkar Ercan, Zübeyde Müge; Urban Design in City and Regional Planning Department (2015)
This thesis focuses on and explores the notion of ‘In-betweenness’ as a ‘third space’ or a ‘new spatial form’ that have been observed on the area between two cities. This new spatial form has emerged and has been continuously generated on the land between the two important cities of Albania; i.e. Tirana -the capital City- and Durrës - the port City. As an outcome of particular political, social, economic, and geographical factors, as well as the morphological transformation, this research studies the ‘In-be...
Spatial dynamics of producer services in Ankara
Gökce, Buğra; Günay, Baykan; Department of City and Regional Planning (2008)
In the last three decades, depending on advances in communication technologies, there is a popular discussion that urban functions can be located independent from space. In other words, each urban function can locate to any zones of a city due to communication technology-based connections, in a so called “deterritorialization”. These new sprawl-based locations can be seen in the central business districts (CBD) of cities, especially by producer service functions. This thesis will investigate the validity of...
URBAN COLLISION: AN ANALYSIS OF THE BUILT FORM IN THE CASE OF ISLAMABAD AND RAWALPINDI, PAKISTAN
Falak, Hareem; Çalışkan, Olgu; Urban Design in City and Regional Planning Department (2022-7-7)
Traditionally the cities have evolved incrementally, but the modern approach to urbanism created a rupture in this evolution process by idealizing the holistic creation of a new urban utopia and, in most cases, disregarding the existing urban context and history. Due to the new typologies introduced by the modern architecture and urban design policies, a controversial relationship morphologically arises between the modern and traditional fabrics. This can be observed best in the urban peripheries where the ...
Designing urban space with the tools of the development legislation
Baş, Yener; Barlas, Mehmet Adnan; Department of City and Regional Planning (2003)
Since 1960s, the scope of urban design broadened in a way that to control the formation process of urban space as a whole. In this respect urban coding became a distinct branch in urban planning as an integrating mechanism of planning and design processes. Thus, design control has become a crucial part of the development control systems especially in the western countries. Although the development legislation in Turkey as an urban coding system has various weaknesses about urban design and design control, i...
Citation Formats
Ş. Demirel Şanlı, “Planning with complexity: The analysis of İzmir Uzundere urban transformation project through the advocacy coalition framework,” Ph.D. - Doctoral Program, Middle East Technical University, 2023.