REGENERATIVE POWER OF WASTE SPACES THROUGH THE LENS OF SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS: THE CASE OF IZMIR

Date

2025-6-26

Author

Güney, Gürkan

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Urban areas, as complex social-ecological systems, face significant challenges due to the adverse effects of urbanization and constant change in land. One of the significant results of these processes is residual, leftover, and neglected spaces. Such areas include vacant, post-industrial, and infrastructure-driven spaces. This study elaborates on such spaces under the overarching concept of waste space. The research uses the social-ecological systems theory to explore the waste space phenomenon within the context of case study areas in İzmir's Umurbey, Adalet, and Kazımdirik neighborhoods. The SES theory conceptualizes urban areas as complex, dynamic systems wherein social structures and ecological processes are interdependent, jointly shaping the functioning, resilience, and sustainability of urban environments. Waste spaces are parts of these systems. They are shaped by and influence on intertwined social, economic, and ecological processes. In this context, SES theory offers a valuable framework by emphasizing core features—interconnectedness, complex adaptability, feedback loops, resilience, ecosystem services, actor involvement, adaptive governance, and cross-scale dynamics—that together enable a comprehensive understanding of the complexities of waste spaces. The research adopts a case study approach structured around three main objectives: (1) to investigate how waste spaces emerge throughout urban development processes; (2) to analyze their morphological and typological characteristics; and (3) to elaborate these spaces through a multi-scalar lens grounded in the SES theory. The research not only highlights the socio-ecological values of waste spaces but also provides a conceptual and methodological foundation for integrating these neglected urban areas into planning and design practices.

Subject Keywords

Waste Spaces, Social-Ecological Systems, Re-use, Sustainability, Resilience

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/115472

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis