When Planning Becomes Peripheral: Ecological Degradation and Urban Expansion in Tokat

Date

2026-06-15

Author

Sarı, Ayşegül
Tiryaki, İrem Duygu

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Tokat is located in the central Black sea region of northern Anatolia, and is in a valley system surrounded by the Canik Mountains to the north and the Köse Mountains to the south. The city lies along the Yeşilırmak River (ancient Iris River), which, along with its tributaries, provides fertile plains for grain cultivation, orchards, and pasture since its Hellenistic times. While Tokat has historically been prominent as an administrative and religious center, travel accounts from the 19th and early 20th centuries depict the city primarily through its natural and rural characteristics. These narratives highlight fertile river plains, orchards, and the Iris River, Kelkit, Tozanlı, and Çekerek Valleys, illustrating a socio-ecological territoriality in which natural features structured everyday life, production, and settlement. Over time, however, the natural and agricultural landscapes of the city are replaced with urban development, indicating a tension between historical environmental relationships and modern urban expansions.Considering the degradation of the natural landscapes and the weakening of the human-nature relationship in Tokat, this study critically examines the diminishing role of ecological considerations within local planning decisions. A systematic review of the stories in 20 travel books from the 19th and early 20th centuries reveal the key and most common natural components, namely the valleys, the Euphrates/Iris river and the mountains, mentioned in the anecdotes of the travelers. In contrast, current development plans often permit expansion into valley floors, while uncontrolled waste in the Iris River undermines agricultural practices and reduces the city’s historical, organic connection to its surrounding landscape to mere plots for habitation.The findings underscore the need to re-center spatial planning around ecological territoriality and to restore the city’s historical landscape connections within future urban development strategies.

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https://eventos3-202b6.kxcdn.com/uploads/957/materials/cb16c75a696fae0f76eababb8255f8bc.pdf
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/120921

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Department of City and Regional Planning, Conference / Seminar