CONSIDERING ISTANBUL AS THE DRIVING FORCE OF THE MARMARA CITY REGION: AN ANALYSIS FOCUSING ON THE INDUSTRIAL SECTOR

Authors

Abstract

 The Marmara city region which covers fourteen cities (?stanbul, Edirne, Tekirda?, K?rklareli, Çanakkale, Bal?kesir, Bursa, Yalova, Bilecik, Eski?ehir, Kocaeli, Sakarya, Düzce and Bolu) is a highly accessible place where commodities and services needed by 5.7 billion people are met with each other and transferred among continentals. This study aims to define the role of Istanbul within the Marmara city region; to present the current state of the industrial sector in terms of site selection and regional specialization within the city region; and to discuss the future of the sector from the perspective of risks and opportunities. The research follows a qualitative methodology and uses document analysis and workshop methods for data collection. Verbal and written materials are organized into two major themes for thematic content analysis. The study shows that Istanbul has strong interaction and sharing with its thirteen neighbouring provinces. If Istanbul and these thirteen neighbouring provinces are considered and planned together under the umbrella of the Marmara city region with a holistic approach, the Marmara city region will soon transform into an assertive focal region and a dominant centre of attraction that manages/directs global flows of information, finance, people, goods and services. The Marmara city region needs a common vision with its integrated ecosystem, intertwined productionconsumption relations, and strong and competitive economic structure. The future prosperity of the city region depends on the creation of more intelligent, dynamic, innovative and diversified clusters with strong infrastructure in the industrial sector. For new industrial investments within the city region, it would be beneficial to focus on cities where outward migration takes place.

Author Biographies

Fatih Eren, Istanbul Technical University

Fatih EREN is an Associate Professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Istanbul Technical University Faculty of Architecture. He completed his PhD on the internationalization process of the Istanbul real estate market at the University of Sheffield between 2007-2013. He worked as the Director of the Center for Urban Studies at the Center for Strategic Research and Analysis (CESRAN), an international think tank based in the UK, between 2010-2016. He was the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Architecture and Planning (ICONARP), of which he was one of the founders, for two years.

He has more than 19 years of experience as an academician in the higher education sector and has been involved in many public and private sector supported research and development projects as a coordinator, manager, researcher and consultant. In the projects he undertakes, he frequently resorts to experimental and innovative methods such as developing original mobile applications, experiencing augmented reality technology, and constructing original psychometric tests.

His areas of expertise and interest are Smart City, Urban Innovation, Megaproject Development and Investment, Real Estate Market Analysis and Comparative Global City Analysis.

He has focused his recent studies on "Digital Twin Cities", "Platform Urbanism" and "Urban Acupuncture Practices".

Muhammed Ziya Paköz, Istanbul Technical University

Muhammed Ziya Paköz has more than 15 years of experience as an urban planner and academic. He has been involved in many public and private sector R&D projects as a manager, coordinator, researcher and consultant. He holds a PhD from Istanbul Technical University focusing on access to healthcare and spatial accessibility of hospitals. Her current interests are Spatial Accessibility, Mobility, Urban Vitality and Post-Pandemic City / Urbanization. He also gave lectures and conducted studies on transportation planning, bicycle urbanism, migration and acculturation.

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Published

2023-12-29

How to Cite

Eren, F., & Paköz, M. Z. (2023). CONSIDERING ISTANBUL AS THE DRIVING FORCE OF THE MARMARA CITY REGION: AN ANALYSIS FOCUSING ON THE INDUSTRIAL SECTOR. Journal of Architecture, Planning and Construction Management (JAPCM), 13(2), 29–45. Retrieved from https://journals.iium.edu.my/kaed/index.php/japcm/article/view/822

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 2 (2023): Journal of Architecture, Planning and Construction Management (JAPCM)

Section

Articles