Multi-Criteria Evaluation of Socio-Spatial Resilience based on Sectoral Changes in

Kayseri City Region

Taylan, A. a; Gndz, E. a; Sa, M.A. a and Karkn, K.a
a:

Selcuk University, Faculty of Architecture, Department of City and Regional Planning,

Konya, Turkey

This paper will evaluate the outcomes of the economic and sectoral development policies of
Turkey in terms of investigating the socio-economic and spatial resilience of Kayseri cityregion. In Turkey, economic development was mainly based on the manufacturing sector with
a significant rise during the period of 1980-1990s. In recent decade, however, the main
economic activity has shifted toward the construction sector. Depending on the limitations of
the construction industry in the near future, however, the cities need to develop resilience
plans, which consider the sectoral potentials and challenges as well as their influences on
physical development and/or settlement patterns by comprising both the urban and rural areas
of their regions.

In this context, this paper focused on the Kayseri city-region. Indeed, Kayseri, which is
known with its innovative entrepreneurship in business, has witnessed certain developments
in the manufacture industry, i.e. automotive and furniture sectors during 1980-1990s.
Although this change addressed a significant shift toward the new regional policies that can
lead success in the competitiveness and global integration, there is seen a sectoral decline in
the automotive industry since 2000s. Simultaneously, the construction and service sectors
increased, when Kayseri has experienced a significant rural-to-urban migration. That is, the
influence of the rise in the construction sector does not only lead a decline in the urban
manufacturing sectors, but also a decrease in the rural sectors that accompany to the
migration. Moreover, the peripheries of Kayseri metropolitan area that had agricultural
character with a contribution into the industry have also been threatened with the speculative
activities of the construction industry.

Regarding the limitations of the construction industry in the next years, Kayseri needs to
define the way of resilient development by means of economic sectors. Thus, the paper will
evaluate the resilience of Kayseri city-region in terms of Multi-Criteria Analysis Approach,
which provides using several criteria, i.e. limits and potentials in the economic sectors as well

as in the social and physical development, and different scales, i.e. regional and metropolitan
levels. The data on the economic sectors and spatial development of Kayseri are obtained
from local authorities such as regional development agency and metropolitan and district
municipalities.

Regarding both the characteristics of urban and rural areas, the paper will present firstly a
sub-regional zoning, which is based on the existing and potential economic activities with the
reasons of migration, proposals for rural development and integration of rural sectors into
metropolitan sectors. Then, the paper will focus on the metropolitan area by investigating the
potentials of urban economic sectors in association with rural sectors integration, urban
growth patterns and main macro-form decisions.

Keywords: sectoral changes, socio-spatial resilience, urban growth, regional development