Environmental Suitability of National Logistics Village Proposals in Kocaeli, Türkiye

Abstract

In recent years, Turkey has seen a rise in investments in the international transportation and logistics sector, positioning the city of Kocaeli as a crucial hub in national planning documents. The national logistics master plan outlines the establishment of two significant logistics centers in Kocaeli. The areas designated for these centers currently have zoning plans for various local uses. However, if the proposed logistics centers are realized, it will necessitate physical transformation and planning revisions in these areas, which have been an element to the city's character for many years. The nationally significant investments in Kocaeli are expected to have a multiplier effect in various sectors, leading to extensive spatial changes around the logistics villages and their immediate surroundings. While the logistics centers have been proposed in Kocaeli's districts in national plans, their location decision needs to consider environmental and sustainability impacts, given their accessibility advantages at transportation intersections and proximity to production centers. This study aims to assess the impacts of globally and nationally significant logistics centers in Kocaeli on urban resilience and sustainability, focusing on their spatial suitability and integration with local plans and property relationships. To achieve this, environmentally fragile areas have been overlaid with logistics village boundaries in a GIS environment, and potential changes and their effects have been evaluated by comparing current land uses with potential new land uses in logistics villages and their surroundings in local-level zoning plans.