GIS – Based Land Suitability Analysis in Cigli District

Abstract

Recently, the supply of communal and social needs of the citizens in urban areas is inadequate due to the increasing demand. As a result, urban settlements have shifted towards unsuitable areas. This shift has caused damage to natural areas, disrupted the ecological balance and has led to the occurrence of various disasters. Recent opportunities exist to build livable and well-planned cities. Urban development strategies for new settlement areas should be developed in order to prevent critical problems in urban areas. Suitability analysis is one of the several methods that can be applied for the development of these strategies. The implementation of this method benefits from GIS. The aim of the study is to determine the most suitable areas for new settlement in the Cigli district (Izmir) and its surroundings according to the suitability factors and also to implement the suitability analysis by using GIS. According to the results, the selected region located in the eastern part of the district center and also known as the urban renewal area was found to be suitable for new development in the Cigli district. The results of the analysis are discussed and a variety of policies have been developed.