The need for ecosystem-based coastal planning in Trabzon city

Abstract

Coastal
 urbanization problem was emanated from willingness of coastal living. Urban
 sprawl is one of the most important coastal problems in Turkey as it is in
 Trabzon city which is known for its natural and historical assets. In order to
 ensure the sustainability and ecological continuity of the city, an ecosystem
 based coastal planning is an issue of high priority. Protection and usage
 balance of the coastal areas could also ensure transition of the natural values
 to future generations. Trabzon city has been under severe urbanization problem
 for the last 30 years due to migration from rural to coastal areas of the city.
 It is thought that recently completed motorway and its service roads
 accelerated the urbanization on coastal periphery. Therefore, the problem must
 be resolved as soon as possible to achieve the good environmental status of the
 coast in the city. Thus, as a solution, DPSIR framework was proposed for
 systematic evaluation and documentation of the related critical issues by
 starting with a questionnaire composed of open ended questions for
 determination of major coastal problems in the city. As a step forward, the
 problems are quantitatively investigated and confirmed by using remote sensing
 techniques and census data compiled from TUIK databases. As a result major
 drivers were defined as "coastal urbanization", "coastal land
 filling" and "coastal transportation"   for the city of Trabzon. It is recommended
 that single authority (composed of various specialists) must take the
 responsibility of coastal planning in the region. Moreover, the rights of the
 municipalities on the coastal zone must urgently be stopped by applying
 continues independent monitoring. Finally, taxation and land owning policies
 have to be revised on coastal areas to balance and encourage alternative city
 planning strategies.