Journal of Food, Agriculture & Environment, Vol.11 (2), April 2013 867 www.world-food.net Journal of Food, Agriculture & Environment Vol.11 (2): 867-872. 2013 WFL Publisher Science and Technology Meri-Rastilantie 3 B, FI-00980 Helsinki, Finland e-mail: info@world-food.net A habitant-focused approach to the concept of eco-city at industrialized cities with a rural city character (Bartın-Karabük) Turkey sample Banu Bekcı 1 *, Gaye Taşkan 1 and Çiğdem Bogenç 2 1 Department of Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Forestry, Bartın University, 74200 Bartın, Turkey . 2 University of Karabük, Faculty of Forestry, Eskipazar Vocational School, 78000 Karabük, Turkey. *e-mail: bekcibanu@hotmail.com Abstract The cities -that host architectural textures, environmental conditions and social relations within a whole- are the places where the culture of the country is reflected in the best manner. Today’s mega cities, which compose by continuously receiving migration from rural areas, cause destructions -that is hard to be recovered- by significantly ruining the nature and natural sources with their unplanned configuration and causes. This condition leads to the destruction of environment and the environment looses its ability renewal. Today human, that has realized the consumption of natural sources by it, has started to carry out operations for establishing eco-cities which preserve the permanence of natural sources. In the study the approaches of people -living in the cities of Bartin and Karabuk located in the region of Western Black Sea- to the concept of eco-city have been examined. The study consists of evaluation phases regarding (i) socio-demographical characteristics of habitants and their demands intended for the concept of eco-city planning and (ii) the expectations of habitants from the concept of eco-city. Within this scope an inquiry has been made with 360 habitants as having 180 individuals in each city. According to the correlation analysis made for the results of inquiry, it has been determined that the habitants are aware of the eco-city concept (r = 0.122*), that they did not want the character of rural city to convert to industrial city (r = -0.436**), that it is required for Turkey to shift to the eco-city model (r = -0.114*) and that they want to live in an ecological city (r = -0.270**). Consequently the approach of the habitants of rural cities to the concept of eco-city, their viewpoints regarding eco-cities, their expectations from eco-cities and their awareness regarding eco-city have been revealed and recommendations intended for the methods of sustainable urban development have been developed. Key words: Eco-city, rural city, sustainability, user preference, urban landscape. Received 20 February 2013, accepted 29 April 2013. Introduction In 1927, while 75.8% of the population of Turkey preferred to live in rural areas and 24.2% of it in urban areas, it has been observed that this condition reversed in 83 years. Along with the population of Turkey reaching 74,724,269 individuals by December 1 st , 2011, it has been determined that 23.2% (17,338,563) of the population have started to live in rural areas and 76.8% of it in urban areas (provinces and counties) 1 .The main reason of this change is the fact of intense migration to large industrial cities -as the Metropolis such as Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Bursa being in the first place- by the effect of industrialization in 1950s 2 . By the automation of agriculture and animal breeding-which compose the basis of livelihood of rural cities-the requirement for manpower has decreased and thus migration to large cities have started by the increase of unemployment. By the intense pressure of industrialization at rural cities, the problem of planning arising due to the transition of fertile agricultural areas to small, medium, large scaled industrial centers and lodging areas which surround them and due to zoning and transportation policies prepared during the realization of this transition, composes the backbone of modern city pattern that creates a pressure on rural area. In other words, the entrance of rural cities -which try to develop- to the process of demolishing nature that provides its sources causes the cities to loose their rural city character 2 . The rapid population increase and expansion of resource-consumption, combined with industrialization, urbanization, mobilization, agricultural intensification and resource intensive life styles are contributing to worldwide environmental, social and economic crisis 3 . The sheer numbers of people and diversity of activities in the world’s cities means that we are inevitably major consumers of environmental resources and producers of massive waste streams 4 . These changes regarding the cities have revealed the concepts of rural and urban city it is being observed that rural cities serve to small settlements and commercial units, and that urban cities serve to urban areas 5 . Considering these changes in the cities, the concept of sustainability– as one of the most significant concepts of 20 th century- has been first specified in the Brundtland report of World Commission on Environment and Development as the determinant of relations in the triangle of Environment (healthy ecosystems, biodiversity, supportive built environment, resource conservation, pollution prevention), Society (equity, local self-reliance, inclusion, empowerment, participation, social accountability, appropriate technology) and Economy (economic growth, private profit, market expansion, economic stability, efficiency) 6-10 . One of the most significant efforts made towards sustainable urban development is eco-city, an ecologically healthy city designed to minimize ecological footprint 9-12 . Ten basic principles have been suggested for the transition of bearing capacity of varying production