IOSR Journal of Business and Management (IOSR-JBM) e-ISSN: 2278-487X, p-ISSN: 2319-7668. Volume 18, Issue 12. Ver. II (December. 2016), PP 67-77 www.iosrjournals.org DOI: 10.9790/487X-1812026777 www.iosrjournals.org 67 | Page Comparative Urban and Industrial Development, an Integrated Approach: Karabük and Sheffield Can Biçer 1 , Kemal Yaman 2 1 (Safranbolu Vocational School, Karabük University,Turkey) 2 (Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Karabük University,Turkey) Abstract: In this study, Karabük and Sheffield, where iron and steel industry was established and developed, were analyzed. Iron and steel sector played a major role in the urbanization of these two cities. Dating back its settlement history to 13th century, Sheffield where cutting equipment and knife workmanship were developed and Karabük which was a railway station with 13 houses in 1935 became heavy industry centers and as they grew fast, they became famous in the world. In this study, the findings acquired by researching the urbanization and environment related problems in the cities of Karabük and Sheffield which are significant centers of iron and steel industry, are analyzed comparatively. As a result, the index values for Karabük and Sheffield were found as; population index value 108167 and 336, PM index value 77 and 88, motor vehicles index value 116 and 103, solid waste index value 122 and 96, higher education students’ index value 2045 and 257. Keywords: Environment, Iron-Steel, Karabük, Sheffield, Urbanization I. Introduction Although cities home to opportunities that facilitate human life in many ways, the viewpoints of the people living in them are in the direction that the negative sides of cities outweigh the benefits. Cities offer education, health, employment, and socio-cultural options more than urban settlements, and have become residential areas where people live far from natural life in more crowded environments in an individual manner. The urbanization phenomenon, which was first observed with the industrialization process in the world, made cities become attraction centers in terms of social and economic opportunities. The urbanization level in today’s developed countries is following a steady progression; however, it is also observed that this level is increasing at a fast pace in developing Asian and South American countries. The population in cities is increasing with each passing day despite the traffic jams, environmental pollution and expensive living conditions. The borders of cities are also expanding at a fast pace, and intra city public transportation has become more important than ever. People generally do not live in city centers, but mostly live in areas that are near to the city centers, and spend most of their time having difficulty in traffic every day. England is the first country in which the industrial revolution was first experienced. It was the first country which was the pioneer in heavy industry until 1970s in the world. Since Sheffield was the first city where traditional methods were developed in iron and steel production as of 13th Century, it also became the first heavy industry city that reacted first to the technological developments in industrial revolution. Although it was not a harbor city, which is accepted to facilitate the supplying of raw materials, it contributed greatly to the economy of Britain. After England joined European Economic Community, the balance in Iron Curtain Countries changed in iron and steel production, and the production capacity experienced a fast decrease due to the international crises. Today, the iron and steel sectors are increasing fast in developing countries and the market conditions are determined by these countries. When compared with Britain, Turkey has been introduced with heavy industry extremely later. Heavy industry programs that may be developed with statist policies continued until 1990s because private sector enterprises were inadequate. Karabük is a city where iron and steel sectors were first established and developed. Karabük Iron and Steel Factories (KISF), which were established in 1937, constituted the basis of the heavy industry in Turkey, and opened the way for other heavy industry investments. Karabük was a sub-village settlement, and became a province in 1995, and its population exceeded 100.000. The urbanization process developed extremely fast in Karabük, and this process will continue with an increasing rate with the developing iron and steel production capacity. Karabük is located in the Western Black Sea Region of Turkey. It is mentioned as the City of the Republic. The reasons for this are its being established after the proclamation of the republic and its being industrialized in those years. The surface area is 1376 km, and the population of the city center is 110.537 according to 2012 data; and the total population of it together with its surroundings is 225.145 [1] . Sheffield, on the other hand, is the most important city of South Yorkshire in England, and located in the middle part of Great Britain. The surface area of the city is 367,94 km2 and the total population - together with its rural areas- is 640.720 [2].