Analyzing the Impacts of Slow City Branding on Urban Space: The Case of Sigacik

Abstract

The Slow City movement, emerged in Italy in 1999, to increase the recognition of cities and ensure local sustainable development. The Slow City title is used as a tool for increasing the recognition of cities, development of tourism and boosting competitiveness. However, increasing recognition and the number of tourists can lead to changes in urban space and land use that contradict the slow philosophy. These cities are faced with threats such as migration, construction on agricultural and natural areas, sprawl beyond the original urban pattern, increased number of tourists, lack of transportation and infrastructure and increasing vehicle traffic, culminating in departure from the Slow City criteria. Therefore, Slow Cities need a road map in order to combat these pressures and have to create a retrospective improvement paradigm to address the negative urban activities that have been implemented. This study investigates the impacts of increased recognition on urban space in Sigacik neighborhood of Seferihisar, which is the first Slow City of Turkey. Changes in urban land use following the acquisition of the Slow City title are analyzed in association with the local values and increasing migration and tourism pressure is discussed within the scope of slow philosophy and criteria. In the study, a scoring system was applied with slow city criteria. The study proposes planning approaches that aim to improve the Slow City affiliation processes by revealing the conflicts and threats that arise in urban space following increased international recognition of cities that are branded as a Slow City.