The Necessity of Integration of Flood Risk Reduction Strategies with Spatial Planning Decisions in Turkey, by Comparing Exemplary Practices in Developed Countries

Abstract

In recent years, floods have obtained a predominant position amongnatural disasters worldwide, due to their rising number of occurrenceand negative impacts. Flood and flash flood events affected many placesadversely and caused serious human and material losses in Turkey. Thesearch for a solution related to this problematic issue has become thestarting point of the research. Noteworthy factors that increase the riskof flooding in Turkey include the effects of global climate change,increasing number of urban areas, changes in landscape, wrong land usedecisions, spatial planning approaches disregarding natural thresholdsand the phenomenon of natural risk. In this context, spatial planningapproaches are needed to reinforce settlements against floodingdisasters and ensure sustainability.In this study, international conferences and approaches of developedcountries (United States, European Union and Switzerland) to reducingflood risk were investigated. In this context, this study describes existinglegal-administrative structures and practices for the solution ofproblems caused by floods in Turkey and examines their relationshipwith spatial planning studies.The objective of this study is to demonstrate that the key to success in allefforts to prevent damages to property caused by floods in Turkey is "theneed for ensuring integration of such efforts with spatial planningdecisions at all scales", by comparing exemplary practices in developedcountries to those in Turkey. In this sense, suggestions are made inrelation to the spatial planning regulations and to organizationalstructure based on the findings of the research in relation to theapplication in Turkey.