Local Agenda 21 and sustainable development: The case of Harran, Turkey

• Main Authors: Reyhan Genli Yiğiter, Funda Yirmibeşoğlu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Urbanistični inštitut RS 2011-01-01
• Series: Urbani Izziv
• Subjects: Local Agenda 21; sustainable development; urban transformation; Harran; Turkey
• Online Access: http://urbani-izziv.uirs.si/Portals/uizziv/papers/urbani-izziv-en-2011-22-01-006.pdf

The twenty-first century is the beginning of an era in which urban development at the international and national levels, equality, continuity, capability, administration involving many actors and settlement systems need to be dealt with using new settlement administration ethics. The concept of sustainable development first came up at the National Development and Environment Conference held in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, when the action plan known as Agenda 21 was constituted at the Earth Summit. This is a comprehensive document assigning responsibility to governments, NGOs, local authorities, United Nations organisations, development organisations and all persons and institutions that have an impact on the environment. On this basis, this study evaluates the growing necessity of urban transformation in Turkey in various dimensions within the framework of Local Agenda 21, in which various actors can be involved. This paper approaches the issues not only from the point of view of the state, but also from the point of view of all actors to whom responsibility is assigned. It examines the philosophy of the Local Agenda 21 program and how it is being implemented in the Municipality of Harran, and it assesses the achievement level of Local Agenda 21 in Turkey and policies in the case reviewed. The paper includes proposals that will allow all local authorities in Turkey to examine their own programs within the framework of the Local Agenda 21 action program so that they can participate in the urban transformation process, develop local sustainable development policies and establish short-term and long-term strategic plans to solve problems.