Influence of law no. 6360 on the transformation of environmental services: The case of Aydin Metropolitan Municipality

Population growth and industrialization are the main causes of environmental problems. When the environmental problems increased with the industrial revolution and population growth reached to worrisome global dimensions, states started to take steps to create awareness by making legal and institutional arrangements on the one hand and non-governmental organizations on the other. The same steps in our country started in the 1970s and were implemented with various regulations. Especially in recent years, with the transformation of public administration and public awareness, the state and citizen play a more active role for the protection and development of the environment and health. Services for the protection and development of the environment are carried out through local administrations, which are closest to human beings. In this context, with the Law No. 6360, which was lastly enacted in 2014, the number of metropolitan cities was increased to 30 by making 14 provincial metropolitan municipalities. One of the metropolitan cities was Aydın. In this study, the changes and transformations in the provision of environmental services within the scope of local governments with the Law No. 6360 in Aydın province are examined with their positive and negative effects. The strategic plan and activity reports of the Aydın Metropolitan Municipality were analyzed and interviews with eleven unit officials in different departments of the Aydın Metropolitan Municipality were analyzed. The findings were evaluated with administrative, financial and service dimensions and suggestions were made. Keywords: Environmental Services, Law No. 6360, Environmental Health, Metropolitan Municipality.