Expo decision and implementation support (edis) model proposal for post-event use planning in expo areas: the case of expo 2016 antalya

International exhibitions, as known as EXPO, are large-scale international events that have been organized in different countries and cities around the world for about 170 years. These events' main goals are to focus on specific themes within the framework of global agendas and to offer visitors experiences and raise awareness within the scope of these themes. They also aim to bring together different countries and international organizations, strengthen communication and collaborations, and ensure investment in host cities and the promotion of urban culture. At the same time, physical and social infrastructure works carried out in the event area and the city within the scope of these events contribute to urban development when planned and implemented within the city's strategic development plans. The permanent structures and open spaces built for the event constitute the event legacy. One of the most important goals of EXPO organizations for cities is to preserve and develop the event legacy after the event and to ensure its continued active use by the citizens. The research problem of this study is that while some countries integrate the EXPO area with the spatial, social and economic life of the city within the strategic development plan of it after the event, other countries focus only on the organization of the event, causing the area to become idle after the event. Based on this problem, this study aims to develop a comprehensive model proposal for the post-event planning of the areas and structures arranged for EXPO organizations and other international organizations before the event and to put it into practice after the event, and to evaluate this model proposal on the EXPO 2016 Antalya area. For this purpose, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 experts who had knowledge and experience about the EXPO 2016 Antalya area within the scope of the case study method, and the analytical hierarchy process was applied in the semi-structured interviews. This study has two main outcomes. The first outcome is a comprehensive model proposal developed based on the lack of planning and implementation of post-event use. The results of the first outcome are the development of the "EXPO Decision and Implementation Support (EDIS) Model" proposal, which includes the different processes, evaluation criteria and actors for the pre-event planning and implementation of post-event use of EXPO organizations, the roles and cooperation proposal of the actors in the EDIS Model, and the "EDIS Model Post-EXPO Use and Legacy Report" proposal. This model and recommendations are a general basis for international organizations and can be tested and developed according to national and local characteristics and needs. The second outcome of the study is the development of the "Antalya EXPO-City Park" proposal for the post-event use of the EXPO 2016 Antalya area, as a result of the case evaluation of the EDIS Model. EXPO 2016 Antalya area remained idle due to lack of post-event planning and management, its future use has not yet been determined and therefore it has not been able to be turned into an advantage in terms of urban development and event legacy. In semi-structured interviews, experts evaluated the location, environmental characteristics, event theme and structures of the EXPO 2016 Antalya area and determined the appropriate functions for this area. In this evaluation, while the event area and park and green space functions are prominent in the post-event usage plan, it was concluded that mixed use area can be implemented as supporting residential area and business area functions. Based on all these considerations, the aim was to design Antalya EXPO-City Park as an urban space where events could be organized and venues that would appeal to locals and foreigners of all ages. The outcomes obtained in this study are intended to guide international events organized or planned to be organized in the world and in Turkey in terms of planning post-event use and turning event legacy into an advantage. For future studies, it is recommended to test the developed model proposal on international event areas organized or planned to be organized in the world and in Turkey, and to evaluate how the decision variables and usage alternative preferences will change according to national and local characteristics and needs.