Evaluation of environmental risk of land use decisions on natural space which are proposed in Istanbul environment master plan

Since the 1950s, the economic and social changes in Turkey effect the urban nature in the cities and it has led to changes and transformation. While the distinction between urban and rural areas have been becoming evident, the population has been concentrated in urban areas. Since the 1960s, with the planned urban development period in Turkey, the investments have accreted in the Marmara region along with the rapid national development initiative. İstanbul has encountered with a large amount of population in accordance with the kinds of investments in the Marmara region.While residental areas has been leaning upon natural threshols, natural resources has become the point of extinction. Legislation, which was designed to prevent negative environmental effects on environment and to give direction planned urban development, and planning studies, which was based on the legislation, were magnifying the human-natura contradiction and have eliminated the natural thresholds. İstanbul Environment Master plan, which was approved on 15.06.2009 by İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality. At the beginning, even though the main purpose of the İstanbul Environment Master Plan seem to defend claiming "sustainable" and "livable" city approach, the planning decisions contain economic orientation with autonomous orders. Caps of legislation and conflicts between the institutions trigger using natural resources with the economic concerns. Therefore in this study was taken the natural thresholds of İstanbul into account.ın the light of this background, this study has been tried to emphasize that the method of "Ecological Planning" is an indispansable method, which has been providing the balance between protection and usage of natural sources for livable and sustainable urban development and improvement. Keywords: Environmental Master Plan, Land Use, Legislation, Natural Threshold, Ecological Planning, Landscape Planning