Analysis of transformation process of settlements under the influence of metropolitan city: Case of Ankara

In this thesis, the varying growth pattern of metropolitan cities and its influnce on the settlements at the metropolitan fringe, which have been already defined as urban development areas, are investigated on Ankara case. The main goal of this study is not only to analyze the reasons and results of the sprawl due to the influence of metropolitan city but also to identify the components of the settlements that are in the metropolitan areas expanded due to urban sprawl and having the characteristics of both urban and rural texture. Therefore, the changes in administrative, demographic, social and spatial structure in the settlements under the influence of urban sprawl, urban services provided to this areas and the relation between such areas and the city have been investigated. The data used in analyzes have been collected via in-dept interviews and inquries. Cross table analysis method is used in this study. The analysis results include the distributions of characteristics of the whole study area as well as the individual settlements.The unavoidable and fast growth of the metropolitan city due to urban sprawl lead the issue to be one of the most important issue for planners and managers particularly in the last 20 years. Urban sprawl is a form of spatial development, characterized by low densities, scattered and discontinuous leapfrog expansion, and segregation of land uses, this form of development is found mainly in the periphery and in the rural areas at the fringe of metropolitan areas.The settlements of different structures are formed in fringe areas under the metropolitan city influence as a result of transformation process. These settlements exemplify a heterogeneous structure which has rural/urban/semi-urban characteristics and become part of the metropolitan city by time. However, settlements that loose their rural characteristics during the transformation but also could not be defined as urban due to their current structure develop into the problematic areas. This leads the difficulties to define the settlements under metropolitan city influence either as urban or as rural.This study establishes current urban development and urban sprawl dynamics and shows that the settlements of the metropolitan city created due to urban sprawl could not be defined as urban as rural due to their different structure.