The effect of spatial development of Turgutlu and Salihli cities on in the middle Gediz Basin on agricultural land

The cities of Salihli and Turgutlu which constitute the research area are located in the Middle Gediz Basin of the Aegean Region. In the Middle Gediz Basin, the Mediterranean climate which is characterized by hot and dry summers and mild and wet winters is effective. Gediz Plain is a significant basin for Turkey's agricultural production due to the aforementioned climate conditions and fertile soil. The economy of the cities of Turgutlu and Salihli on fertile agricultural lands has been based on agriculture since the past. The development of industry and service sectors at the present time leads to changes in economic structure and physical texture in these cities. The fact that settlements move on to agricultural lands as the population in the cities increases presents that the of agricultural lands is causes non-agricultural use. The present study aims to examine the effects of spatial development of Turgutlu and Salihli in the Middle Gediz Basin on the currently available agricultural lands and to determine the alternative fields for the development of cities. For this purpose, spatial development of cities and the factors affecting this development were revealed. The basic data of the study consist of construction plans of cities and satellite images of various years. The ArcGIS 10.4.1.CBS program was used for the reconstruction of construction plans and processing and converting the satellite images into maps. Furthermore, the programs such as Global Mapper and Google Earth were applied to produce various images and maps. The data obtained from field works were supported by documents and photos. As a result of the research conducted, it was observed that the spatial development of Turgutlu and Salihli went on by increasing horizontally. The industrialization and the immigration to the region have the basis for the spatial development of the cities being the research area of the study. The increase of the need for buildings due to industrialization leads agricultural lands to be zoned for construction. This situation brings about I. II. III. Class land loss of Gediz Plain which is one of the most important agricultural lands in Turkey. Turkey is a developing country with the ever-growing population. The necessity to meet the food needs of future generations as well as the current population increases the significance of existing agricultural lands. This need requires the protection against non-agricultural activities of fertile agricultural lands like Gediz Plain. Preventing the development of cities such as Turgutlu and Salihli towards agricultural lands is a natural consequence of this necessity. In the light of the available data, it is observed that Turgutlu and Salihli will continue their development. In order to maintain the spatial expansion and to ensure the sustainability in agriculture, the growth of aforementioned cities should be carried out in the direction of determined alternative areas, not in the direction of Gediz Plain.