The Cittaslow movement and it's sustainability: Assessments in Gokceada

A growing process emerged in cities with the Industrial Revolution which started in the 19th century. As a result of industrialization, cities' populations significantly increased with the effect of rapid migration from rural regions to urban areas. In today's world, this population growth is increasingly going on. Along with the quick raise in population, consumption is increasing accordingly, resulting in a need to meet this consumption with equally rapid production means. Producing a fast-moving lifestyle with the advancements in technology, these big cities have started to set an example for the towns in the countryside. Therefore, towns in rural areas have turned into standardizing living spaces in many aspects. In 1999, the Cittaslow movement emerged in response to globalization and the age of speed. The Cittaslow movement, which is against uniformization, had the basic organization in forming the main concept of the approach thesis, which embraced local-traditional values and used the concept of sustainability. In this context, in my research, within the scope of the main concepts of Cittaslow and sustainability; A field study was conducted in Gökçeada, Turkey's first and only Cittaslow island city. In this study, it was explained how an island city became a member of the Cittaslow network by meeting which criteria. As a member of Cittaslow, Gökçeada's ability to meet the criteria of joining the network in order to create a sustainability scope and to ensure its continuity in the future has been examined. The research highlighted the positive aspects of the Cittaslow movement in addition to show that sustainability efforts fell short in some areas. It was examined in the thesis whether the local and traditional components of structuring are promoted or an approach strengthening the interaction with the social environment is adopted. The study also discussed the pros and cons of planning key expenditures such as the presence of climate-appropriate buildings, historic preservation and re-evaluation, and promoting environmentally friendly transportation models. When the reflections of the Cittaslow movement and the interaction of sustainability principles in the physical environment on the Gökçeada area are examined, it is seen that the effects of the Cittaslow movement may play an important role in the construction of the city in future urban studies. As a result, this study, which focuses on the physical environment structuring of Gökçeada, reveals the interaction of the Cittaslow movement and sustainability principles in the field of structural environment, examines how Gökçeada interacts with the Cittaslow movement and sustainability principles. Considering the positive and negative results together in a balanced way, this study can also help develop more effective strategies for future sustainability efforts and provide an important roadmap for future urban renewal projects and sustainability efforts.