The impact of universities on urban development: The case of Siirt

The increasing number of higher education institutions in Türkiye in recent years and the more significant effects of these institutions on the cities where they are located have led to more studies on the subject in the literature. The primary missions of universities are education and research. However, apart from these missions, universities nowadays create some effects such as demographic structure, economic development, spatial development and change in sociocultural structure in the cities where they are located. While these effects of universities are felt less in large cities, they are more pronounced in undeveloped cities with small populations. Today, one of the purposes of establishing universities in small and medium-sized cities is to try to reduce the inter-regional development gap by developing the city economically. The aim of this study is to reveal the effects of the university on the city of Siirt and to understand the changes caused by it. The university was established in 2007 in Siirt, which is a small-scale city in respect of development and population. The effects of the university on the city have emerged in many different areas. In order to reveal the effects of the university on the city, a survey was conducted with 397 university students, and a total of 177 university personnel, including academic and administrative. The data obtained were analysed with SPSS programme. In addition, interviews were conducted with 25 participants in different professions in the city to examine the effects of the university on the city. As a result of the findings, the university has contributed to a significant increase in the population of the city with 18,980 students and 1213 staff. Students and university staff spending on personal expenses, housing needs and shopping in the city contributed to the economic development of the city. It is understood that there have been significant developments in the cafe, entertainment, catering, stationery and construction sectors in the city with the influence of the university. It is seen that the city has developed rapidly spatially and Veysel Karani Neighbourhood, where the university campus is located, has become an important settlement due to the university effect. In addition, the construction in the neighbourhoods of Afetevleri and Kooperatif, which are located on the university route, has occurred quite rapidly. There have been significant increases in land and housing prices in these neighbourhoods located on the university route. There have been changes in the housing structure of the city, 8-10 storey high buildings have been built, and apartments such as 1+0, 1+1 and 2+1 have increased in line with the demands of students and public officers. With the increase in the student and public officer population of the city, rental prices have increased 2-3 times more than they should have been and the local people have had difficulty in finding rental houses. The city's transport network has improved both within the city and in the intercity field, but traffic problems have arisen due to the inadequacy of the transport infrastructure. There has been an increase in the literacy rate of the city and there has been an increase in the reading rate of girls, especially with the effect of the university. Depending on the university effect, changes have occurred in the social structure of the city, and as a result, cultural diversity has been experienced in social and cultural areas. Keywords: Spatial Development, Urbanization, Universities, Siirt University, Siirt