Geographic information systems based analysis of the adequacy and suitability of disaster and emergency assembly areas: a case study of Malatya city center

Turkey's geographic location and geological structure make it a high-risk area for natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and landslides. This risk makes it imperative to develop an effective disaster management strategy aimed at increasing social resilience. One of the most critical stages of disaster management is the precise identification of disaster response service areas to effectively meet operational needs. However, the consequences of recent disasters indicate that this objective has not yet been fully realized in Turkey. Based on this, this thesis aims to evaluate the adequacy and suitability of disaster service areas-identified within the framework of existing legislation and site selection approaches-through GIS-supported analyses, with a focus on Disaster and Emergency Assembly Areas (DEAA). In order to produce more meaningful results, the city center of Malatya Province which was significantly affected by the February 2023 earthquakes-has been selected as the study area. Following a comprehensive review of the literature and relevant legislation, parameters were established under five main headings: 'Accessibility, Capacity, and Adequacy,' 'Topographic Characteristics,' 'Transportation, Technical Infrastructure, and Land Use,' 'Safety and Environmental Risk,' and 'Spatial Occupancy and Usability.' These parameters were then utilized to analyze and evaluate the adequacy and suitability of the DEAA in the study area. Accordingly, the existing DEAA can meet only 27% of the demand within the 500 meter accessibility radius under the most optimistic scenario. Based on a utilization rate of 2.5 (persons/m²), the total capacity of 188808 is sufficient for the potential population within the 500-meter radius; however, only two DEAA are adequate in terms of capacity individually. When aggregated access areas are considered, this number increases to a maximum of six sites. Furthermore, it was determined that there are significant issues and shortcomings regarding spatial ccupancy, usability, and other parameters.