Changing public order, public aesthetics, and the case of Tokat province

The concept of public order has expanded beyond its classical elements to include modern elements such as aesthetics, morality, and human and animal dignity. Within this transformation, public aesthetics in particular has emerged as a fundamental component of social welfare, sustainability, and urban planning, going beyond individual taste. This study examines how public aesthetics is regulated within the framework of governance principles; the function of technical and administrative intervention units such as architectural aesthetics commissions; and the integration of artificial intelligence and digital systems into this process. There are structural and legal obstacles to the implementation of recommendations for institutionalising aesthetic interventions. In particular, the legal nature and limits of authority in aesthetic policing activities, the limited number of decisions in case law, and the inadequate legal basis of current practices expand the discretion of the administration and create areas open to arbitrariness. This situation makes the legal legitimacy of interventions in the aesthetic public order questionable. Focusing on administrative policing activities aimed at establishing and supervising the aesthetic order through central and local administrations, this study examines the aesthetic element, which is among the modern elements of the changing and evolving public order. Although the concept of public order has historically been defined in terms of classical elements such as security, public order and general morality, this concept has become increasingly complex and multidimensional in contemporary societies. This transformation has led to the evolution of public order into a structure that is not limited to material externalities but also includes individuals' expectations of sensory, visual and psychological satisfaction from their environment. In this context, the 'aesthetic' element has begun to be considered as a new category within the modern understanding of public order. This study aims to discuss the theoretical and practical place of the aesthetic element within the changing structure of public order in line with the modernisation process and, in this respect, aims to fill an important gap in the literature. Questions such as the extent to which aesthetic regulations can be evaluated within the scope of public order by public authorities, and the legal and administrative tools that can be used to restrict or encourage them, have been addressed only to a limited extent in the literature, and the conceptual framework in this area is still evolving. Within this framework, the primary objective of this study is to examine how the aesthetic element is positioned in the theoretical and administrative dimensions of public order within its modern dimensions. In line with this objective, the legal basis and administrative implications of regulations related to public aesthetics are analysed; in particular, the functionality of architectural aesthetics commissions, their position in decision-making processes, and their decisive influence on interventions aimed at ensuring public aesthetics are addressed in line with the sub-objectives. The basic hypothesis that there is a meaningful relationship between the level of importance that participating units attach to aesthetic regulations; perceived satisfaction with public services, job position, education level, perceived lack of integrity in aesthetic decision-making processes, and awareness of modern aesthetic elements is examined. In the study, data were collected through semi-structured questionnaire forms and analysed using quantitative methods. Due to the non-parametric distribution structure, descriptive statistics, Spearman correlation analysis, and Mann Whitney U Test were used for analysis. The research findings reveal that perceptions of aesthetic arrangements are not limited to visual appeal but are significantly related to governance-based elements such as managerial effectiveness, service satisfaction, and participation. Positive correlations between normative aesthetic evaluations and the functionality of architectural aesthetic commissions indicate that the aesthetic domain should be addressed within a managerial framework. The relationship between the lack of integrity and participation expectations highlights the need for inclusivity in decision-making processes, while the connections established with technical and consultancy-oriented variables emphasise the need for institutional guidance. The limited impact of demographic variables indicates that the perception of aesthetic governance is determined more by structural and administrative factors. Within this framework, it has been concluded that aesthetic order is not only related to the physical environment but also a multidimensional phenomenon intertwined with public responsibility, cultural continuity, and governance principles. The original contribution of this study is to propose a comprehensive aesthetic order governance model by evaluating aesthetic public order in terms of its normative, technological, and administrative components. The study reveals that the aesthetic element, one of the modern elements of public order, is not merely an area of intervention evaluated from a technical perspective, but also an element of public order established by considering architectural and cultural continuity, acting responsibly towards future generations with a governance approach, and supported by new types of control mechanisms assisted by artificial intelligence.