Comparison of urban growth in twin cities: Examples of Gaziantep and Aleppo

The twin cities derive their importance from being regional hubs of connection, as well as commercial transit points, social connections and cultural exchanges. At the end of the twentieth century, especially in the European continent, the ties between twin cities became stronger with the emergence of the phenomenon of cooperation (twinning) between twin cities. Twinning aims to increase the interdependence between the twin cities, to reduce the rigidity of the borders between them, to create common areas for free trade and cultural exchange, and to implement common infrastructure projects. At the same time, it aims to transform border cities into twin cities with a regional dimension and as gateways to the development of international relations. The importance of twinning is that it is a strategic way to reduce borders and make better use of borders. The research evaluates twin cities, which are neighboring or close to each other on both sides of the border, connected by economic, social and cultural relations and have a common history. In this context, Turkey's Gaziantep and Syria's Aleppo cities have been chosen as the study area due to their strategic location, economic and cultural situation, as well as their relations and ties that have been going on for thousands of years. In the study, the twinning situation between the cities of Gaziantep and Aleppo was revealed by examining the geographical proximity, social ties, commercial and economic characteristics between the two cities. The historical development processes of the two cities were examined, and especially the urban growth in the Ottoman Period and the period after the separation of the two cities was compared. In the study, which reveals the unique relationship between the cities of Gaziantep and Aleppo and the obstacles to the completion of the cooperation between them, it has been revealed that there is a need for joint urban plans and projects in order to improve the regional role of both cities, and a twinning project model has been designed by developing suggestions in this direction. Keywords: Twin cities, urban development, cross-border cities cooperation, twinning.