The assessment of urban carrying capacity as a solution proposal for climate change

According to the data of 2019, the world population is 7.7 billion people and approximately 55% of this population lives in cities. According to the projections of 2050, it is estimated that the world population will be 9.6 billion people and that 75% of this population will live in cities. More population means more water, food, housing, energy, infrastructure, transport, health and education. For all of these land-use functions, land is required, which is one of the most destroyed natural resources that is not reproducible. Any intervention in limited natural resources (destruction, depletion, pollution, etc.) to meet endless human needs destroys the balance of natural ecosystems and accelerates the climate change process, one of the biggest challenges we have to cope with today. With the technological developments after the industrialization, carbon emissions have increased rapidly and significant changes have been experienced in weather events as the atmosphere warms up. Today, cities are held responsible for 74% of global emissions. Nietzsche said 70 years ago: THE DESERT IS GROWING… The desert used here as a metaphor tells us that we have crossed the thresholds of the planet and went beyond the safe boundaries to the dangerous zone, while at the same time describing the natural and ecological extinctions that are exacerbated day by day. According to the natural resource reserves in the world; Although we have 1.8 hectares of biological area per capita in order to meet our needs in a sustainable manner and to recycle the waste we produce, our per capita biological area consumption is 2.7 hectares. This rate is 50% above the world's carrying capacity. This means that the world needs 1.5 years to regenerate the natural resources consumed by the population in one year and to keep the CO2 released into the atmosphere. In other words, we need an extra half of the world in order to meet all the consumption activities we do as a population. In order to regenerate natural resources, reduce the impacts of climate change and extend ecosystem life, the capacity of cities responsible for maximum consumption and emissions should be reviewed in physical, social and economic conditions. Within the scope of the study, urban carrying capacity model has been examined from the point of view of city planning, conceptual framework of the model has been drawn within the related literature and the benefits and limitations it has been determined have been determined. Approaches developed for the concept and carrying capacity determination methods were also included and suggestions for the works that can be done in the development plans were presented.