Geographical analysis of urbanization: The example of Keçi̇ören (Ankara)

Keçiören is a district centre in the above (upper) Sakarya section of the Central Anatolia Region of Ankara Province. Keçiören, at the same time, constitutes a part of the province centre of Ankara. Keçiören, in general, having been developed on a hilly land, has become a centre of the township by merging of the villages of Etlik, Kalaba and Ovacık in the year of 1936. When Altındağ became a town in 1953, Baglum and Keçiören was bound there. Keçiören, having been bound to the Ankara municipality from 1966 until 1983, has come to the position of a county on November 30, 1983 by reorganization of the local administrations. Ankara has an important place in the urbanization of Keçiören. As we know, Ankara is uninterruptedly the fastest urbanized city during the early years of the Republic. Ankara, which has been a tiny city core at and around the castle, began to spread around the city surrounding during the second half of the Republic. Ankara, with its population increase dapproximately 40-fold until 1960, has begun to rapidly spread around the city, where Keçiören was located. Keçiören has developed independently from Ankara since the first years of the Republic until 1960. Indeed, administrative, economic and cultural changes that took place in Ankara have led to high migration rates. Keçiören, having intensive migration after this period, has become a residential unit with a rapid population growth.The rapid growing population in Keçiören has brought with it enormous problems. The biggest problem was the housing shortage in Keçiören, which has urbanized depending on the population growth. A fake urbanization was experienced in Keçiören with the spread of slums in the urban areas.Keçiören has been one of the most important poverty housing of Ankara during the fake, distorted and rapid urbanization periods. Growing only demographically by destroying the city history and identity, an urbanization without a city is being experienced in Keçiören where the geographic area was covered with a concrete jungle and where dominates an improper land use. Key Words: Geography, Ankara, Keçiören, Overurbanization, Urban Geography, Urbanization, Demographic Urbanization