Urban development approach based on technological progress: The case of izmir

ABSTRACT Developments in microelectronics, communication and information technologies, and flexible production systems have led to information society and information economy and consequently a new socio-economic structure. This transformation of the world economy in the last twenty-five years has also created an impact on the development of cities. At present, cities are the places where information and technology are produced and used in economic activities. Today, it is necessary to consider technological progress as a dynamic variable in the urban development process. Such necessity motivated this study. In the first chapter, the origins of cities, the concept of urban development, and theories of urban development are reviewed while the second chapter treats various concepts and approaches of technological progress. Examples of urban development models based on technological progress in certain countries are explained in chapter 3. In the final chapter, a model for urban development based on technological progress is proposed from the perspective of concepts and theories reviewed in the first three chapters, and its feasibility for Izmir is discussed. Izmir is chosen to specify a model because she is one of the oldest cities with her five thousand year history, and has a social and cultural structure compatible with the recent global changes. Also, her location and economic capacity make Izmir the prime city in Turkey in the integration to globalisation process. In an era of increasing localisation at the global level, relations between economies, cultures and cities gain priority while international relations loosing ground. It is claimed in this study that an urban development model based on technological progress is feasible for Izmir, and such a process will facilitate Izmir's global integration. VI