The effect of tourism actiities on urban sprawl: The case of Didim ci̇ty

One of the biggest problems faced by cities is the uneven expansion of urban areas. It causes destruction on agricultural areas, forest areas and natural structure located around growing urban areas. In the literature, the uncontrolled growth of cities is explained by the concepts of urban sprawl, urban sprawl and urban growth. Urban sprawl, which is the subject of this study, is defined as the incremental structuring of lands located in the city periphery, disconnected from the urban area. The areas that are built in isolation from the city cause unplanned structuring of the urban area, but also cause irreversible problems on the natural structure. It is necessary to develop urban policies and planning tools to prevent the uncontrolled growth of cities. There are many factors that affect urban sprawl. These factors vary from macroeconomic reasons to housing preferences. In this study, it is aimed to determine the effect of tourism activities on urban sprawl. Scope of work; Didim district of Aydın province was selected. The spread of tourism activities in the region in recent years has led to an increase in the population of the city. In order to meet the housing needs of the increasing population, the rural areas located in the city periphery have started to be built. The growth of urban area is not only caused by the increase in population. The increase in tourism demand has led to the opening of lands in the city periphery to construction as tourism facilities and second residences. Land change was determined by updating the land use to the existing maps to scale the dimensions of the urban sprawl, and by using Corine Land data and Google Earth data. In addition, Fractal Analysis Box Counting Method was used to determine the urban fringe value. With the Fractal Analysis method, it has been observed that the urban area grows by fringing. When the ratio of the fringed urban area to tourism activities is examined, it has been determined that %85.31 of the fringed area is caused by tourism activities. It has been determined that the hotel and second housing constructions used for tourism purposes also cause the city to develop by fringing. In this context, for the first time in Turkey, the effect of tourism activities on urban sprawl was investigated and it was suggested that tourism activities should be added to the causes of urban sprawl by trying to fill an important gap in the literature.