Urban identity perception of university students: The example of Amasya

Cities, shaped around human needs, have been settlements from past to present, but also areas where civilizations and cultures are formed, developed and grown. Cities have different functions and have different physical, social, cultural and economic characteristics depending on the place. With these features, unique identities and identity elements have been formed in cities. Urban identity and urban identity elements have become one of the most important means of competition for cities that are constantly competing in terms of coming to the fore. For this reason, urban identity is a concept that should be kept up-to-date in every period of increasing importance. Globalization, especially the industrial revolution, which affects every field to a certain extent, and technological developments have also affected cities. With the effect of the changes and developments, cities have become similar to each other day by day and have lost their originality. In today's conditions, where urban identities have deteriorated and cities without identity have increased, it has become even more important to become a brand, to have an image, and to have an identity. One of the actors that are effective in making the city meaningful, increasing the quality of life and developing it is the students studying at the universities in the city. Considering the economic, social and cultural contributions of students who come from different cities and have the opportunity to compare the city where they were born and grew up with the city they were born and grew up in, and the students who want to stay in the city and study at university within the framework of positive thoughts about the city they live in, it is important how the identity of a city is perceived. This research evaluates the opinions of undergraduate and associate degree university students studying at Amasya University, coming from other cities or residing in the province of Amasya and Merzifon and Gümüşhacıköy districts, about the city, learning their perspectives on the urban identity, and especially the views of those who come to study about the city. It is to provide data and suggestions to policy makers, practitioners and local administrators in order to protect and strengthen the urban identity of Amasya, to make Amasya a more active and attractive city by determining the city perception of university students. In this context, a questionnaire was applied to the students enrolled in the fall semester of the 2022-2023 academic years, studying at the undergraduate and associate degree levels in Amasya city center and Merzifon and Gümüşhacıköy districts, with a random sampling method, and the obtained data were evaluated and interpreted through the SPSS program. Within the framework of the results obtained; It has been determined that although Amasya has a historical urban identity, it is insufficient in terms of meeting the expectations of university students, and the university students whose districts do not have a city identity are generally unhappy with their education in Merzifon and Gümüşhacıköy districts. Keywords: City, Urban Identity, Urban Perception, Amasya University, Amasya