Abstract:

In Turkey, problems arising from insufficient legal provisions about landscape and not determining landscape policy strategies, are observed in the urban landscape management strategies of local governments. Although there are associated strategies with landscape in national urbanism policies, the lack of detailed actions related to landscape protection, planning and management makes complicated to reflect these strategies on local policies. Since the concept of landscape policy is not included in national and local policies, in this study, the management strategies about urban open-green areas in local governance have been evaluated in order to examine how the urban landscape is managed. For this purpose, 30 metropolitan municipalities in Turkey selected as the sample group, the 5-year strategic plans of the municipalities, which are the institutional policy documents, were used as material. The data in the strategic plans regarding the policies of the municipalities related to open-green areas, which are considered as an element of urbanism, environmental and social policies, were compiled. And the existence of strategies for a holistic, correlate green space system compatible with urban development strategies in local governments was sought. The assessment results show that corporate reports included information about the surface of green area, not the qualities and functionality of green spaces and the strategies in the plans contain actions to increase the amount of green space in cities. These actions were limited to recreation areas, planting works and maintenance services of green spaces that will be implemented in the plan period. It has been observed that local governments focus only on the recreational and aesthetic functions of open-green spaces and disregard their other functions. The absence of data on open-green space planning and systematic management in most of the strategic plans is an indication that local landscape policies are not established.

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