According to one of the assumptions of the neoclassical growth theory, regional inequalities will disappear in the long run. The reason for this is that capital tends to go to less developed regions with higher return rates and labor tends to migrate to developed regions with higher wage levels. It is assumed that these two trends together will cause a convergence between the regions. Other schools of thought, questioning the position of the neoclassical paradigm, tend to argue that growth will increase inequalities as a spatially selective and cumulative process. Regional convergence studies have been one of the topics being studied around the problem of regional development in Turkey since the early 1990s. Convergence studies so far have yielded different results. The reason for this is the use of different spatial scales, different time intervals, and different variables. This study aims to contribute to the convergence discussions by working at a different spatial scale for a different period with a different variable. It uses district level as a territorial unit, years of 1985 and 2004 for time period and development index for variable. Another aim of the study is to understand whether there is any spatial autocorrelation between the districts in terms of development level by calculating Moran's I index. According to the findings of the study, sigma convergence was not observed at the district level. Beta convergence was observed between undeveloped and underdeveloped districts, while divergence was observed among developed districts. This situation led to the emergence of a polarized structure consisting of un(der)developed and developed districts. Other findings of the study are as follows: there is a high level of spatial correlation between districts in terms of development level, however only clusters of developed districts are observed and the district level is the right scale for the implementation of regional development policy in Turkey due to inequalities within provinces (or inter-districts inequalities).

Rural areas, which have social, economic, physical and cultural differences, have a multi-component structure. This multi-component structure is of great importance for the future and sustainability of settlements.The acceptance that rural areas should be determined by one-dimensional criteria such as population density or agriculture forms the basis of the generally accepted regional classification efforts with a deductive approach. Contrary to transnational comparisons where population density criteria is key variable, methodologies that would allow temporal and contextual national/regional analyses and findings that would serve as input to future policies are required. After discussing the limitations created by univariate classifications, it was aimed to classify the rural areas of Turkey with the help of selected socio-demographic variables in addition to the population density. Considering the heterogeneous structure of the rural context and the purpose of measuring the time-dependent change of rural life with socio-demographic data as well as the population criteria of the study, a multivariate process was followed at the NUTS-3 level. The dataset was obtained from Turkey Statistical Institute data and Two-Step clustering was used. As a result of the study, the change of rural conditions of the provinces in the similar and different clusters, which are discussed in the socio-demographic title, based on time and causality were discussed comparatively. The results will be useful and guiding for statistical regions and sub-regions as input to the planning decision on similarities and differences and in the production of socio-demographic policies.

With the agricultural revolution, communities which settled in agricultural land is the core of rural settlements. Today, agriculture, which is the main economic activity in the villages, has weakened with the changing agricultural policies and the villages have entered a transformation process. As a result, many social, spatial and organizational problems have affected the quality of life in rural areas. In order to measure the quality of life in this study, an evaluation approach is presented through parameters affecting the quality of life in rural areas. Within the framework of the proposed method, three villages in Bursa have been profiled in order to measure the quality of life. Parameters and comparative results were then developed in order to improve the quality of life in rural areas.

The concept of development, which is mostly associated with economic growth, has been dealt with under many different headings such as social, human and rural development in the recent years. Women’s labor and initiative is of great importance for the sustainability of development. The inclusion of women in the development process, especially in terms of how to organize labor of rural women, and ensure the continuity of the created forces, poses a problem for many developing countries including Turkey. At this stage, village women’s associations stand out as a concrete indicators of the inclusion of women in rural areas. The aim of the study is to identify the obstacles faced by women, who are expected to be an important part of development, in the process of meeting this expectation, and to reveal the change that occurs when these obstacles are overcome. For this purpose, the study focused on rural women's organizations and discussed the impact of village women's associations on women's struggle for existence. Within the scope of the research, the Federation of Productive Women Associations in Bursa was examined via face-to-face and in-depth interviews with 21 Village Women Associations that are members of the federation. Especially the difficulties and social thresholds encountered during the establishment phase of associations, and the effects of the success achieved by ensuring continuity after the establishment phase on women were emphasized. The research draws attention to the gains such as self-confidence, entrepreneurship and awareness brought about by the activities of associations in village women. In this context, the study also aims to set an example for all women in terms of revealing the impact of women's organization on both rural and social development.

The urban regeneration phenomenon in Turkey has emerged as a new urban policy in recent years, as is the case in many countries. In this study we examine the relationship between the "general urban regeneration areas" identified on such grounds as "disaster risk, non-compliance with zoning legislation, risky structure, risky ground structure, etc." and "priority risk areas" which have a risk factor in the real sense, in Istanbul. In the first phase of the study, quantitative data (law, year of advertisement, size, current status) related to all regeneration areas in Istanbul, announced under laws 5366, 5393 and 6306, were requested from the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and the district municipalities, and any incomplete information and documentation was remedied from Istanbul Urban Transformation Master Plan analysis data, a desktop study and interviews with district municipalities. In the second phase, “priority risk areas” were defined, taking into consideration the Japanese International Cooperation Agency-JICA Disaster Prevention/Mitigation Basic Plan (2002) report, the Istanbul Earthquake Master Plan (2003), the Istanbul earthquake zones map and the Istanbul Urban Transformation Master Plan Analysis (2016), and their compliance with the "general regeneration areas" was checked from a map covering Istanbul as a whole. It was found that 32% of Istanbul’s built-up area border size is in the scope of the general urban regeneration areas. Furthermore, an overlay of the "urban regeneration-development areas" and the "priority risky areas" in Istanbul indicate that the goals of disaster risk reduction and the creation of safe settlements is Istanbul have largely been missed.

Urban regeneration and urban renewal processes and implementation of the projects are regulated by legislation. Turkey, as an outcome of its fragile and undeveloped political and economic structure, has adopted "a construction-led economic growth and urban regeneration strategy” as a policy to solve economic problems and in 2012 “disaster risky areas” were included within the scope of regeneration with the Law no 6306, which was prepared to transform and accelerate the urban regeneration. Putting forward “struggle with disaster risk” aims to eliminate obstacles leading delays in implementation of regeneration. Disaster-risky urban areas, and unbuilt areas and even the historical and conservation areas have been the subject of regeneration. In this study, “cancellations and court processes which includes determination and boundaries of regeneration areas, announcement and implementation of projects in the period of 2005–2012 in Ankara with high rate of cancellations” is examined. It is aimed to discuss the reasons behind failure to establish the expected relationship between planning principles and so called urban transformation, as well as to debate the conditions and possibilities of the integration of the economic and social components of the city with the planning processes. According to the results of the study, inconsistency of the plan scales in hierarchy; conflict with urban regeneration criteria; the lack of necessary surveys, analyses and assessments to determine urban transformation area boundaries; and the proposed additional building densities that are incompatible with the zoning rights and fair distribution, are the main problems.

Taking the challenges of provision of thermal comfort as a point of departure, this paper argues that climate responsive urban design has great potential to make cities more resilient to climate change. With a concern of climate responsivity, this research brings a critical perspective on the current urbanization trends in Turkish cities and underlines the inconsistence nature of ongoing urban developments with the foreseen climate change adaptation and mitigation policies. The research is constructed based on a comparative study between the traditional urban pattern that has been developed since the Artuqids era and the contemporary urban pattern that has been developed from the 60s in the province of Mardin. The comparative study focused on responsivity of the produced urban spaces both in terms of both the climatic conditions and the ways which local people uses the urban space. While doing that, the research explored the role of urban space on the provision of urban thermal comfort in everyday life. The research revealed that existing development trends in Mardin leave citizens vulnerable to the negative effects of increasing temperature values and potential heat waves in future.

Shopping centers of different sizes and structures are emerging with the diversification of their functions and increasing turnover from shopping centers in the world and in Turkey. These shopping malls generally choose places on the highway sides or intersections which expansion potential, accessibility and power of attraction are high. However, Shopping malls are vehicle-oriented designed uses with large parking facilities. Therefore, shopping malls turn into uses that negatively affect traffic on the city's main transportation axes. In this context, the research was built on the hypothesis that "shopping malls increase the traffic density on the main transportation routes". The aim of this study is to determine the effect of shopping centers on the main transportation corridor on this route. While doing this, the traffic density around the shopping centers has been observed with the "İBB Guiding" application. The matrix was prepared to examine the relationship between the location, type and retail structure of shopping centers and traffic density. With the "manual traffic count", the traffic flow generated by shopping centers was calculated, and the effects of regional and mixed-use shopping centers on the route were discussed. The findings obtained from this study, average 20% of the traffic flow from the D-100 Highway was formed due to the shopping center. In addition, the criteria for the location selection of the shopping center and suggestions regarding the transportation and accessibility of the shopping centers in the city (arrangement of pedestrian crossings, restriction of the use of parking lots) were brought.

Although the act of violence against women is tried to be explained by bio-psychosocial processes, it still appears as one of the most important universal problems that could not be found any solution. In societies where the gender order prevails men over women, violence both maintains gender inequality and maintains male power. Turkey as a geography offers all cases being patriarchal society, has witnessed increasing violence and murder of women for the event from year to year. Pressure from the public and the rising women's movement against In 1985, Turkey was signed the convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). In the following years of this Convention, in 2011 the European Council Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Violence against Women and Prevention of Domestic Violence, which is the first agreement in international law to establish a binding and independent control mechanism which has the power to enforce violence against women and domestic violence was signed in Istanbul. When the violent incidents that have occurred since the date of this Convention are examined, women have faced with the violence many perpetrators such as their husbands, fathers, lovers, ex-husbands, siblings; in different areas such as rural areas; public places such as hotels, cafes, restaurants, streets; It is seen that they face many kinds of violence in public institutions such as courthouses, hospitals and municipalities. So, in which venues and by whom are women most often subjected to violence and, moreover, they are slaughtered? The study, prepared in light of this question, Turkey's first post-signatory is the Istanbul Convention, then in two national newspapers, based on their Located murder news for women is that women by their most wives and safest places to be expected special place that it is seen that massacred in their homes.