Analysis of zoning plan changes in an urban regeneration area

Rapidly growing cities following The Industrial Revolution remained insufficient to fulfill today's necessities. Also, natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods or unsound structures have affected the development of cities adversely. Although natural disasters can be unpredictable, the issue of preparing cities for natural disasters, planning cities and regulating laws accordingly are becoming increasingly crucial. Urban regeneration activities are one of these preventions taken in this purpose. It is observed that countries such as Turkey, faced with natural disasters intensively, suffer from serious physical, financial and moral losses. Therefore, urban renewal activities have gained importance in Turkey after The Gölcük Earthquake (7.4Mw) and The Düzce Earthquake (7.2Mw) in 1999. The first urban regeneration project in Kocaeli where was one of the cities experiencing hard collapses of these earthquakes is about to be completed. Research of the principles of urban sustainability and resiliency in urban regeneration practices, which are priority issues due to natural disaster risks, has come into prominence. It is important not only to make urban areas more resistant to disasters but also to design according to social, economic and ecological criteria to make more livable. In this study, social, health, green, transportation and educational areas of the first urban regeneration area in Kocaeli were examined in terms of the basic needs of the city. For this purpose, pre and post-project zoning plans are analyzed and transferred to the GIS. The areal changes in the above-mentioned needs are evaluated for changing population density and their sufficiencies are compared.Rapidly growing cities after the Industrial Revolution have become incapable to fulfill the needs of the present-day. Furthermore, natural disasters such as earthquakes or floods and low-quality constructions have affected the healthy development of cities in a negative way. It is observed that the countries such as Turkey, where have experienced extensively disasters, have suffered severe physical, financial and moral losses. Thus, urban renewal activities have also gained importance in Turkey after The Gölcük Earthquake (7.6Mw) and The Düzce Earthquake (7.2Mw) in 1999. In Kocaeli which was one of the cities experiencing hard collapses of these earthquakes, the first urban regeneration projects completed in 2009. There is a wide range of urban transformation projects which are completed and continuing in Kocaeli. The examination of the sustainability principles in urban regeneration practices, which became a priority issue due to disaster risks, has also come into prominence. It has become a major subject that urban areas are designed not only to be resistant to disasters but also to fulfill social, economic and ecological criteria.In this study, healthcare, green, transportation, educational and social areas of the first and second urban regeneration area (approximately 770000m2) in Kocaeli are examined in terms of basic needs of the city. For this aim, zoning plans pre- and post- project are analyzed by transferring to Geographic Information System. The areal changes in the above-mentioned needs are evaluated according to the changing population density and their sufficiencies are compared.KEYWORDS:Geographic Information Systems, Sustainability, Urban Regeneration, Zoning Plan