Journal of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development

Vol. 5(3), pp. 678-683, December, 2019. © www.premierpublishers.org, ISSN: 2167-0477

Research Article
A Current-View on Rural Settlements in the Republic of Turkey
Yasemin KUSLU
Atatürk University, Faculty of Agriculture, Agricultural Structures and Irrigation Department, 25240 Erzurum, Turkey
Email: ykuslu@atauni.edu.tr

This study discussed regulations related to village and rural development in the history of the
Republic of Turkey. Also, it deals with different physical planning approaches of rural settlements
and their success situations and the spatial problems of rural settlements. In recent years, the
view of the people and the capital to rural settlements had changed gradually in Turkey. On the
one hand, abandoned villages in terms of the young and dynamic labor force, on the other hand,
the necessity of making these areas attractive for the efficiency of agricultural production
emerges as a dilemma. The villages had come to the agenda again for urban people because of
the reasons such as the desire to get away from the stuffy environment of the city by means of
rural tourism. In this paper, in the light of these general situation assessments, possible targets
of the village renewal studies were put forward.
Keywords: Rural settlements, Village Renovation, Models, Planning, Turkey

INTRODUCTION
Rural settlements are formed within own natural, economic
and social structure of each country (Kuslu and
Yaganoglu, 2007; Tu et al., 2018). These settlements have
been established in natural ways in the historical process
or in artificial ways in obligatory situations such as floods,
earthquakes, landslides or social conflicts. Unlike the
villages that were formed during the natural process, the
settlements established later on were generally “planned”
(Conrad et al., 2015; Long and Liu, 2016; Kuslu et al.,
2017a). It is natural that rural settlements have different
characteristics among countries. Because many of these
settlements are proof of the tradition and living history of
that country (Guri et al., 2014). However, a general
description of rural settlements can be made as follows:
Rural settlements have been one of the main factors that
should be evaluated together with the changes in social
and economic conditions. In many studies, rural
settlements are defined as places outside the settlements
considered as cities (Francis et al., 2012; Gomez et al.,
2019). The most prominent features of these units can be
listed such as economic activities are predominantly based
on the use of natural production resources, face-to-face
relationships are relatively more common, living conditions
are more shaped according to customs and traditions.
Moreover, technical, technological, economic, and social
developments are generally more shaped. (Demirel, 1999;
Eminağaoğlu and Çevik, 2007; Okuroğlu et al., 1994;
Owen, 1998; Takka, 1998).
When viewed in the historical process of the rural areas in
Turkey (or villages in general) "security" sense appears to
the first reason for establishing. So it is seen the
homogeneity in terms of ethnicity and religion. Most of
them have been formed by close groups due to relatives
or consanguinity. Refocusing on rural settlements has
emerged as a necessity on October 29, 1923, with the
establishment of the Republic of Turkey. Because, the
young country Republic of Turkey, that has newly come
out of long year's wars and changed the form of
government, was adopting a production model that is
based on agricultural production. Agriculture was the
propulsion of the economic sectors (Gümüş and
Körhasan, 2009). Based on this, different rural settlement
development and improvement models have been put
forward by different governments in the country's history.
In this study, the village renewal and development models
applied in the history of the Turkey Republic are discussed.
The current situation and sustainability of these models
have been evaluated.
Different Approaches and Objectives of Rural
Settlements in Turkey
In the context of the history of Turkey, it has been seen
that the first consideration of the rural settlements was
done in the Village Law of 447 number (Official Gazette,
1924). And, some specific examples of the Republic of

A Current-View on Rural Settlements in the Republic of Turkey

Kuslu Y. 679
Turkey was asked to put forward in a model village (Çetin
1999). This model village typical of the Republic of Turkey
was exposed. The first activities of this law were applied
for the rehabilitation of villages which became completely
unusable during the First World War (Atatürk, 2019;
Takka, 1998). Later on, immigrants who came with
population exchange were settled in these villages. These
applications were very important to show the village model
in the Republic of Turkey that overlaps with the world
village model in terms of physical planning. The most
comprehensive practical implementation of rural area
planning is the “pilot village” or “sample village”. For this
purpose, studies carried out in four villages within the
provincial borders of Istanbul in 1961 (Gümüş and
Körhasan, 2009).
This practice was abandoned due to the high project cost,
the possibility of investment concentration in a certain
area, and contrary to the principle of collective
development. In the following periods, the idea that rural
settlements should be arranged in their own geographic
and administrative region prevailed (Çetiner, 1990;
Eminağaoğlu and Çevik, 2005). Since the foundation of
the Republic, studies on rural areas had been carried out
under different names such as “central village”, “village-
town” and “agro-urban". These models were constructed
in the context of political preferences under the different
government regimes but all of the projects had not been
applied (Çetin, 1999; Turgut, 2011).
In the central village approach, the objective is to ensure
the effective delivery of the services that the public
institutions are responsible for providing to the village and
the farmers. This approach focuses on the solution of the
dispersed settlement types, which is one of the most
important problems in rural planning. Also, it is aimed to
rationally carry out the services for the rural area, to
provide suitable space for industrialization and for ease of
becoming an institution (Göksu, 1982; Okuroğlu et al.,
1994).
The village-town approach is a restructuring and spatial
arrangement model based on the division of labor between
settlements, aiming to integrate the village and the city for
development. In this model, it is aimed to gather the
services in a center, to transfer the production to the
industry and to take the services offered to the city to these
centers based on the principle that development should
start from the peasantry (Çetiner, 1990; Eminağaoğlu and
Çevik, 2005; Çolakoğlu, 2007).
In the agro-urban approach, the principle of combining
about ten nearby villages in terms of services and facilities
and to provide the social, infrastructure, and health
facilities offered to the cities had been taken into
consideration. It is also envisaged to establish producer
unions for economic advance (Çetiner, 1990;
Eminağaoğlu and Çevik, 2007). The aforementioned
approaches are not distinctly different from each other.
A Current-View on Rural Settlements in the Republic of Turkey
Each has well-intentioned objectives, such as increasing
agricultural production and the peasant's development
opportunities, raising his income by rationally using the
power of production. But these approaches have been
prepared with a centralized thinking structure and they
have been tried to implement without providing public
participation and their reflections on social and cultural
space. As the scope, concept and application areas of
political authorities' development models are time-variant.
Therefore, it could not be implemented completely, and
efficient results could not be obtained.
Spatial Problems of Rural Settlements in Turkey
Even still, the problems caused by migration from rural
areas to urban areas in Turkey since the 1950s have not
been fully solved, it is observed that the rural population
has decreased rapidly in recent years (Figure 1). This
situation makes it difficult for both the peasant and the
urbanization to gain quality, and it is placed among the
issues waiting for a national solution (Öztürk and
Mengüloğlu, 2008).
Figure 1. The number of villages and rural population rates
in Turkey for long years
Statistics from Figure 1 show that the rural population and
the number of rural settlements decrease by years. The
number of rural settlements and rural population rate
which were 39 901 and 75.8 % in 1927 decreased to 18
292 and 7.5 % in 2017 (MIB, 2019; TSI, 2019). One of the
reasons for this situation is that traditional village
settlements have not fulfilled the requirement of the rural
people. Considering that each region has its own social,
cultural and economic structure in the country's
geography, it emerges the necessity of regional
approaches for the solution. According to the latest
statistic, 45% of villages in Turkey located in high-altitude
regions, while 24%, 20% and 11% of villages are located
in the foothills, plains, and valley respectively. Also, 28%
of the villages have dispersed settlements. Unscheduled
settlements have a negative impact on the management
process and make it more expensive for the services
requested (TSI, 2019). Therefore, it requires the new
settlements. New parts of a rural settlement are
established generally on the valuable agricultural lands
(Figure 2), and this makes the appearance of scattered
settlements even more obvious.

Figure 2. An example village image reestablished due to earthquake in Erzurum in Turkey
The current state of the Village Law is not suitable for the
realization of the expansion and construction of the
villages in accordance with scientific conditions and to
fulfill the rural peoples’ requirements healthily. Statistical
data, obtained from Turkish Statistic Institute (TSI), shows
that 95% of the structures in the villages are contrary to the
legislation of the Village Law. One of the most important
reasons for this irregular constructions is that the village
settlement limits have not been defined yet. Therefore, any
type of new constructions in the villages can also be
unplanned.
Importance of Village Renovation Activities in Rural
Development Plans
According to the general assumption in Turkey's
industrialization is a tight relationship between
urbanization and development but defends might
urbanization. Therefore, investments in rural areas had
remained less than in urban areas. Consequently, the
balance between villages and cities have deteriorated.
Göksu (1982) states that the "city" definition is different in
developed countries. According to this situation, the city is
defined not only as of the areas where the city is settled
but as areas where the prosperity of urbanization can
reach. In other words, village settlements are located
within the urbanized region (Arendt et al., 1994). According
to Owen (1998), rural people have an influential role in the
A Current-View on Rural Settlements in the Republic of Turkey
J. Agric. Econ. Rural Devel. 680
decisions that have been taken at a regional scale for
sustainable development planning in developed countries.
This situation is especially encouraged by rural people to
participate directly or indirectly in the planning process.
In the "Five-Year Development Plans" prepared by the
state, the necessity of physical arrangements in rural
areas has been emphasized especially from the beginning
of the 2000s to the present day. The plans say that the
principles and criteria of rural settlement planning will be
determined according to the characteristics of the rural
area and the needs of the rural community. In the
preparation of the plans, it is stated that developing the
central settlements, tourism regions, protected areas and
especially for the regions that have a high risk of disaster
will be given priority (DPT, 2000; DPT, 2006; DPT, 2019).
Also, with the revision of the Development Law No. 3194
in 2011, the structures to be built in rural settlements and
the principles to be followed were regulated (Official
Gazette, 2011). Accordingly, no license is required for
agricultural and animal husbandry structures that do not
require a zoning plan and to meet the needs of the
residents of the village in and around the village
settlements. However, the studies and projects of these
buildings should be examined by the governorates, written
permission should be obtained from the local government
of the village, and these structures should be in
accordance with local texture and architectural features,
Kuslu Y. 681
science, art and health rules. In this law, taking into
account the development and expansion potential of the
village, the resettlement of the village settlement borders
should be left to the metropolitan municipal council or the
provincial general assembly.
The fact that the urban conditions are more attractive to
the young population is an issue that should be considered
in terms of the indispensability of the young labor force in
agriculture (Kuslu, 2008). Village renovation and
modernization works may be one of the solutions to this
problem. Rapid industrialization and uncontrolled rural
migration and mismatch in land-human relations adversely
affect the integration of villages and cities. The increasing
tendency of urban people to nature, the desire to learn
about different cultures and lifestyles, and the feeling of
moving away from crowded urban environments bring
rural areas to the agenda. The interest in rural areas in the
regions with touristic texture increases especially in
summer months and the population of these settlements
increases several times during certain periods of the year
(Kuşat, 2014). This situation is gradually changing the view
of the investors, urban people, and capital towards the
village. This change must be compatible with the
protection of agriculture and natural resources.
The different situations mentioned above reveal the
necessity of renewing, developing and transforming rural
settlements into an alternative living space. Rural planning
in the country is created by associating with agriculture in
the past. However, the existence of a rural area different
from agriculture, the opportunities to be examined outside
agriculture, the experiences that have occurred over the
centuries, the advantages that biodiversity and cultural
diversity can bring are issues to be considered (Kuslu et
al., 2017a). In the following years, it is clear that adaptation
to the developments in the field of rural development and
the accordance with the European Union should be at the
forefront in the development and renewal of rural areas in
the world.
What Are the Possible Targets of Village Renovation
Work?
About 100 years ago, the "modern village" targets,
dreamed by the Republic of Turkey and laid down via law,
have not been reached in all regions of the country. Soil is
the most common form of existence of the villages as well
as the element of production. However, land consolidation
has become the primary condition for reasons such as the
uneven distribution of ownership, the inability to use the
agricultural land at full capacity due to the immigration of
some of the landowners, the shapeless and fragmented
agricultural lands and the insufficient rate of utilization of
on-farm development services (Kuslu and Yaganoglu,
2007; Kuslu and Ertem, 2019). However, one or more of
the following practices should be targeted within the scope
of village renewal and development (Arendt et. al, 1994;
Çetiner, 1990, Demirel et al., 1997; Takka, 1998; Turgut,
2011).
A Current-View on Rural Settlements in the Republic of Turkey
• Shifting the structures in areas that may be exposed
to disasters such as landslides, floods, and
earthquakes to safe areas (Kuslu et al., 2017a)
• Eliminating the infrastructure deficiencies of the
settlement
• Reconsideration of agricultural areas that have lost or
are likely to lose their function (Kuslu et al., 2017b)
• Construction of missing social and public facilities in
the village settlement (school, library, health center,
recreation and entertainment areas, playgrounds,
parks, fountains, etc.)
• Adjusting the transportation system in the village and
agricultural lands and making the roads suitable for
pedestrian and vehicle traffic
• Establishment of common spaces for agriculture and
animal husbandry
• Addressing the historical and cultural structures in the
village settlement areas and restoring them if
necessary
• Establishing an alternative living space for urban life
by identifying the elements that will reflect the
characteristics of the village life and reveal the original
characteristics
• Development of local administration elements and
opening of business lines that can keep the young
population in the village
• Afforestation of village settlements, increasing green
areas and making more important rural values more
visible
• Preservation of elements such as trees, tree groups,
and shrubs present in the village or the countryside,
eliminating bad-looking and negative elements
• In addition to focusing on elements that may be
attractive in terms of tourism, developing service
sectors such as rest and accommodation
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Although there are no definite statements in the definition
of the rural settlements and the determination of their
borders, the "legal boundary” and demographic definitions
are available in Turkey's laws. Definition of "the main
occupation of the places that agricultural activities" are
inadequate to express. Because it is now possible to talk
about different activities such as tourism and industry for
rural settlements. Population density, social structure,
lifestyle, spatial texture, economic structure, natural
habitats, environmental relations, and unique identity
characteristics should be included in the scope of such
updates and rural settlements. Uncontrolled migration of
the young population can also be prevented in rural areas
where economic concerns are removed.
When the borders of the country are taken into
consideration, the difference in the level of development
among the regions becomes apparent. However, in areas
where earthquake, flood or landslide is likely to be a
disaster, village renewal efforts should be emphasized.

Thus, the elements that can cause loss of life and property
can be eliminated. As a requirement of the Reconstruction
Law No. 3194, which has come into force in its new form,
many villages have turned into neighborhoods. The
development and expansion plans of these villages, as
well as the neighborhoods, can be made effectively by the
municipalities at the provincial and district levels.
To solve the problems related to rural areas, it is important
to plan and elaborate on a regional scale away from the
centralist approach. Also, it is necessary to make the
compulsory legal arrangements to keep the proposed
solutions and programs prepared above the political
authority and ensure their continuity. In this way, the
urban-rural segregation levels can be reduced.
To summarize, in the renewal and development of rural
settlements, the current structural situation, geographical
location, topographic characteristics, the possibility of
natural disasters, rural appearance and socio-cultural
structures should be taken into consideration. If deemed
necessary, future development plans should be reduced to
the provincial and district levels.
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Accepted 27 December 2019

Citation: Kuslu Y (2019). A Current-View on Rural

Settlements in the Republic of Turkey. Journal of
Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, 5(3): 678-
683.

Copyright: © 2019: Kuslu Y. This is an open-access

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A Current-View on Rural Settlements in the Republic of Turkey