Cittaslow: Urban Concept in a Different Perspective and Analysing of Turkish

Abstract

City is the place that shapes the social life and the relations between the humans; it is the place where the social distances minimize and the social relations gain utmost concentration. Not only residences make out the city, but also the city is made out of the integrity of the buildings bearing a series of activities therein and of the entities that bind them and distribute services such as transportation, infrastructure, and social equipping systems between them. Industrialization has caused not only positive changes in quality of city life but also brought about negative developments. Cittaslow movement was started as an international urban network in 1999, as an alternative model of sustainable urban against negative effect of economic and cultural globalization, basing on local sustainability where it basicly focus on environment, economy and equity, aiming to maintain and enrich the quality and viability of urban life. This movement organises towns that are sensitive to the environment, that has not connected its local economy to a foreign economy and is self sufficient with any kind of its artistic activity, education, energy and facility is now embraced over 20 countries and close to 150 cities and has tried to substantiate nearly 70 criteria to becoming a sustainable city. These criteria are collected under the titles of environment, infrastructure, protecting the local produce, technology for urban quality and creating facilities, hospitality and awareness. For this purpose, in the first part of this study, to ensure the understanding of Slow City concept, Slow City characteristics has been set forth by literature study. In the second part of study the documentaries which is explained the nine cittaslow cities in Turkey is analysied. One of documentary is made by TRT the goverment television the other is made by private production firm. Each documentary has 10 episodes. Totally 20 episodes will be analysed according to cittaslow criterias and urban communication features like public participation, awareness, infrastructure, culturel issues.