Historical Evaluation of the Turkish Legislative System Considering the Integration of Archaeological Sites into the Planning Process

Abstract

ABSTRACT Despite the fact that archaeological sites are an integral part of the urban built environment, urban development has always been a major threat especially to archaeological sites located within the confines of urban areas. Turkey has developed legislative systems for protecting archaeological sites not only by conservation processes, but also through spatial planning processes. Regardless of the legislative arrangements, urban development has continued to threaten archaeological sites. A central problem of the study is the inefficiencies of legislative structure in Turkey to protect archaeological sites under the continuous pressure of urban development. It is assumed that one of the major reasons for this threat is poor integration and cooperation between conservation and planning processes defined by legal structures. Based on this assumption, the aim of the study is to conduct a critical evaluation of Turkish conservation and planning legislative systems with a historical perspective and explore problematic issues in integrating archaeological sites into the planning processes.