The Development of Western-Type Large-Scale Consumption Areas in Turkey and Legal and Structural Regulation Efforts in Urban Retail Environments

Abstract

The retail sector has been experiencing a rapid and continuous change worldwide. There have also been profound changes in Turkey, especially after the 1980s. Both the retail sector and the urban retail environments have been altered radically. One of the most significant indicators of this change is the proliferation of western-type large-scale retail developments. Past experiences in developed countries have shown that the uncontrolled development of large-scale retail areas results in some undesired socioeconomic and physical outcomes, such as decline in the cultural and commercial activities of city centers, damage in existing retail workforce structure, and change in local retail hierarchy, nearby land uses, traffic loads and original architectural identity. Many countries have put into practice restrictive and regulatory policies to prevent these negative effects. As similar transformations have also been realized in Turkish retail environments, many institutions think that similar legal regulations must be implemented in Turkey as well. The present study investigates the ongoing retail change within the Turkish context, explores the legal and structural regulatory policies of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, and critically discusses the appropriate retail regulation policies for Turkey.