A Debate Towards a Synthesis of Radical Ecology and Spatial Planning Theories

A DEBATE TOWARDS A SYNTHESIS OF RADICAL ECOLOGY AND SPATIAL PLANNING THEORIES A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY BURAK ÖZGÜR IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF URBAN POLICY PLANNING AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS JANUARY 2020 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Yaşar Kondakçı Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Prof. Dr. H. Tarık Şengül Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Prof. Dr. Osman Balaban Supervisor Examining Committee Members Prof. Dr. H. Tarık Şengül (METU, ADM) Prof. Dr. Osman Balaban (METU, CRP) Assist. Prof. Dr. Eda Acara (Bakırçay Uni., Dept. of Geography) I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last Name: Burak, Özgür Signature: iii ABSTRACT A DEBATE TOWARDS A SYNTHESIS OF RADICAL ECOLOGY AND SPATIAL PLANNING THEORIES Burak Özgür MS., Department of Urban Policy Planning and Local Governments Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Osman Balaban January 2020, 137 pages Environmental challenges faced at every scale in our age calls for global and local policy making and planning to take necessary measures to sustain the habitat we live in. Ecology is a major interdisciplinary science covering social and political spheres of these challenges and the role of planning is crucial on the existence and the remedy of ecological challenge. However, the knowledge gap between planning, ecology and environmental ethics, creates a contradiction of attitudes towards nature. This study is an attempt to provide insights to overcome this literature gap by rethinking planning from a radical ecology perspective and vice versa. The necessity of a radical ecology approach in planning derives from the urge to address and to counteract on the ecological challenge with its political and social dimensions. This study attempts to connect radical ecology theories and planning theories as well as providing examples of some environmental movement practices. To this end, relevant planning theories iv have been evaluated on their spatial approaches, and radical ecology theories have been introduced to lay a groundwork for further debate on how a radical ecology approach could be adopted as a tool to rethink the planning process. In order to give solidified examples of the theories, some environmental movements in Turkey are studied for further discussion to rethink planning with a radical ecology perspective. This study solidifies its efforts on evaluating and cross-referring radical ecology theories, planning theories and environmental movement experiences with their spatial significance. In this analysis, planning as a practice and institution, in theory, is focused on an alternative planning theory based on a radical ecology approach. Keywords: Radical Ecology Theories, Planning Theories, Environmental Movements in Turkey, Radical Ecological Planning v ÖZ RADİKAL EKOLOJİ VE MEKANSAL PLANLAMA KURAMLARI ARASINDA BİR SENTEZLEME ARAYIŞI Burak Özgür Yüksek Lisans, Kentsel Politika Planlaması ve Yerel Yönetimler Ana Bilim Dalı Tez Yöneticisi: Prof. Dr. Osman Balaban Ocak 2020, 137 sayfa Günümüzde her ölçekte karşılaştığımız çevresel zorluklar küresel ve yerel siyasa yapımına ve planlama alanına, yaşadığımız habitatı korumak adına gerekli önlemlerin alınması için bir çağrı niteliğindedir. Ekoloji, karşılaşılan bu zorlukların sosyal ve siyasi yönlerini içeren disiplinlerarası bir temel bilimdir. Planlamanın rolü bu zorlukların gerek sebebi gerek çaresi olmada etmendir. Ancak, planlama ile ekoloji ve çevre etiği konuları arasındaki bilgi açığı, bu alanların doğaya karşı takındığı tavır açısından çelişki içindedir. Bu çalışma planlama ve radikal ekoloji yaklaşımlarını birbirinin perspektifinden yeniden düşünerek bu alanlar arasındaki bilgi açığının nasıl giderilebileceğine dair bir içgörü sağlamayı amaçlamaktadır. Planlamaya radikal ekoloji yaklaşımından bakma gereksinimi, ekolojik sorunların siyasi ve sosyal boyutlarına karşılık bulma arayışından ileri gelmektedir. Bu çalışma radikal ekoloji kuramları ile planlama kuramlarını bağlantılandırırken, bu çerçevede bazı çevre hareketi deneyimlerini örneklendirmeyi maksat edinmiştir. Bu doğrultuda, ilgili vi planlama kuramları mekansal yaklaşımları açısından değerlendirilmiş ve radikal ekoloji kuramları tartışma zemini oluşturmak üzere tanıtılarak, planlama sürecini yeniden ele alırken benimsenebilecek radikal ekoloji yaklaşımları tartışılmıştır. Kuramlara somut örnekler vermek adına, Türkiye özelinde bazı çevre hareketlerinden yola çıkarak planlamaya radikal ekoloji kuramları üzerinden bir bakış geliştirilmeye çalışılmıştır. Bu çalışma radikal ekoloji kuramları, planlama kuramları ve çevre hareketleri deneyimleri ile bunların mekansal önemini birbiriyle karşılaştırma çabasındadır. Bu analizde, bir uygulama ve kurum olarak planlama, kuramsal olarak radikal ekoloji yaklaşımına dayanan alternatif bir anlayış odağında irdelenmiştir. Anahtar Sözcükler: Radikal Ekoloji Kuramları, Planlama Kuramları, Türkiye’de Çevre Hareketleri, Radikal Ekolojik Planlama vii To my family viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the thesis committee; first and foremost, my supervisor Prof. Dr. Osman Balaban for his invaluable guidance, precious views and comments and encouragement throughout the completion of this thesis, without his support this work would not have been possible. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to Prof. Dr. H. Tarık Şengül for his constructive criticism and suggestions to make this work a better read, and to Assist. Prof. Dr. Eda Acara for her helpful comments and insightful criticism to solidify my arguments. I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to my friends Deniz Yaşar, Ozan C. Selçuk and Bilge N. Bektaş for their encouragement, support and reassurance. I gratefully acknowledge my colleagues Şelale Balambar, Ceren Ilter, Ayhan Erdoğan, Tayfur Gürel and Mezra Öner for being great friends since my undergraduate years and have always been there for me. My special thanks to my friends Can Tezcan, Alper Soy, Yağmur Koçak and Ceren Maden for their support. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the unparallel support, unconditional love, nurture and encouragement my family has always given me; my mother Meral, my father Ismail and my sister Burcu, to whom I am grateful beyond words. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM ............................................................................................................ iii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................ iv ÖZ ................................................................................................................................ vi DEDICATION ........................................................................................................... viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................ ix TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................. x LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................... xiii LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................... xiv LIST OF ABBREVATIONS ....................................................................................... xv CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 1.1. The Debate on Nature ........................................................................................ 2 1.2. The Production of Nature ................................................................................... 4 1.3. Aims and Methodology of the Research ............................................................ 6 2. FROM ENVIRONMENTALISM TO RADICAL ECOLOGY THEORIES ......... 12 2.1. Environmentalism and Environmental Justice ................................................. 13 2.2. Environmental Ethics ....................................................................................... 21 2.2.1. Anthropocentrism and Biocentrism-Ecocentrism ........................................ 23 2.3. Political Ecology .............................................................................................. 24 x 2.3.1. Green Political Theory ................................................................................. 27 2.3.2. Bioregionalism ............................................................................................. 29 2.4. Radical Ecology Theories ................................................................................ 30 2.4.1. Deep Ecology ............................................................................................... 30 2.4.2. Ecofeminism ................................................................................................ 32 2.4.3. Ecosocialism ...............................................................................................

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