most of these features are found at the Tuzcu District. Before explaining these points, the general
characteristics of the district and its residents could be summarized as follows: The district lost population
until 1970s. This change is resulted from the movement of native population from the district to the other
developing parts of izmir. Then, its population had begun to increase again. The population profile of the
district began to change at the beginning of 1970s. Today, majority of the population (66,2 %) consists of
immigrants, which are especially from the east regions of the Turkey. 84,6 % of these immigrants had settled
in Tuzcu after the 1970. On the other hand, there are already residents (33,8 %) from izmir who have the
same economic conditions with the immigrant residents of the district. Considering the common features of
declining areas in developed countries, and taking them as evaluation criteria for Tuzcu District, they arise
as follows:
Poverty and unemployment arise as having similar features: 15,4 % of the households have no income
and the majority have income within the interval of 201-400 YTL. On the other hand, unemployment is so
striking in the district that every 1 male of 4,6 males are looking for a job. Dependency rate is 3,88; it means
that each working individual have to support 3,88 individuals.
However segregation is not so acceptable feature within the district, it can be said that the district is
segregated from the other developed parts of the Izmir. Segregation in Tuzcu District, as being different
from the developed countries, is fundamentally defined by class or income structure, rather than ethnic or
regional origins.
Decline of physical environment has become a common and apparent feature in Tuzcu District, and it
can be seen clearly. Due to its historical background, the district contains historically registered buildings
and has too many old buildings. Almost all buildings located at the district are in need of repairment. Since
the residents are economically deprived, they repair urgently required parts of the buildings in order to
reduce the disadvantages of deterioration.
Disinvestments and economic decline are other common features. Tuzcu District is one of the historical
areas of izmir. Besides the old physical structure, the district is deprived of both infrastructure and
superstructure since the lack of care. The district is a neglected place by the local municipalities. There is
no private or public investment. Also, most of the old residents left the district because of the old physical
conditions. Therefore the land values and property values are very low as compared to the developed parts
of izmir. According to the findings of the field research, 52,3 % of the population had settled the district
because they could afford the prices of the properties for buying or renting.
In contrast to the common features of declining areas in developed countries, the feature of changing
land use is not valid for Tuzcu District. The land use pattern is already dominated by housing use. Tuzcu
District is different from the other parts of the transition area of izmir. The land use patterns of surrounding
districts changed through the time; and today, they are dominantly used for commercial or storage
purposes, instead of housing. Furthermore, there are buildings that are derelict or vacant. As compared to
these areas, decline can be most clearly observed in Tuzcu District, because of its housing-dominated
structure.
Decline of public education, which is another common feature of declining areas in developed
countries, is also considered in Tuzcu District. It is found that the individuals within the 7-14 age group are
attending to primary school completely. The literacy rate is 70 %; that of high school is 7 %; that of
university 2 %. Therefore, it can be said that, educational level is very low in the district especially among
above 15 age group. One of the fundamental reasons of this situation can be explained by the economic
situations of the households. As the individuals being especially above 15 age among the men are taken as
economically active, they may prefer to work instead of attending to high school or university.
Poor health is an important measure of deprivation, because illness reduces the people’s quality of life.
Therefore decline of public health is analyzed within the population. The findings show that 50,8 % of the
population have not any type of health or social insurance. This is a very clear indicator for the health
deprivation in the district. In addition to this, 76,9 % of the population feel themselves deprived of sufficient
health services.
In conclusion, this paper analyzes the declining conditions of Tuzcu District both physically and socially
according to the social and material deprivation index. Most of the findings showed that the district and their
residents are deprived in many aspects as summarized above. The phenomenon of decline and deprivation is
not only belongs to Tuzcu district in izmir. There are already residential areas surrounding the city center
sharing same conditions with Tuzcu. The task in the future would be to analyze the whole of these
settlements and to look for the most suitable formulas to solve socio-economic and physical problems of
these areas.
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