Environmental, Social, and Economic Indicators of Urban Land Use Conflicts: Evidence from Istanbul Metropolitan Area

Background

Since the urban environment is characterized by deep complexity, indicators are handy and useful expression to evaluate environmental data. In generally, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and European Environment Agency (EEA), indicator definitions are preferred to environmental studies. EPA has defined environmental indicators describing the characteristics of the physical environment and evaluating the form of numeric values (EPA 2011). In addition, indicators are defined as the evaluation of the effects according to the parameters due to anthropogenic effects occurring in the environment and ecosystem by EEA. (EEA 2010).

As it is evident from the definitions, indicators compare references or normal values taking into account their correlation with the resilience of nature (Cabell & Oelofse 2012; Passeri et al. 2013) and environment and reveal a simplified version of reality (EEA 2010). In the context of anthropogenic pressures created on environment and urban ecosystem in the intensive urbanization process, environmental and socio economic indicators help to evaluate environmental effects (Dale & Beyeler, 2001; Kasanko et al. 2006) to compare various scenarios suggested by such environmental effects (White et al. 2000; Barredo et al. 2003; Barredo et al. 2004; Petrov et al. 2011), to share the findings with the public (Banville et al. 1998; Munda 2004; Li et al. 2009; Jaeger et al. 2010), and to contribute to decision-making processes (De Marchi et al. 2000).