Abstract
The sustainable development and development of local communities is one of the most important tasks of local governments. Within the scope of this study, the “Capital City Ankara Development Project-BAKAP” performed by Ankara Metropolitan Municipality in Ankara, Turkiye is studied as a case study. In this study, the effects of local governments as a driving force in ensuring sustainability and also the roles of gastronomy, agriculture and tourism in sustainable development are evaluated. For this purpose, BAKAP agricultural campus was visited, and investigations were made. Detailed information about the project was obtained by conducting interviews with the head and coordinators of the project. In addition, a literature review was conducted on the subject. Thus, it was tried to determine the potential opportunities of the project in terms of sustainability. At the end of the study, each sustainability principle was evaluated separately with the data obtained.
TopIntroduction
The concept of sustainability, which first appeared on the agenda in order to ensure the protection of forests, expresses meanings such as “to provide, maintain, sustain or support” (Öztürk and Baylan Kalaycı, 2023). This concept was first mentioned in 1987 in the “Bruthland Report” called “Our Common Future.” The concept of sustainability was put in perspective in 1992 at the “Rio Conference on Environment and Development” and adopted globally. Sustainable development, which expresses justice for generations, basically aims to protect and transfer the resources that will be needed in the future (Can, 2014).
Uncontrolled use of resources, negative effects of technological developments, uncontrolled population growth and excessive consumption of fossil fuels lead to greenhouse gas emissions and global warming (Akın, 2006). Energy consumption and various agricultural activities have primarily caused the development of the excessive greenhouse gas. (Durlu Özkaya and Öztürk, 2021). This climatic crisis is causing great damage to the harmony of ecology. The deterioration of the ecological balance causes the destruction of cultural, historical and social evaluation over time. At this point, the concept of sustainability, which centers on many historical, social, cultural and natural values, comes to the agenda (Selvi & Şahin, 2012).
Sustainable development, which is an important component of the concept of sustainability, adopts a long-term and inclusive perspective on various economic, social and environmental issues by setting the protection of the environment as a primary goal (Can, 2014). Together with the sustainable development, the concept of tourism and sustainability of tourism have also been brought to the agenda when it comes to the protection of historical, social and cultural values. In order to ensure sustainable development, it is necessary to ensure the sustainability of tourism in coordination with urban sustainability (Selvi and Şahin, 2012). At the same time, it is generally accepted that the way to achieve sustainable development goals is possible with an urban sustainability approach. In this context, local administrations and managers also play a key role in ensuring urban sustainability (Kocaoğlu & Sert, 2018; Örten, 2009).
In order for cities to act within the scope of sustainability, the cooperation of local governments is especially essential at points of touristic attractions. The utilization of the existing areas in cities by carrying out agricultural activities and creating recreational activities, except for the points that are already a tourism element, draws attention at the point of sustaining the resources of the cities. Contributing to local businesses and accordingly to the local people by providing touristic attraction to the areas that include all these activities means addressing especially the economic and social dimension of sustainability.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Local Product: These are the products produced in the region, region or city to which they belong; processed by local producers.
Sustainable Development: While it provides human development, it also ensures that natural resources are transferred to future generations without destroying them.
Sustainability: Sustainability, which basically expresses intergenerational justice, means that the ability to meet the needs of future generations is not compromised while meeting today's needs.
Gastronomy Tourism: Touristic activities whose primary motivation is to adopt activities that involve food and beverage activities, or production, consumption and distribution related to food and beverage.
Micro Destination: They are small-scale tourism destinations located within an already existing large destination, which contain many elements of attraction and have destination features on their own.
Glamping: It is a set of services in which various outdoor activities and much more luxurious accommodation services are offered together than camping.
Agro Tourism: These are touristic activities that adopt operations based on any agricultural activity as a source of motivation.
local government: These are constitutional institutions based on legal foundations that exist in order to meet the common needs of individuals living within national borders.