An Application of Consistency Testing for Spatial Plans: Case of Trabzon, Türkiye

The starting point of this study is the problematic perspective of focusing only on the final product in spatial planning, while ignoring the planning process, and a lack of certain standards/criteria of the evaluation stage for the internal and external consistencies of spatial plans. Although it has recently attracted significant interest in the field, the methodological use of evaluation is not widespread in planning practice. Evaluation, which is considered to be a simple checking duty in the Turkish planning system (TPS), is not considered in the related literature and legislation. Focusing on the “evaluation stage” of spatial planning, this paper aims to demonstrate the contribution of the previously developed Guideline for Evaluation of Spatial Plans (GESP) in testing and ensuring the consistency of different scale and types of plans prior to their approval. The first phase of the study focuses on the concept of evaluation, reviews a series of related literature for the evaluation of plans, and discusses the evaluation stage in the TPS. In the second phase, the consistency of the selected case area plansafter addition of new resources that comply with the input of the previously developed evaluation framework GESPis examined. This guideline, which is an analytical method proposal, is applied over the selected cases, involving the upper-scale plans that cover Trabzon province and lower-scale plans for some settlements that were selected from within this province. Consistencies of all the plan components (plan sheets, plan report, plan notes, plan legend) of plans with different scales for the case area were tested in terms of the criteria of the developed guideline. Most of these plans were found to be inconsistent, both internally and externally. In the study, it was determined that the plans in fact contained many inconsistencies on their approval without being subjected to such evaluation. Although the study did not focus on the frequency of evaluation of spatial plans, the parties that will make those evaluations, and how to use their output, it provides basis for future studies. The “evaluation stage”, an important theoretical issue in the international literature, is exemplified for both how it would be handled and tested in practice. Identifying the needs, processes, and problems related to the evaluation stage, mainly for its ex-ante stage, will allow the TPS to intervene in the preparation of plans before their approval. This may have a positive impact on the production of final plans that are more comprehensive, and do not require continuous changes during the planning process. The introduced use of the guideline will contribute to the limited number of studies, concerning the evaluation stage of the spatial plans in Türkiye, besides guiding the related possible legal regulations regarding the TP.