Sustainable Cultural and Natural Heritage-Oriented Spatial Strategic Planning Process in a Development and Governance Model Proposal: Example of Core Cappadocia Site

*Özlem Köşker, Arzuhan Burcu Gültekin, Gizem Hayrullahoğlu and Enis Yeter* 

#### **Abstract**

 Cities, which are all of the natural and sociocultural values that determine their identity, are considered as living organisms. The transfer of the original identities of the cities to the future is possible with the efforts of local, regional, and national actors. Similarly, the preservation and transferal of historical cities, which are the world heritage sites, to future generations, is associated with the sustainability of cultural and natural values. The Cappadocia Site, which was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985, has been hosting the tangible and intangible cultural heritage treasure with unique examples in Turkey for centuries. However, policies for the conservation of intangible assets in this site seem to be insufficient. This study aims to establish an individual, social, and institutional sustainability associations network focused on integrated cultural and natural heritage in the Core Cappadocia Site. For this purpose, fundamental problems and potentials of the site, which underlies the planning, have been detected. Observational and survey methods were implemented in the fieldwork, and secondary data on the subject were collected from the relevant institutions. Using the implemented methods and obtained data, "Spiral Sensitivity Model" was proposed to establish an individual, social, and institutional network of sustainable associations in integrated cultural heritage oriented site management.

**Keywords:** sustainability, cultural and natural heritage, spatial strategic planning, Core Cappadocia Site, governance

#### **1. Introduction**

The city identity is a broad concept of distinct components for each city and emphasizes social, economic, environmental, and cultural characteristics that allow a space to be distinguished from another [1]. In this respect, the natural and built

 environment and the sociocultural values that constitute the intangible cultural heritage are considered as the essential components of the city identity. The sociocultural component of this identity brings together all conscious or unconscious perceptions, knowledge, experience, behaviors, requirements, and desires of the individual, as well as the traditions, beliefs, and expectations of the society in which the individual lives [2].

 When cultural and natural heritage is concerned with tourism, it is of particular importance to conserve its originality and to emphasize its distinguishing characteristics. According to the perception of visitors, the sociocultural and physical origin of values that make that site unique can be regarded as the principal reason for this. Sustainability of earnings derived from tourism is possible with the sustainability of these values. On the other hand, the sustainability of cultural and natural heritage is dependent on ensuring the balance of conservation and utilization; and the balance of conservation and utilization depends on the planning of spatial strategies.

The Core Cappadocia Site, which is decided as a field of study, is commemorated as a universal value which is located in the borders of Nevşehir province and some of which are included in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List. With the analysis work carried out with the secondary data collected within the scope of the research and the data collected from the on-site examinations, fundamental problems have been identified, and the underlay for the spatial strategic plan has been created. According to this, the sustainability of cultural and natural values in the site is threatened by problems such as the low resilience in legal dimensions, the monotony of tourism strategies developed for the built environment, the physical decay of the built environment, the relocation of the local resident from the heritage site, the low resilience of cultural heritage structures to the visitor population, and the lack of sustainability of intangible cultural heritage assets. It is striking that these problems are caused by inadequate planning processes and lack of governance. In the site, in addition to conserving unique local values, global competitiveness is also essential. Therefore, in this study, a sustainable development model was tried to be created with [3] "spatial strategic planning" method, which aims to keep pace with the global world while ensuring the conservation of the locale-specific values.

 The "Spiral Sensitivity Model," which is gained in the literature with this study, is a model that is the leading role of local people, especially youth and women. The main objective of the model is to carry cultural and natural heritage values to the future through an organizational form that is collectively carried out by nongovernmental organizations and multisectoral stakeholders. This model is designed as a critical and integral component of planning. The concept of dominant participation is envisaged as a complementary model in the implementation of spatial strategic plans, especially in terms of town and regional planners and policymakers. Although the study is fictionalized in the Core Cappadocia Site, it is envisaged that it constitutes an example for the studies carried out within the scope of various themes in Turkey.

#### **2. Conceptual framework**

#### **2.1 Sustainable cultural and natural heritage**

The concept of a UNESCO World Heritage has been developed to protect the cultural or physical significance of sites that have been laid out by different cultures or civilizations throughout the history of humankind and which are considered to be the common heritage of humanity. This common history is wanted to be

*Sustainable Cultural and Natural Heritage-Oriented Spatial Strategic Planning Process… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87836* 

 put under protection with the understanding of "The loss of one is the loss of all humanity's memory." UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, has prepared an agreement on the protection of The World Cultural and Natural Heritage [4]. The agreement was ratified on November 16, 1972. Turkey is among the 192 countries that have signed this agreement. The contracting parties undertake to ensure the sustainability of all cultural and natural heritage within their borders. In Turkey, 18 assets have been joined to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Sixteen of these assets were accepted as cultural heritage. Pamukkale-Hierapolis, with Göreme National Park and Cappadocia, is regarded as both cultural and natural heritage into the list.

#### **2.2 Spatial strategic planning**

The spatial strategic plan associates country development policies and regional development strategies at the spatial level. It consists of thematic layouts prepared using schematic and graphical language on a scale of 1/250,000 maps, 1/500,000 maps, or higher scale maps. With this plan, spatial strategies for the conservation and development of natural, historical, and cultural heritages are determined with the help of economic and social potential, goals, and strategies. In this process, an order of importance between actions is defined, and the most critical problems are addressed [3]. Albrechts has examined nine different spatial strategic plans and has identified six key features: They are selective, relational-annex-inclusive, integrative, visioning, action oriented, and they have some initial reflections [5]. The focus of the planning process, which is proposed in the model implementation, is also highlighted in these six features.

 In Turkey, when the legislation is examined, it is seen that the matters related to the spatial strategy plan are detailed in The Regulation on Spatial Planning published in the official journal dated June 14, 2014. With the article of the 6th amendment of the zoning law no. 3194 changed on November 29, 2018, spatial plans are composed of "environmental plans" and "development plans" levels in accordance with the "spatial strategy plans." Furthermore, the position of spatial strategy plans on the planning levels has been determined. In the current situation, preliminary preparation was made for a spatial strategy plan at the country scale. However, there is no approved model of a spatial strategy plan.

#### **2.3 Governance**

The term governance was first used in the President's message of Sub-Saharan Africa: From Crisis to Sustainable Growth, which was published by the World Bank in 1989 and thus officially entered into the literature [6]. The concept is involved in the report in the statement of: "Private sector initiatives, and market mechanisms are essential, but they need to be managed with good governance." In addition to the World Bank, the concept of governance commonly used in the reports of international organizations such as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the United Nations (UN) represents a complement of associations where mutual interaction is the primary rather than one party's administration of others. The concept, which means "collaborative management," is used to emphasize the administration activities based on mutual interaction with the participatory, participative, consistent, responsible, transparent, accountable, and equitable approach. In the process of spatial strategic planning, an approach that allows the establishment of inter-stakeholder relations is adopted. The concept is the foundation of the Spiral Sensitivity Model.

### **3. Spatial strategic planning process in Core Cappadocia Site**

#### **3.1 Characteristics of Core Cappadocia Site**

The Core Cappadocia Site, chosen as the study domain, is located on the borders of Nevşehir province, which is placed in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. The site consists of Göreme, Uçhisar, Ortahisar, Mustafapaşa, Ürgüp, and Avanos settlements located at the borders of Nevşehir province. In this site, there are capped fairy chimneys with a conical-shaped body, which have a boulder on the top (**Figure 1**). The conical-shaped bodies of these natural formations consist of rock formed of tuff, tuffite, and volcanic ash, and chimney caps consist of competent rocks. These natural formations are rarely encountered in the world. Because of their uniqueness, they are inevitable to be regarded as a universal heritage.

 There is air transportation from İstanbul, Nevşehir, and Kayseri to Cappadocia, which is one of the major tourist centers of Turkey with its cultural and natural heritage. Transportation is provided by land from nearby cities. The study domain is among the essential tourism destinations of Turkey due to its natural rockcut structure sites and its local, intangible cultural values. In the field, tourism activities constitute the primary source of living. However, due to the upper scale tourism decisions that remain inefficient, local values are gradually disappearing. The study aims to introduce a new approach based on continuity, integrity, reconciliation-participation, and vision, which contributes to the conservation of the unique values of the site. The population centers, archeological and natural protected areas, historical protected areas, buffer zones, and areas that can be opened to tourism in the Core Cappadocia Site and immediate surroundings are presented in **Figure 2**.

#### **3.2 Analysis studies in spatial strategic planning process in Core Cappadocia Site**

The study region, denominated Core Cappadocia, was located based on the boundaries of the Cappadocia Cultural and Tourism Development Zone determined by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey. The site consists of Göreme, Uçhisar, Ortahisar, Mustafapaşa, Ürgüp, and Avanos settlements. The size of the area is approximately 48,300 hectares. Within these boundaries, according to the data of 2013, a total of 51,284 people are living in Avanos and Ürgüp city center. This number is about 25% of the total population of Nevşehir province.

In the Core Cappadocia Site, the analysis was carried out within the context of the spatial strategic planning process through a problem tree method. As a result of these studies, primary problems were determined in the context of sustainability of cultural and natural heritage on settlement basis to create an underlay for the spatial strategic planning process and presented in **Table 1**.

**Figure 1.**  *The appearance of the natural and built environment in the Core Cappadocia Site [7].* 

*Sustainable Cultural and Natural Heritage-Oriented Spatial Strategic Planning Process… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87836* 

**Figure 2.**  *Core Cappadocia Site protected areas and tourism facilities [8].* 

#### **3.3 Potentials and synthesis study in spatial strategic planning process in Core Cappadocia Site**

Cultural and natural heritage characteristics are of great significance for the planning of the site in the study field, approximately 9884 hectares, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The potentials of the Core Cappadocia Site, consisting of Göreme, Uçhisar, Ortahisar, Mustafapaşa, Ürgüp, and Avanos settlements, are given in **Table 2** in terms of settlements.

In the context of sustainability of cultural and natural heritage, the problems obtained by problem tree method are taken into the problem circle. The potentials and problems determined were reflected in the environment as a synthesis study based on settlements, as indicated in **Figure 3**.

#### **3.4 Planning approach in spatial strategic planning process in Core Cappadocia Site**

With the zoning operation, the site is divided into two main zones, and the problems are scrutinized in each zone. It is possible to sort the criteria based on the zoning as follows:


The relationship between these criteria and the zones is presented in **Figure 4** on the map.


#### **Table 1.**

*The primary problems determined on a settlement basis in Nevşehir.* 

#### **3.5 Determination of objectives, policies, and actions within the scope of planning approach**

The solution of the problems identified in this section is discussed under the headings of legal/administrative dimension on cultural and natural heritage, cultural landscape and built environment relationship, the impact of tourism on the local community and local values, and the low resilience of cultural heritage structures to the visitor population. The vision of the plan has been determined as a "responsible and participatory Cappadocia, which maintains its tourism activities while conserving its cultural and natural values."

#### *3.5.1 Legal/administrative dimension in cultural and natural heritage conservation*

The robust legal infrastructure for the conservation of cultural and natural heritage has a significant role in sustainability. Although conservation and administration policies have been fixed in the law on the Conservation of Cultural and Natural Property and the law on National Parks, it is observed that in the field of work, implementation and inspection mechanisms remain incapable. In the formation of this situation, it is possible to say that the interference and lack of coordination of the realm of authority regarding the government agencies have a significant share. However, regulatory proposals are out of the scope of this study. This section focuses mainly on "visitor administration" strategies as part of the field management in the sites of cultural heritage through the solution of problems arising from inadequate planning.

 For the field of study, there is no spatial strategy plan designed in the current condition. When looking at the plans on a similar scale, it is recognized that the Cappadocia Cultural Tourism Development Site is defined in the 2023 Action Plan of the Turkish Tourism Strategy. For the site, within the framework of sustainable tourism understanding, proposals have been made to evaluate the current tourism opportunities and to diversify tourism. However, it is observed that the proposals are limited in extent. On a 1/25,000 scale, Regional Plan for the Cappadocia Cultural and Tourism Conservation and Development Area and Environmental Plan and Göreme National Park Long-Term Development Plan is at the lower level. The lack of an upper scale plan based on these planning results in the determination of the main decisions and detailed decisions on the lower scale basis. However, it is imperative that the necessary policies and strategies are defined in the upper scale plans, and the lower scale plans are fictionalized under these policies.

 Another administrative problem is that the importance of visitor management is not given as part of the field management of Göreme National Park. In the presentation of cultural assets for tourism purposes, the increase in the number of tourists over time creates significant conservation problems in these sites and reduces the resilience of these sites. The action developed to resolve this problem is "visitor management." The object of the visitor management is to ensure sustainable tourism development in the site, to introduce the site effectively to the visitors, to disclose its potentials, and to conserve the current assets of the site from the demands of the visitors. In this context, it is aimed to prevent the visitors from degrading the site, as well as to determine the layout in which the visitors perceive the site in the best way and to direct them toward the site in this orientation. In the site, visitor management shall be carried out based on the defined criteria for heritage administration in the International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), International Cultural Tourism Regulation.

Within the scope of the visitor management plan, it is recommended to make improvements on existing plans, to determine hiking routes, opening facilities


**Table 2.** 

*Potentials of settlements in the Core Cappadocia Site.* 

to inform tourist, and to organize promotional actions that attract to the future tourists in the site. Applications should be performed in Göreme National Park on a small scale and in the short term, in the sites to be protected in the Cultural and Tourism Development Zone in the medium term, and in the whole of the Core Cappadocia Site in the long term to carry out these activities. Projects planned within the extent of visitor management are:


There are some "restrictive" actions to ensure the sustainability of the cultural landscape of the site (fairy chimneys, valleys, churches, and rock-cut structures). The first is the prohibition of the use of motor vehicles in the valleys and the requirement of administration to ensure the applicability of these restrictions in the site. Secondly, it is crucial to restrict the number of daily visitors in these particular spaces to minimize the effects of humidity generated by visitors on mural paintings in churches. To ensure that visitors can accurately perceive the site;

 • Acknowledging the number of visitors and the visitor profile in detail and following them regularly, to determine the demands and satisfaction of visitors and users through surveys to be conducted,

*Sustainable Cultural and Natural Heritage-Oriented Spatial Strategic Planning Process… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87836* 

#### **Figure 3.**

*Planning approach for the settlements in the Core Cappadocia Site in the context of the spatial strategic planning process [9].* 


The authority required for the implementation of the applications has been determined as the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism. The institutions to be associated are the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of

**Figure 4.**  *Core Cappadocia Site zoning studies [9].* 

Culture and Tourism, Nevşehir Municipality, General Directorate of Monuments and Museums, Tourism Agencies, relevant non-governmental organizations, and universities in Nevşehir.

#### *3.5.2 The relationship between cultural landscape and built environment*

One of the main problems identified in the area of study regarding the built environment is the functional standardization and degradation of the built environment. The proposed projects in the context of the conservation of functional standardization and the effective implementation of conservation-restoration applications which are formed by the transformation of many houses into tourism facilities in the site can be listed as follows:


 The balance between housing and tourism functions is essential. On the other hand, it is crucial to provide property owners who wish to make a change in their property functions to apply the mixed-use as a residence-hotel. To make the local people aware of tourism activities, the regulation of education programs will also prevent the abandonment of these sites. The institutions responsible for designing and implementing the programs to be created for public awareness and education

#### *Sustainable Cultural and Natural Heritage-Oriented Spatial Strategic Planning Process… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87836*

 are expected to be the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism and the Governorship of Nevşehir. The Center, Göreme, Uçhisar, Ortahisar, Mustafapaşa, Ürgüp, and Avanos municipalities, the Ahiler Development Agency, the Ahi Evran Association (AHDER) planned to be established, and the relevant non-governmental organizations, banks, and exchanges are the institutions responsible for providing information, evaluation, and coordination.

 In the process of planning and implementing the project, when the staging is performed, the process has been defined as determining priority action zones for conservation and restoration in the short term, and in the medium term, creating programs, projects, and financial resources in the designated action fields. In a short time, applications will be performed in Göreme, Uçhisar, Ortahisar, Mustafapaşa, Ürgüp, and Avanos. The anticipated impact of the project is that the city centers become continuously used areas, both socially and physically, again.

Another reason for physical decay in the built environment is natural disasters. In the area afflicted with a natural disaster, first, the risk identification will be made to identify the geological risk. The aim of the action plan prepared for cultural landscape and built environment degradation arising from disasters is to make efficient risk management. Two types of problems are defined as human and natural resources in disaster-prone physical decay areas. It is planned to solve human-induced issues with the method of strengthening the community. Rock falls, erosion (soil, water, and wind), and climatic factors (humidity, temperature, and precipitation) that occur due to natural reasons constitute a hazard in terms of conservation of cultural landscape area. With risk management, it is aimed to minimize the impact of rock fall in the site. In this context, the planned actions are;


With the realization of these actions, both the zones of rock fall will be determined, and the gradient of rock fall will be determined. Using Decision Support Systems (GIPEA) and geographic information system (GIS), modeling and monitoring of rock fall in 3D will be provided. These systems will give early warning and forecast. Thus, an integrated system will be set against the danger of falling rock in the zone, and the damage will be reduced to a minimum. Besides, the identification of the cultural heritage sites at risk and the installation of the necessary conservation practices in the settlements will be ensured according to the situation of the risk. The intended risk management in the site will be implemented first in the disaster area, Ortahisar.

The institutions responsible for the realization of these projects are the Site Management Presidency, Special Provincial Administration, Nevşehir Municipality, Ortahisar Municipality, Governorship Provincial Disaster, and Emergency Directorate, Disaster Coordination Center, and Non-governmental organizations.

#### *3.5.3 Impact of tourism on local community and local values*

Among the policies of sustainable development of the Rio Declaration, which preserves the integrity of the global, environmental, and developmental system are as follows: "Indigenous people and their communities, and other local communities,

 have a vital role in environmental management and development because of their knowledge and traditional practices. States should recognize and duly support their identity, culture and interests and enable their effective participation in the achievement of sustainable development" [10]. The most significant impact of the development of tourism is on the local community. The two main reasons for this are that they are steering away from their own culture through communication and interaction with the visitors and leave their locality to tourism; thus, they are unable to transfer intangible cultural values to future generations. Therefore, it is seen as a necessity to integrate the local community into the work of sustainability and even adopt policies that center the local community.

In addition to minimizing the negative impacts of tourism on the site, proposals have been developed in order to avail a sustainable economic benefit from tourism. First of all, concerning the development of local capacity and labor and skills, it is aimed to ensure awareness about the potentials of local people through widespread tourism and cultural education activities. In this context, personal development seminars, cooperation seminars, certificate programs, grant schemes, and credit aid programs for the support of women entrepreneurs are essential to prepare and implement. In order to transform cultural values into economic values, it is recommended to implement home-staying, consciousness raising, and on-the-job certification programs and to ensure quality improvement for the sector that implements these programs in the current situation. Also, the provision of kitchen and sanitation training for local food production and the organization of local tour guide education programs will contribute to the economic income of the local community from tourism. Actions designated in this context are listed below:


Natural values and agricultural production in the site allow rural tourism activities. In this context, it is planned to set a database for determining suitable areas for rural tourism by collaborating with the Cappadocia Rural Development Cooperative (3K-KOOP) which is planned to be established. In these sites, it is aimed to provide support to the regional investor who meets the grant and credit facility requirements in line with the database. In this process, it is of considerable significance to reintroduce the site by participating in national and international fair assembly and symposiums. In order to effectuate these actions, tourism cooperatives can be established in Uçhisar, Mustafapaşa, Ürgüp, Avanos, and Ortahisar settlements and facilitated with Nevşehir Center, which is determined as marketing and information center between each other. This coordination can be established

#### *Sustainable Cultural and Natural Heritage-Oriented Spatial Strategic Planning Process… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87836*

with the "Association of Tourism Cooperatives," which will be carried out under the administration of the Ahiler Development Agency. Thus, it can contribute to the maximum level of information flow at the local level.

 The development of social carrying capacity has been identified as the first stage of Education-Supervision-Coordination Centers, both because of the rural tourism potential and the conformity of infrastructure in order to proceed forward with local development. Thus, it is planned to regulate rural tourism actions in the Ürgüp sub-region by a local organization. The Mustafapaşa settlement was identified as a rural sub-center, and the İbrahimpaşa village was identified as a rural coordinating center. Avanos and Hacıbektaş, one of the other sub-regions, were considered as the second level of the Education-Supervision-Coordination Centre. The institutions responsible for the realization of the projects are the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, the Governorship of Nevşehir, the District Governorship of Nevşehir, and the Development Agency of Ahiler. The institutions and organizations to cooperate with are the Provincial Cooperative of Nevşehir, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Municipalities and the Chamber of Merchants, and Artisans of Nevşehir.

In the area, the integration of cultural heritage and rural tourism is vital in terms of the fact that the local people do not abandon the area and that the benefits of tourism are degraded to the local scale. In this context, first of all, the improvement of transportation, electricity, and water infrastructure in rural areas will contribute to the enhancement of the quality of life of the local community and the provision of more qualified tourism service. Another proposed project for the integration of the local population into tourism is the dissemination of the home-staying model in rural settlements and the dwellings currently being implemented; education is carried out to increase the quality. With the project, first of all, tangible and intangible cultural heritage sites will be determined, and technical infrastructure opportunities will be developed in these sites. Also, restoration and conservation of monumental structures and civil architecture models in rural areas will provide the sustainability of these sites. Within the scope of the project, the proposed rural tourism axle and rural areas with cultural heritage structures will be interrelated. In this context, "rural service center", which has potential in terms of technical and social infrastructure, has been determined at a distance of about 20 km from each other. The contents of the rural service centers are fictionalized as accommodation units, home-staying, health service, crafts shops, and commercial units. On this route, trekking, horse safari, and bicycle sports are planned. All these activities are intended to be coordinated at the Ürgüp Center on a local scale. The other settlements that are subject to the rural tourism proposal are the Central Districts of Nevşehir province and the districts of Gülşehir and Avanos. In the context of the projects, the institutions to be cooperated will be the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the European Union (EU), the United Nations (UN), Provincial Private Administrations, Local Governments, Non-governmental Organizations, and EuroGites-European Federation of Rural Tourism (**Figure 5**).

As a result of the synthesis study, it was concluded that the problem of "local people moving away from the heritage site" was caused by the following reasons:


#### **Figure 5.**

*The association between cultural and natural heritage and local development.* 

• In the settlements of Mustafapaşa and Uçhisar, planning decisions provide opportunities for tourism purposes that distort the cultural landscape and the identity of the area.

 In order to meet the needs and expectations of the people living in the site in line with national and international criteria and to increase the efficiency of the service delivery, it is necessary to investigate the sufficiency of existing municipal services and facilities. Also, in order to improve the quality of the urban environment, researches need to be done on the balance of conservation with socioeconomic and vital needs. In order for cultural assets to be conserved with their physical, social, and economic dimensions, physically decayed areas need to be mentioned in rehabilitation projects. In order to carry out the original restoration and conservation practices, it is essential to establish restoration specialist trainee programs. The development of programs aimed at training mentor and protege in the work of restoration will ensure that cultural values are conserved with indigenous understanding. The institutions and organizations responsible for these projects are as follows: Field Management Presidency, Nevşehir Governorship, Ortahisar Municipality, Avanos Municipality, Ürgüp Municipality, Uçhisar Municipality, and universities as well as Nevşehir Regional Council for the Conservation of Cultural Property, neighborhood mukhtars, trade associations, and related NGOs.

#### *3.5.4 The resilience of cultural heritage structures to the visitors*

 The rapid increase in the number of tourism facilities in the site, by changing hands over time, the increase in dwelling function buildings that turn into hotels, and the increase in the tendency toward boutique hotel construction during this transformation process hinder the conservation and perception of the present values of the site. The projects to prevent these changes and solve the problems encountered are as follows:

• Making accommodation facilities mandatory for the maximum amount of urban fabric with both local and upper scale planning decisions/plan notes, and *Sustainable Cultural and Natural Heritage-Oriented Spatial Strategic Planning Process… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87836* 

• Preventing tourism facilities from going beyond the local architectural scale by introducing a total area of construction restrictions to accommodation facilities

Especially in Avanos and Uçhisar, it is observed that with the increasing growth of hotel masses, the perceptibility of the area is disappearing and large mass hotels do not conform to the texture of the area, although they are applicable as materials. In order to prevent hotels that do not reflect the original structure of the site, it is envisaged that the planning notes and decisions will determine the maximum dimension of the hotels and that implementations will be blocked out of a specific scale and thus, integrity will be provided in the area.

Within the scope of the projects, the proposal for the restrictions to be executed was determined as "tourism-oriented conservation facility" projects. In determining these restrictions, firstly, existing typologies have been identified. Later, typologies were determined following the texture of the site. While the existing size of the hostel has a bed capacity of 10–15 rooms and 20–30 beds, in order to support the facilities for home-staying in rural areas, proposal boarding typography has a capacity of 2–3 rooms and 4–6 beds, building coverage ratio: 0.50, floor area ratio: 1.00, and the number of employees has been determined as three people. As the existing boutique hotel typology varies between 15–80 rooms and 30–160 beds capacity in the site, the proposed boutique hotel typology has a maximum of 15 rooms and 30 beds, the average lot size 500 m2 , floor area ratio: 0.80, and the number of employees have been determined as six people. Hotels that address mass tourism in the site are incompatible with the natural texture of the site. For this reason, for mass tourism, accommodation facilities with 50 rooms and 100 beds, the average lot size was determined as 1000 m2 in the resort structure. During the planning and implementation of the projects, applications will be performed in Avanos, Uçhisar, Ürgüp, Göreme, Ortahisar, and Mustafapaşa in the short term.

#### **4. Spiral sensitivity development and governance model within the spatial strategic planning process in Core Cappadocia**

 "Spiral Sensitivity Development and Governance Model" which focused on sustainable cultural and natural heritage (SCNH) was designed by taking into account the sensitivities in the context of UNESCO World Heritage Areas and Turkey 2010–2023 Integrated Urban Development Strategy and Action Plan (**Table 3**, **Figure 6**). The model is of great importance for the creation of integrated administration, strategies, and policies to ensure the resilience of cultural heritage to time. When examining 1/25,000 scaled environmental plan, 1/1,000 scaled conservation plans, and the 2023 Turkish Tourism Strategy Report, it was determined that there was no consensus on tangible and intangible cultural heritage approaches. It has been recognized that these plans do not have both an integrated planning strategy and a necessary governance model. Furthermore, the lack of an upper scale spatial plan based on the environmental plan also leads to the determination of the main principles on a lower scale. Based on the insufficiencies identified, a sustainable "Spiral Sensitivity Development and Governance Model" was proposed. It is important to note that the model developed at the theoretical level can be implemented in project packages.

Sustainable administration of cultural and natural heritage sites is a model of sustainable relationships network and communication-oriented development that strengthens risk perception and increases participation capacity at individual, social, and institutional levels. The relationship networks of stakeholders, constituencies, target groups, and concerned parties have an approach where individual, social, and institutional sensitivities are discussed at different levels, rather than


**Table 3.** 

*Sustainable cultural and natural heritage (SCNH) policies, general strategies and main problem areas.* 

*Sustainable Cultural and Natural Heritage-Oriented Spatial Strategic Planning Process… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87836* 

#### **Figure 6.**

*"SCNH" focused BTK sensitivity: sustainable relationships network local development model.* 

a centralized approach. The participation model in the Spiral Sensitivity considers the general structure and transformation trends of the public administration. Participation in the model is considered as a concept that complements and improves the insufficiencies of the representative system. In short, it can be stated that an approach that improves existing mechanisms and tries to define new mechanisms according to new needs has been adopted.

From the perspective of the dimension of the participation, it is possible to state that an approach that avoids the point-to-point technique is adopted. However, in existing practices, participation in the conduct of business and operations of local administrations can only be perceived as point-by-point [11]. For example, while developing plans for conservation of protected areas are being executed, at least two participatory meetings are required following the legislation; however, it is observed that these meetings are being carried out for the sake of the procedure. However, participation and jointly administration should be perceived as a focus, not as part of the process.

The cooperation of local administrations within the extent of the working area, higher education institutions such as Hacibektaş University and Cappadocia University, Non-Governmental Organizations, Ahiler Development Agency, professional organizations, and other organized establishments is of great importance to ensure deployment of resources and accelerated operation of institutional decisionmaking processes. It is a key to the evaluation of the current potentials of the local people through the mentioned institutions and organizations and to play an active and productive role in the development process.

In line with the central approaches mentioned above, the model is exemplified in the Core Cappadocia Site, which aims to convey cultural and natural heritage to future generations with the least loss. It is possible to state that the settlements of Göreme, Uçhisar, Ortahisar, Mustafapaşa, Ürgüp, and Avanos, which constitute the study field, have various layers at individual, social, and corporate levels, and this situation is anticipated to contribute to the solution of the existing problems.

On the other hand, in the field of work, it has been observed that the local people cannot transform their accumulation of knowledge and experience, about the tangible and intangible cultural heritage into a sustainable economic benefit at the local level. The proposal of a settlement that provides the local people the

opportunity to market their products in both local and national and international markets also reflect the corporate culture that is already existing in our culture.

#### **5. Conclusion**

The conservation approach has emerged as a result of the administration's desire to "naturally" inherit a diverse and "productive" world for future generations [12]. Climate change, propensity to consume, urbanization and the desire to generate economic income create pressure on cultural and natural values, which is regarded as the main reason for this outcome [12]. Core Cappadocia Site, consisting of the synthesis of cultural, natural and economic values, has socioeconomic reflections both in Nevşehir province and all over the country. However, the original natural structure of the site and its tangible and intangible cultural values are threatened by inadequate tourism policies.

 In this study, fieldwork which was concluded with analysis, synthesis and zoning approach was carried out, and all the sensitivity of the site was determined, and the sensitivities were tried to interfere with the planning approach. As the work area is a World Heritage Site, the planning approach and actions have been prepared based on management plans, in which UNESCO sets a precondition for the preparation concerning World Heritage Sites. To develop the phenomenon of being organized in community, which is found to be inadequate in the site, participation and governance were taken into consideration in the model; it was also aimed to stimulate the self-assessment mechanism of community.

 The "Spiral Sensitivity Model" proposed within the scope of the study emphasizes an approach in which the future use of cultural and natural tourism values consumed today is conserved with "governance". Thus, in decision-making processes in the tourism sector, it will be possible to ensure that mechanisms for center-local-civil participants operate jointly. It must be determined which budget the responsible institutions and organizations will use to implement the actions and projects identified. Also, the determination of funding institutions makes the spatial strategic plan applicable.

 In this study, the "Spatial Strategic Plan" approach, which was successful in building the relationship of organizational form with physical space, was taken into consideration. In the current situation, a spatial strategy plan is preliminarily provided at the country scale, but there are no approved examples of a spatial strategy plan. Therefore, it is envisaged that the work will contribute to the future work of the planning authorities and it is also the innovative aspect of the work.

#### **Acknowledgements**

 This study is derived from the individual study conducted at the Planning-8 studio carried out by the Urban and Regional Planning Department of Yıldız Technical University in the spring semester of 2012–2013. The authors are indebted to participants of the Planning-8 studio for their valuable comments and contributions.

*Sustainable Cultural and Natural Heritage-Oriented Spatial Strategic Planning Process… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87836* 

### **Author details**

Özlem Köşker1 , Arzuhan Burcu Gültekin1 \*, Gizem Hayrullahoğlu2 and Enis Yeter1

1 Department of Real Estate Development and Management, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey

2 Independent Researcher, Ankara, Turkey

\*Address all correspondence to: abgultekin@ankara.edu.tr

© 2019 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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#### **Chapter 31**
