Eco-Village Initiatives in Turkey and a New Alternative Life

Abstract

Today’s settlements are typically getting less and less green with residents craving more and more for the nature. On the one hand, individuals are becoming more and more tired with big city life, and on the other, social togetherness is getting weaker and weaker. Such problems that are faced on a global scale in today’s world are considered to be potential causes of greater problems in the future. With the hypothesis that building alternative sustainable living environments and increasing the number of such environments are critically important, the concept of Eco-Villages is gradually becoming popular today. Ecovillages are a type of intelligent settlements with ecological characteristics such as natural agriculture and livestock activities, thus producing their own nutrients, utilizing renewable energy systems, transforming their wastes and having a self-sufficient and collective social life. While there are successful examples of eco-villages throughout the world, the number of such examples in Turkey is rather limited. The present study analyzes certain Eco-Village initiatives in Turkey and proposes an alternative sustainable living model and its principles with reference to the question, “How can we achieve more successful Eco-Villages?”, based on survey data collected from 660 participants. The proposed Smart Eco-Village Settlement Model, systematizes the city-village relationship. Social structure, physical structure, and energy-related strategies are determined for the eco-village model, and it is aimed to reorganize the spatial, sociocultural, and productive structures between the city and the village with a three-stage settlement system to be established according to its characteristics. It contributes to the economy of the region and the country through various forms of production, ensures sustainable development, and offers an alternative way of living, ensuring the sustainability of the global economy.