Gated communities from the perspective of developers

Gated housing areas have increasingly become a profitable segment in the real estate market as well as a new marketing angle for developers to meet the demand for security, status/prestige, and lifestyle. The development patterns of gated communities in many countries show that developers recognize the opportunity to sell safety and security to a niche market. Against this background, the aim of this paper is to investigate the development process of gated communities in a metropolitan city, Istanbul, from the perspective of developers. The data and information used for evaluation are based on the extensive survey questionnaires filled out by developers of gated communities. A “logistic regression method” is deployed to identify the most important factors on approaches and behaviors of developers. Therefore, the motivating factors both in the decision-making and production-marketing process of developers are evaluated. This evaluation enables us to highlight the characteristics of the real estate market.

A Contingent Valuation Approach to Community-based Watershed Management in Beyşehir Lake Basin

Community-based watershed management has become more predominant as part of the trend towards more holistic and participatory approaches to water resources management. Locally based planning at the watershed scale is seen as an operative way to enhance long-term water resources management and environmental sustainability. Large-scale (regional) ecological systems can be most effectively regulated by small-scale (local) social organizations. Consequently motivating local people to actively participate in controlling non-point source pollution through integrative watershed management is important. Beyşehir Lake is the largest freshwater lake and drinking water reservoir in Turkey. The lake, located in the southwest of Konya Closed Basin, is significant both for humans, as a source of fresh water, and environmentally, due to the wetland ecosystem. Beyşehir Lake Basin (BLB) suffers from lots of environmental and socio-economic problems. Variations in water level due to inappropriate water policy and non-point source pollution in the lake have become striking environmental issues at the basin. This paper aims to explore the knowledge and perceptions of the local people about non-point source pollution and community-based watershed management policies in BLB. In this context local people's; i) awareness level concerned with BLB problems, ii) attitudes toward non-point source pollution control and watershed management, iii) the socio-economic factors affecting the residents' participations to watershed management, and iv) proposal strategies to provide sustainability of the basin, and finally v) willingness to pay (WTP) for improving Beyşehir Lake's water quality and quantity is evaluated. The contingent valuation method (CVM) is used to estimate economic value of improving local watershed services for BLB residents. The findings highlight the awareness level, attitude and preference differences between the people live nearby the lake and far from the lake. A better understanding of local people's knowledge and attitudes toward the watershed management is expected that will greatly help the integration of social progress and stability, economic development and natural resource management, in this way sustainability of the basin

Determinants of Migrant Entrepreneurship in Europe

In the last decades migrant enterprises have become more embedded in the European urban economy. With the rising number of migrant entrepreneurs, the largest cities in Europe have acquired a more cosmopolitan outlook and have become dynamic multicultural economies. Actually, the 'ethnic economies' are often seen as elements of a solution to structural labour market problems and ethnicity is increasingly regarded as a viable resource for economic advancement on the labour market in Europe. Against this background, the aim of this paper is to investigate the forms of migrant entrepreneurship in diverse urban contexts and to interpret the differences in the social integration in European cities. The paper is based on a review of findings in the literature that addresses the migrant entrepreneurship experiences of different European countries such as Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, UK, France, Denmark, Sweden, Italy and Portugal. The focus of the paper will be on a comparative evaluation of the various forms of migrant entrepreneurship in European countries. This comparative evaluation enables us to identify the 'European' models of migrant entrepreneurship and to highlight the determinants of migrant entrepreneurship in Europe

Determinants of Migrant Entrepreneurship in Europe

In the last decades migrant enterprises have become more embedded in the European urban economy. With the rising number of migrant entrepreneurs, the largest cities in Europe have acquired a more cosmopolitan outlook and have become dynamic multicultural economies. Actually, the ‘ethnic economies’ are often seen as elements of a solution to structural labour market problems and ethnicity is increasingly regarded as a viable resource for economic advancement on the labour market in Europe. Against this background, the aim of this paper is to investigate the forms of migrant entrepreneurship in diverse urban contexts and to interpret the differences in the social integration in European cities. The paper is based on a review of findings in the literature that addresses the migrant entrepreneurship experiences of different European countries such as Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, UK, France, Denmark, Sweden, Italy and Portugal. The focus of the paper will be on a comparative evaluation of the various forms of migrant entrepreneurship in European countries. This comparative evaluation enables us to identify the ‘European’ models of migrant entrepreneurship and to highlight the determinants of migrant entrepreneurship in Europe.

Urban Green Space Policies: Performance and Success Conditions in European Cities

Urban green spaces play a key role in improving the liveability of our towns and cities. The quality and viability of cities depend largely on the design, management and maintenance of urban green as well as of open and public spaces in order to fulfil their role as an important social constellation and a visual focus. Actually, urban green spaces are seen as an important contribution to a sustainable development of cities. However, the potential of green spaces is not always realized, so that current management practices are sometimes sub-optimal. From a “policy perspective”, the results of several case studies have shown important needs and priorities for the development and management of urban green spaces. It is of strategic importance to compare and evaluate urban green space policies for highlighting the “best practices” for relevant policy recommendations and guidance for society and planning authorities to improve the quality of life in cities. The present study investigates urban green spaces from a policy evaluation perspective and analyses European cities in order to obtain strategic and policy relevant information on the key features of urban green. The study aims to compare and evaluate the current management practices in European cities on the basis of the performance of urban green space policies. The data and information used for comparison and evaluation are based on extensive survey questionnaires filled out by relevant departments or experts of municipalities in European cities that aim to share their experience in innovative green space policies and strategies. A recently developed artificial intelligence method is deployed to assess and identify the most important factors that are responsible for successes and failures of urban green space policies. This approach reveals the most critical policy variables.

Gated communities from the perspective of developers

Gated housing areas have increasingly become a profitable segment in the real estate market as well as a new marketing angle for developers to meet the demand for security, status/prestige, and lifestyle. The development patterns of gated communities in many countries show that developers recognize the opportunity to sell safety and security to a niche market. Against this background, the aim of this paper is to investigate the development process of gated communities in a metropolitan city, Istanbul, from the perspective of developers. The data and information used for evaluation are based on the extensive survey questionnaires filled out by developers of gated communities. A "logistic regression method” is deployed to identify the most important factors on approaches and behaviors of developers. Therefore, the motivating factors both in the decision-making and production-marketing process of developers are evaluated. This evaluation enables us to highlight the characteristics of the real estate market

Gender Differences in Ethnic Entrepreneurship

Gender-based differences are the most important topic of discussion in female entrepreneurship studies. While the earliest studies focused on psychological and sociological characteristics of female entrepreneurs, assuming there were only a few differences between males and females, more recent studies have focused on gender-based differences in entrepreneurship from a new perspective, referred to as the “integrated perspective”, which is rooted in psychological and sociological theories. This perspective focuses on sex and gender differences in entrepreneurial characteristics and performance from the perspective of “liberal feminist” and “social feminist” theories, which attemp to explain the basis of the lower status of women in society. The aim of this paper is to investigate gender-based differences in a special field of entrepreneurship the so-called “ethnic entrepreneurship”, and to describe male and female profiles of ethnic entrepreneurs and enterprises. Our findings are based on a comparison of two case study researches; while the first was conducted among three different ethnic groups including Turkish, Indian/Pakistani and Moroccan male entrepreneurs, the second was conducted among Turkish female entrepreneurs in Amsterdam. The results of our comparison show that there are some gender-based differences in ethnic entrepreneurship similar to gender-based differences observed commonly in entrepreneurship. This similarity in trends demonstrates that “gender” as a factor has a higher importance than the “ethnicity” in the characteristics and behavioral attitudes of ethnic entrepreneurs

Gender Differences in Ethnic Entrepreneurship

Gender-based differences are the most important topic of discussion in female entrepreneurship studies. While the earliest studies focused on psychological and sociological characteristics of female entrepreneurs, assuming there were only a few differences between males and females, more recent studies have focused on gender-based differences in entrepreneurship from a new perspective, referred to as the “integrated perspective”, which is rooted in psychological and sociological theories. This perspective focuses on sex and gender differences in entrepreneurial characteristics and performance from the perspective of “liberal feminist” and “social feminist” theories, which attemp to explain the basis of the lower status of women in society. The aim of this paper is to investigate gender-based differences in a special field of entrepreneurship the so-called “ethnic entrepreneurship”, and to describe male and female profiles of ethnic entrepreneurs and enterprises. Our findings are based on a comparison of two case study researches; while the first was conducted among three different ethnic groups including Turkish, Indian/Pakistani and Moroccan male entrepreneurs, the second was conducted among Turkish female entrepreneurs in Amsterdam. The results of our comparison show that there are some gender-based differences in ethnic entrepreneurship similar to gender-based differences observed commonly in entrepreneurship. This similarity in trends demonstrates that “gender” as a factor has a higher importance than the “ethnicity” in the characteristics and behavioral attitudes of ethnic entrepreneurs.

The role of “network of cities” in construction of global urban culture

The globalization process has led to an increased interaction between cities and to a new urban system/network in which they need to be competitive and complementary at the same time. “Network of cities”, such as World Cities, Eurocities or Sister Cities are among the well known examples of interaction and cooperation of the cities at the regional and global level. The cities of different regions and countries tend to share their experiences and their cultures within these networks in order to develop some common spatial or social strategies and further cooperation. “Best practices” or “benchmarking are the most important issues of the interaction between cities. While benchmarking facilitates the cultural dialogue between different cities, the common values developed in this process make a great contribution to the construction of global urban culture. The main aim of this paper is to investigate the role of urban networks in the interaction and integration of cities by means of “Sister City” movement that can be defined as a partnership of two cities from different countries which is based on cultural and social understanding to achieve cultural dialogue. This paper focuses on the “Sister Cities of Instanbul” to highlight the development process of the movement in the historical and geographical context and to evaluate the development phases of the relationship with sister cities. The results of our study show that Istanbul’s relationships with its sister cities are at the “associative” and “reciprocative” phases that can be defied as the earlier phases of the relationships.

Production and marketing of gated communities in Istanbul

Gated communities are part of the trend of suburbanization that is based on the creation of self-contained, separate communities with carefully constructed identities. There are many definitions of gated communities and they differ from country to country. However, a general definition can be given as “physical privatized areas where outsiders and insiders exist”. In parallel to the increasing diversity and multiplicity, gated communities have grown in both developed and developing countries and they have radically transformed the urban environment. For residents, gated communities are lifestyles choices. For developers, they can be a marketing angle, another way to target specific submarkets or a necessity to meet demand in some areas. The aim of this paper is to investigate the phenomenon of “gated communities” which is one of the most important driving forces in housing market. The paper will focus on the production and marketing of gated communities in Istanbul. How is the production and marketing process of gated communities? The paper will provide an answer to this question while evaluating the data obtained from the extensive survey questionnaires filled out by developers of gated communities