Measuring the Sustainability of Cities in Turkey with the Analytic Hierarchy Process

Abstract

The objective of this study is to compare and rank the 81 provinces of Turkey by using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) in terms of urban sustainability. With this aim, economic, social and environmental sustainability indicators are used. The results indicate that the most sustainable alternative out of 81 is the Eskisehir province. It is followed by Çanakkale, Bursa, İzmir, Bilecik, Giresun, Edirne, Ankara, Rize and Manisa. On the other hand, Diyarbakir, Mardin, Muş, Kars, Bitlis, Yozgat, Sanliurfa, Van, and Batman are less sustainable cities, which are located in the eastern part of the country. Furthermore, the sustainability scores of provinces indicate the development gap between the east and the west of the country.