The Development of Western-Type Large-Scale Consumption Areas in Turkey and Legal and Structural Regulation Efforts in Urban Retail Environments*

The retail sector has been experiencing a rapid and continuouschange worldwide. There have also been profoundchanges in Turkey, especially after the 1980s. Both the retailsector and the urban retail environments have been alteredradically. One of the most significant indicators of this changeis the proliferation of western-type large-scale retail developments.Past experiences in developed countries have shownthat the uncontrolled development of large-scale retail areasresults in some undesired socioeconomic and physical outcomes,such as decline in the cultural and commercial activitiesof city centers, damage in existing retail workforce structure,and change in local retail hierarchy, nearby land uses,traffic loads and original architectural identity. Many countrieshave put into practice restrictive and regulatory policiesto prevent these negative effects. As similar transformationshave also been realized in Turkish retail environments, manyinstitutions think that similar legal regulations must be implementedin Turkey as well. The present study investigates theongoing retail change within the Turkish context, explores thelegal and structural regulatory policies of the Organizationfor Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries,and critically discusses the appropriate retail regulationpolicies for Turkey.