A Study on Local People’s Perception About Cittaslow: The Case of Seferihisar

Abstract

The Cittaslow is a cities union created to increase the quality of cities life. It is also a sustainable model of local development. Cities are branded as members of this union and thus they make a difference. Being a slow city is not an end, but a beginning of a process. For this reason, it is important to ensure that the local people are conscious and support the Cittaslow occurrence. Seferihisar is the first city in Turkey that is members of this union. In this study, the local people’s perception in Seferihisar, regarding Cittaslow occurrence has been examined. The interview technique was used as a qualitative research techniques and the analysis of the data was done by content analysis. Local people mentioned that the Cittaslow had positive impact on the economy, tourism development, environment, socio cultural structure and the recognition of their city. However, they pointed out that with the Cittaslow, traffic congestion in the city, noise, regional inflation, crowding, non-planned urbanization and environmental pollution problems arise. It has been found that local people expressed their satisfaction by focusing more on the economic consequences of Cittaslow.