Solar energy is among the sustainable and renewable energy sources that has become an important and inevitable part of our lives today. It is of great importance to consider economic, environmental, and social factors in determining the installation locations of solar power plants (SPP). In this study, we aimed to determine suitable areas where SPP can be established in Safranbolu District by using the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP), which is one of the multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) method together with Geographic Information Systems (GIS), to enable the decision-makers to express their preferences in approximate or adaptable ways. The criteria addressed in the technical analysis process were also determined by supporting the basic principles of impact assessment systems. Within the scope of the environmental analysis, the relevant national and international legal frameworks were also examined and the legal constraints were identified. Thus, in the process of determining the optimal areas for SPP, it has been attempted to produce sustainable solutions that are expected to have minimal impact on the integrity of the natural system. This study was carried on within a scientific, technical, and legal framework. According to the results obtained, the Safranbolu District had low, medium, and high sensitivity properties for SPP construction, and the areas suitable for SPP construction provided medium and high sensitivity of 10.86% and 27.26% correspondence detected according to the Chang (Eur J Oper Res 95(3): 649-655, 1996) and Buckley (Fuzzy Set Syst 17(3): 233-247, 1985) methods, respectively. There are very suitable areas for SPP installations in the central and western parts of Safranbolu District, and there are also areas suitable for SPP installation in the northern and southern parts of the district. Thanks to this study, suitable SPP establishment areas were determined for the under protection in a location in Safranbolu where clean energy is needed. It was also observed that these areas do not conflict with the basic principles of impact assessment systems.

People inherently assess landscapes by creating spontaneous aesthetic liking judgments based on the surrounding stimuli. To understand these judgements objectively, use may be made of the fluency theory of aesthetic pleasure (the psychological processes through which people experience beauty). This study aims to predict people’s visual aesthetic preferences based on fluency theory and to correlate these preferences with landscape types and features. An ordinary least squares (OLS) regression model was developed to predict visual aesthetic liking, using image statistics as explanatory variables. We determined types of landscape using Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) and applied viewshed analyses distinguishing between near, medium, and far zones. We identified landscape features by content analysis making use of machine learning-based image recognition supplied by Google Cloud Vision API. The results show that vegetation and geological forms were the most significant features for people’s visual aesthetic liking, followed by waterscapes and built structures/human settlements. The viewshed analyses indicated that ‘medium-altitude, low-gradient artificial areas’ were visible in photographs with high aesthetic visual liking in all zones (i.e., at all distances). When the photographs showing this type of landscape are examined, the artificial areas in the photographs turn out to consist mostly of historical buildings or remains. This finding suggests that historical sites are not just important for their cultural value, but for their visual aesthetic value as well.

The Cittaslow (Slow city) movement, which established in Italy in 1999, can be considered as the symbol of the association of small cities spread across many regions of the world (33 countries, 297 cities). Cittaslow status, which is achieved by the natural resources and cultural heritage components of the cities, aims to protect the local unique structure of each cittaslow and to pass it on to new generations. However, today, the situation observed in slow cities constitutes a paradox; tourism pressure and visitor density which contrasts with the Cittaslow Status. This study aims to contribute to the elimination of the infrastructure problems arising from the intense tourism demand in Cittaslow Seferihisar and the paradox between the “slow philosophy” and intense tourism pressure. This study focuses on producing alternative tourism routes used GIS and Network Analysis methods for Cittaslow Seferihisar with the aim of supporting sustainable tourism activities with sustainable decision-making processes. In addition to the technical process carried out in the study, a proposal for a Strategic Action Plan for Seferihisar and other slow cities in Türkiye has been prepared, taking into account the legal planning system in Türkiye, in order to present the approach based on the methodology of the study as feasible actions.

Sosyoekonomik ve teknolojik boyutta yaşanan gelişmeler, birçok sektörde olduğu gibi turizm sektöründe de önemli değişimlere neden olmuş, bu süreçte turizm tercihleri de değişmiştir. 2000’li yıllarda küresel perspektifte öne çıkan ekoturizm kavramı, turizm sektörü bileşenlerinin tutum ve beklentileri üzerinde büyük bir etki oluşturmuş ve sektöre sürdürülebilir tabanlı bir turizm yaklaşımını entegre etmiştir. Ekoturizm, doğal ve kültürel alan kullanımlarının koruma-kullanma dengesi gözetilerek yönetilmesi hedefiyle, alternatif turizm olanakları sunmaktadır. Sürdürülebilir faaliyetler, yerel ölçekte ekonomik kalkınma potansiyeli, dengeli sektörel büyüme vb. bu olanaklar arasında öncelikli olarak gösterilebilir. Türkiye, coğrafi konumunun etkisiyle doğal ve kültürel peyzaj değerleri yönünden önemli ekoturizm bölgelerine sahiptir. Bu nedenle, kırsal alanlarda yaşam kalitesinin yükselmesini hedefleyen ekoturizmi destekleyici politikalar, ülkemizin sürdürülebilir kırsal kalkınma hedefleriyle birlikte değerlendirilmelidir. Çalışmada, ekoturizm yönünden önemli bir potansiyele sahip Adana’nın Kozan ilçesi incelenmiştir. Bu kapsamda öncelikle, doğal ve kültürel değerlerin tespitine yönelik kapsamlı bir envanter çalışması yürütülmüştür. Elde edilen veriler doğrultusunda, SWOT ve TOWS analizleri ile çalışma alanının mevcut durumuna yönelik sürdürülebilir turizm yaklaşımıyla bir değerlendirme sunulmuştur.