Abstract
Relationships Between the Coal Basin and Urban Settlement in Zonguldak
Mining is not only a positive contributor to the economy of a country but it also undertakes an active role in the shaping up of cities and in their development further on. From the perspective of urban development, mining, despite its positive economic value, brings along risks that should be taken into consideration in urban development. Settlement areas constructed next to or on top of mining areas are under the risk of subsidence. In the cities where mining constitutes the primary income source for the population, urban development plans should be prepared with considerations aiming at evading the critical risks of subsidence. In this framework, population projections, and urban social and technical infrastructure must be planned in line with the related natural (geological) data. In other words, the urbanization policy must be of a holistic structure integrating decisions and programs which will minimize the negative impacts of subsidence probabilities. In the city of Zonguldak, the urbanization phenomenon that developed in parallel to the anthracite production, resulted, in time, in the creation of housing areas situated on the subsidence areas. Such irregular and disorderly residential areas were legitimized by zoning amnesties, and faced the risks of subsidence.<
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