Investigation of suitable land use potential for industrial sites: the case of Kemalpaşa.

Kemalpaşa district (İzmir/Turkey), a significant area in terms of its natural and cultural characteristics alongside with its agricultural production, was selected as the specific site for the study at hand as its natural resources were endangered as a result of unplanned industrial settlement and development in the area. Therefore, the aim of the study was to ascertain the most suitable industrial sites for the area by taking natural factors into consideration, while excluding the economic ones. Within the scope of the study, a total of 13 criteria were set including wildlife development areas, protected areas, forest lands, olive groves, pastures, agricultural lands, water surfaces, streams, land capability areas, distance to residential areas, transportation (distance to roads), slopes, and erosion. Seventeen maps were created based on these 13 criteria and were used to select the suitable sites. The inquiries were conducted through the weighted linear combination technique and the analytic hierarchy process method utilizing the geographical information system software ArcGIS 10.2.1. The land use of Kemalpaşa is classified under five classes indicating different suitability values for industrial use and evaluating the land from "not suitable" (0) to "most suitable" (4). The results of the study revealed that 98.64% of Kemalpaşa district was "not suitable" (0) for industrial land use. The results further indicated that only 0.50% of the district was "suitable" (3) for industrial use, while 0.86% was found to be "most suitable" (4) to that end. Three alternative sites designated by the study and current industrial sites were evaluated based on protection criteria and planning proposals were suggested.