The vital dependency of newly established districts on their former main centers Türkiye’s Settlement Pattern and Population Dynamics (Article 11) Aydın Tiryaki (2026)

One of the most prominent changes in Türkiye’s administrative map in recent years is the creation of new districts by dividing large ones. Although the acquisition of district status for a settlement unit theoretically means bringing services to the citizen’s doorstep, the flow of real life does not always follow the boundaries on paper. This situation reveals a relationship of dependency that we can call the “Virtual Province Effect” in administrative science. Although many newly established districts are administratively independent, they still act as a satellite of the “main center” from which they were separated in terms of trade, health, transportation, and social life (1).

The primary reason for this virtual independence is that infrastructure and service capacity cannot be built with just a signature. By making a town or neighborhood a district, a district governorate and a few directorate buildings can be erected; however, establishing a full-fledged regional hospital, a large trade center, or an advanced transportation terminal requires investments spanning decades. Consequently, even if citizens living in the new district go to their own district governorate for official business, they still have to go to their old center to see a specialist doctor, handle banking transactions, or go shopping (2).

The virtual province effect is felt more intensely, especially in divided districts within metropolitan areas. In these regions where there is geographical continuity, drawing administrative boundaries does not change social habits. This situation can also lead to errors in the planning of public services. While budget and personnel are transferred to a newly established unit based on the “registered population” there, the vital load of this population during daytime hours still remains on the old center (3). To eliminate this asymmetry, it constitutes a requirement to transition to flexible budget models based on “attraction power” and “service capacity” rather than just the population of settlements.

In conclusion, while Türkiye’s settlement architecture is being designed, the balance between “administrative independence” and “functional dependency” must be well established. Making a settlement a district merely as a political promise does nothing more than turn it into a virtual province. The rational solution is not to tear settlements apart from each other, but as emphasized in our previous articles, to manage them within a “service network” that complements one another by defining them according to their functions—such as Rural Neighborhood, Urban Village, or Special Status District (4).

Aydın Tiryaki Ankara, January 12, 2026

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ANNEXES

Annex A: Some New Districts with Ongoing Dependency on Former Centers (Examples)

• New settlements in Istanbul separated from Başakşehir or divided along the Küçükçekmece/Büyükçekmece line, maintaining dependency on old centers in main transportation and trade axes.
• Units in Ankara established by separating from the center but whose social and economic life is completely indexed to central districts (Çankaya/Yenimahalle).
• Settlements in non-metropolitan provinces made districts by separating from the provincial center but still using the center for university, hospital, and market needs.

Annex B: Symptoms of the Virtual Province Effect

• Extreme difference between daytime and nighttime population.
• Transaction volume of public units established in the new district remaining low relative to the population.
• Transportation lines still knotted according to the old center.

REFERENCES

(1) Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Interior, Civil Administration Restructuring and Local Government Dynamics Report. https://www.icisleri.gov.tr

(2) Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), Inter-District Mobility and Service Access Statistics. https://www.tuik.gov.tr

(3) Tiryaki, A. (2026). Large Districts and Small Provincial Centers (Article 9 of the Series).

(4) General Directorate of Development Agencies, Urban Attraction Areas and Functional Regional Analyses. https://www.ka.gov.tr